Buying Best Buy Returns: What You Need to Know

Best Buy stores are always buzzing with customers clustered around tables and displays featuring the latest tech toys and tools. Their product offerings are some of the most sought-after brands on the market, and they come with expert help in the form of a knowledgeable sales staff and Best Buy’s “Geek Squad” to help patrons solve any tech problems they might encounter. Consumers seem to love the brand and all they have to offer. Fortunately, there’s a way resellers can get in on the action! 

Best Buy liquidates pallets and truckloads full of returned merchandise at huge discounts through online auctions. Registered buyers on the Best Buy Liquidation Auctions marketplace can acquire some of the hottest merchandise on the market for a fraction of the retail price. 

In this article, we go over Best Buy’s marketplace from top to bottom:

• Best Buy returns policies
• Overview of the Best Buy marketplace
• What makes Best Buy returns lots valuable
• How to start buying 
• Reselling tips

Best Buy returns policies

In general, Best Buy’s returns policies are pretty simple and straightforward. There are, however, a few things consumers should know.

First, loyalty status matters when you’re returning an item. The standard returns and exchanges period for most products is 15 days. If you’re an Elite member of their “My Best Buy” program, however, you get twice as long – 30 days. What’s more, Elite Plus members can return most items up to 45 days after purchase.

Next, if you return some products, you might have to pay a “restocking fee.” For cell phone returns, this is a standard $45 fee. For other special products, such as drones and DSLR cameras, Best Buy will charge 15% of the purchase price. You can avoid these fees if the product is unopened or if you live in a state where restocking fees are prohibited by law.

Best Buy Liquidation Auctions: An Overview

Because Best Buy returns are such an easy transaction in most cases, the store processes many returns every year. Fortunately for the secondary market, most of these returns are never placed back on the shelves, instead ending up in liquidation auctions on sites like B-Stock. Best Buy Liquidation Auctions is an official B2B liquidation marketplace for Best Buy. The marketplace offers bulk quantities of new condition and customer-returned appliances for registered buyers to bid on! 

Register Now 

Inventory you can expect

As noted above, Best Buy sells some of the hottest merchandise in their stores, then liquidates overstock and returns. This means quite a few top-tier products wind up in Best Buy auctions like washers, dryers, ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, built-ins, microwaves, accessories, and more. 

Best Buy auctions feature trusted name brands such as LG, GE, Samsung, Shark, and Whirlpool, as well as other high-end brand names like Thermador, Viking, Fisher, and Paykel. The products most commonly liquidated from Best Buy are as follows: 

• Large and small appliances
• Kitchen appliances such as refrigerators, microwave ovens, ranges, and dishwashers
• Laundry appliances like washers and dryers 
• Mixed appliances like vacuums and air conditioners
• Fitness equipment 

What makes Best Buy liquidation inventory so valuable? 

Higher ticket items = higher profit margins  

Appliances are higher-ticket items, meaning they will yield higher profits. The profit margins are simply lower for a $25 shirt (or even designer clothes) versus an item like $700-$1,000 washer unit!

Statistically, laundry units are in higher demand in the market than kitchen appliances. For business owners, this means that washers and dryers tend to sell faster allowing you to move inventory quickly. In fact, laundry units generate the highest secondary appliance market pricing, with refrigerators following in second.  

Demand for appliances

About 80% of appliance purchases are replacement purchases. This means shoppers are looking for a unit to bring home fast, usually in the next 24-48 hours. So if you have the inventory available, you can make the sale. Scratch and dent appliances –part of the broader appliances category–are deeply discounted when liquidated and are fully functional. 

What to know when purchasing Best Buy returns: 

How items are sold

Buyers can browse Best Buy auctions that interest them and place bids based on the retail value of the goods. The most important auction details will be listed in the auction title, for example, “Truckload of Washers, Ranges, Refrigerators, Dishwashers & More, 54 Units, Used – Good Condition, Ext. Retail $112,881, Los Angeles, CA” tells you the shipment type, inventory type, quantity, condition, estimated retail, and where it’s coming from.

For more information on how to read and understand an auction listing, check out The Anatomy of Liquidation Auctions.

Warehouse locations 

Shipment type and location can be used to determine the best auction for you. The amount of miles your lot has to travel to get to you directly impacts the cost of shipping. You’ll find Best Buy liquidation auctions that ship from cities across the country. These include locations like:

• Curtis Bay, MD
• St. Peters, MO
• Tracy, CA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Bellingham, MA
• Piscataway, NJ

Product & packaging conditions 

The Best Buy marketplace follows the same uniform product and packaging conditions as most B-Stock marketplaces. This gives interested buyers peace of mind when bidding and securing inventory on B-Stock’s liquidation marketplaces.

Also important to note are packaging conditions.

Shipment size 

Most Best Buy liquidation auctions are either full truckloads of merchandise or LTL (less than truckload) lots. The standard pallet size is 48” x 40”. A truckload has 24 pallets and an LTL can be anywhere from one to 10 or 12. Consider that certain products may be bulkier than others, and require more space. So choose your auctions wisely!

Please note: Nearly all appliance auction deliveries will be floor-loaded; meaning, the inventory will not be shipped on pallets. For full truckload shipments (TL) your delivery location must have a loading dock or forklift. Liftgates are not available for full truckload shipments. This restriction means you are not eligible to purchase full truckload shipments without a loading dock or forklift. Read more about shipping policies on the Best Buy marketplace here.

Register on the Best Buy marketplace

Register for the Best Buy Liquidation Auctions site in order to start bidding and buying bulk lots of new condition and customer-returned appliances including washers, dryers, ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, built-ins, microwaves, accessories and more.

Register Now 

To register, you will need to have a reseller certificate form to submit with your application. Once approved, you can immediately bid to win Best Buy liquidation pallets. 

Calculate your costs

Make sure you get your formula down for how much you’re willing to bid for Best Buy liquidation inventory. With the help of the manifest, interested buyers can sort directly on the manifest page to see the most valuable items. Alternatively, you can also download the manifest and work directly in an Excel file to do your calculations. You should take into account the number of units, MSRP, and shipping costs. Fees for liftgates and residential addresses may also apply.

What to know when selling Best Buy returns: 

Physical store

If you don’t have a physical store, selling appliances can be challenging. Sourcing directly through manufacturers will often require you to have a brick-and-mortar location. However, selling small appliances like air fryers, Kitchenaids, blenders, and grills are all fair game. Start shopping home & garden auctions to source small appliances! 

Follow promotional trends

Keep track of big buying holidays like 4th of July, Labor Day, and Memorial Day. These are good times to stock up on discounted inventory and keep around when promos are over. The non-holiday time frames are better for secondary market selling as customers are still looking for a good deal and can come to you for inventory! Customer returns also trend upwards when those holiday promotions are over as well.

Sell smart 

If you have strong selling points like ‘Scratch and Dent’ or stainless steel (versus white or black), and even Bluetooth capabilities, then make sure to emphasize these! Include this information in the listing title and description, or advertise accordingly with your store signage.  

If you’re looking for more tips, check out How to Sell Used Appliances and Make a Profit.

Referrals and repeat customers 

Another good idea is to establish relationships with businesses that can refer you. Property managers or real estate agents can bring in new business or be good repeat customers. As renters come and go, and new homeowners shop for appliances, it could be worthwhile to accept referrals and offer promos.

Start buying Best Buy returns today!

If you’re in the appliances market, check out our Best Buy marketplace. Buyers should do their due diligence by reading through the manifest to see all items and their descriptions in the auction lot.  Register now to bid on these sought-after items and stock up on some of the best appliance brands available. Your bottom line is sure to thank you!