Buying Sears Returns: What You Need to Know

Sears has been a household name for decades. So long, in fact, you might forget it was one of the first department stores in the country! Department stores are known for carrying a wide range of household products and necessities all in one place, which also means returns are common. And with a history as extensive as that of Sears’, you can imagine the need for a liquidation site.

Sears Overstock Auctions is an official liquidation channel for Sears and K-Mart that offers bulk quantities of categories like apparel, home & garden, hardware, toys, small appliances, and more. This marketplace can help businesses fill inventory gaps with good quality inventory and Sears returns you won’t find anywhere else. Plus, buyers only pay what they want for liquidated goods in an auction setup.

In this article, we go over Sears’ marketplace from top to bottom:

• Overview of the Sears marketplace
• What makes Sears’ inventory valuable
• How to start buying Sears liquidation pallets
• Reselling Sears liquidation

Sears Overstock Auctions: An Overview

Types of Sears liquidation inventory

Everyone finds the need to hit a department store at some point. Whether that’s for back-to-school, wedding registries, holiday shopping, home improvement projects, and more, you can always find a range of goods at your fingertips. For buyers of liquidation inventory, this is good news. When you have several different product categories to offer, you can reach even more customers!

Department store inventory that you can find on the Sears marketplace includes:

• Apparel
• Jewelry
• Home & garden
• Small appliances
• Hardware
• Toys

Returns and overstock on the Sears liquidation marketplace come at deep discounts, too. For items that are returned or will no longer be sold in stores, liquidating becomes a quick and easy way for Sears to offload this kind of inventory. You can find all those items listed above and more when you register on the Sears Overstock Auctions marketplace today!

What makes Sears overstock and returns so valuable?

Brand recognition

As one of the first department stores established, Sears is a name shoppers trust. It’s known for carrying all the essential household items, appliances, apparel, or toys that you could be looking for. For your customers, having a name they can recognize and trust is a strong selling point.

Inventory you won’t find elsewhere

Liquidation typically means an organization is trying to turn excess, overstock, or obsolete goods into cash, quickly. Retailers that choose to liquidate this inventory offer a variety of high value inventory you won’t find elsewhere. Think of things that you may walk into a Sears store and see—there’s a good chance it will get liquidated before spending time sitting on a clearance shelf. For retailers, this merchandise costs money because 1) the goods depreciate with age, 2) they take up space in the warehouse, and 3) they tie up capital.

Good quality products and sets

Sears carries quality brand names within home and garden, like Black + Decker, for example. It’s also common to see entire tool sets up for auction, oftentimes in near-mint condition! While most lower-grade power tools and home & garden inventory can still yield high returns, undamaged sets found on the Sears marketplace are even more valuable.

What to know when purchasing Sears liquidation pallets:

How items are sold

Sears returns and liquidation are sold in less-than-truckload (LTL) quantities on Sears Overstock Auctions. Buyers can browse 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, “1 Pallet of DOTCOM Apparel & More (SoftlinesCD_46_120221), Used – Fair Condition, 122 Units, Ext. Retail $3,271, Manteno, IL” tells you the shipment type, inventory type, condition, quantity, 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.

Set your filters to the inventory you want

Filters allow you to sort through auctions that meet your criteria. You can search by Shipment Type, Current High Bids, City and State, Condition, Inventory Type, Cosmetic Condition, Functionality, and Accessories. We’ll break down the importance of a few of these filters below.

Find the warehouse closest to you

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 can currently find Sears liquidation auctions listed out of the following locations:

• Groveport, OH
• Manteno, IL

If you’re worried about your budget, take advantage of these ways to save on shipping costs.

Product & packaging conditions

The Sears 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.

What size shipment are you able to purchase?

The standard pallet size is 48” x 40”. A truckload has 24 pallets and an LTL (less than truckload) can be anywhere from one to 10 or 12. Consider that certain products may be bulkier than others, and require more space. One pallet of apparel items can take up significantly less room than a whole sectional. So choose your auctions wisely! If you don’t have the space to accommodate this amount of inventory, you can look for smaller auction lots available on B-Stock Supply.

How to get started

You will need to register for Sears Overstock Auctions in order to start bidding on bulk lots of a wide variety of products including apparel, home & garden, hardware, toys, small appliances, and more.

To register, you will need to have a reseller certificate form to submit with your application. Once approved, you can immediately bid to win Sears liquidation inventory. If you do not currently have a reseller certificate but would like to learn more about how to apply for one, please read Buying Basics: Resale Certificates.

Calculate your costs

Make sure you get your formula down for how much you’re willing to bid for Sears returns and other 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 Sears liquidation:

The power of variety

Sears offers a wide range of products, which means you can fill in any gaps in your inventory when you shop on this marketplace. For example, one week you may see a 1 Box of DOTCOM fine jewelry, and in another month you could find a complete hardware set! This makes for a great way to bring in fresh inventory for customers when you need to shake things up.

Stick to your selling points

If you’re in possession of NEW inventory, you need to advertise it as such. Buyers will be willing to pay more for inventory that hasn’t been opened or used. Think about adding key details to your product titles such as “New With Tags” or “Scratch & Dent.” Not only will highlighting these features increase searchability, but you can also save your customers time asking you questions if you point out key selling points right away.

For more advice on writing product descriptions, read List It! Write Great Product Descriptions that Sell.

Check upcoming holidays

If you’re looking for holidays to offer promotions around, stocking up on quality inventory that makes for great gifts early on is a must. Think about categories and holidays that go well together like jewelry for Mother’s Day and power tools for Father’s Day.

Start buying Sears liquidation today!

Sears liquidation combines the best of department store inventory like apparel and toys with home goods and hardware, and at deep discounts, too! When you browse Sears returns and overstock auctions, you’re sure to find the deals you’re looking for. Simply submit a valid resale certificate and register on the Sears Overstock Auctions marketplace today!