Buying Wayfair Return Pallets: A Comprehensive Buying Guide

Wayfair.com, the largest online retailer of home products and furnishings, offers the largest selection of home furnishings and decor across all styles and budgets. In the third quarter of 2021 alone, Wayfair generated $3.1 billion in net revenue! And with more than five million options from 5,000 brands, you can bet Wayfair has lots of overstock to liquidate. In this article, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of buying Wayfair return pallets.

Registered buyers can find hundreds of different products at any given time on Wayfair’s private liquidation auctions storefront. From living and dining room furniture like tables, chairs, and couches, to bedding and bath items like bed frames, nightstands, decor, and more. It’s safe to say home & garden, as well as furniture buyers, do not have a shortage of inventory on this storefront!

In this article, we go over Wayfair’s storefront from top to bottom:

• Overview of the Wayfair storefront
• What makes Wayfair’s inventory valuable
• How to start buying Wayfair liquidation pallets
• Reselling Wayfair liquidation

Wayfair Liquidation Auctions: An Overview

Types of Wayfair liquidation inventory

Furniture inventory can be very versatile and is needed just about everywhere. Think about all of the shoppers looking for furniture like homeowners, renters, office managers, retail businesses, college students, etc. The demand for furniture is pretty consistent year-round, with furniture sales centering around holidays like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day. You can then follow these shopping spikes as it relates to furniture liquidation.

Here is what Wayfair inventory looks like:

You can find even more home furnishings and decor on Wayfair’s private liquidation storefront.

What makes Wayfair overstock & returns so valuable?

Large catalog of inventory

Wayfair has thousands of different sellers on their site like Joss & Main, DwellStudio, and AllModern, to name a few. This means Wayfair is able to be very widespread in what they can offer to their different demographics—and you can too. Wayfair overstock and returns include styles like modern & industrial, farmhouse & rustic, bohemian, and coastal. As well as materials like wicker, metal, wood, teak, among others. So for whatever styles your customers are looking for, you’re sure to find it on the Wayfair Liquidation Auctions storefront.

Wayfair’s return policy

Return policies vary by retailers, and in many cases, can be very flexible. According to Wayfair’s return policy, “You can return most items for a refund or store credit within 30 days of delivery. Return shipping costs apply, and the item must be in its original condition and packaging to be accepted.” The likelihood that a bulky or delicate piece of furniture will get a scratch or bump during the shipping and delivery process is high. When these items get returned, one of two things can happen; 1) they get repackaged and resold as an “Open Box” deal (like clearance), or 2) they get liquidated.

Higher ticket items = higher returns

Furniture is naturally going to be a higher-ticket item. Dressers, bed frames, couches, and tables are larger and take more materials than say producing a shirt or tie. So they can be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars versus a $50 dress or pair of shoes. The higher the item’s value, the more you can earn by reselling it.

Surprises await in mixed returns

Wayfair inventory is only sold in one grade, and that’s Used-Fair Condition. However, mixed condition returns can often still include profitable, good condition inventory. You should set your expectations accordingly, but due to the nature of customer returns, anything is on the table. A lot with mostly fair condition inventory can still include hidden gems, and vice versa— which adds to the thrill of the find!

What to know when purchasing Wayfair return pallets:

How items are sold

Wayfair overstock and returns are sold by the truckload on Wayfair Liquidation 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, “Truckload of Upholstery, Kitchen & Dining Furniture, Vanities & More, 104 Units, Retail $63,237, Used – Fair Condition, Load LL24536 TX, Lancaster, TX” tells you the shipment type, inventory type, quantity, estimated retail, condition, 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 Current High Bids, US States, Condition, Cosmetic Condition, Shipment Type, and Inventory Type. We’ll break down the importance of a few of these filters below.

Find the warehouse closest to you

Shipment size 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 Wayfair’s liquidation auctions listed out of the following locations:

• Lancaster, TX*
• Cranbury, NJ*
• Florence, KY

*You can find discounted shipping out of Lancaster, TX, and Cranbury, NJ. This is definitely something to take advantage of when looking for ways to save on shipping costs.

Carefully decide if that location is listing inventory right for you. For example, smaller parcels coming out of Kentucky like decor, lighting, small side tables, and pictures might work if you’re limited by space. On the flip side, buyers looking for larger inventory like chairs, sectionals, and tables should check the Texas and New Jersey warehouse listings.

Product & packaging conditions

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

Also important to note are packaging conditions.

What size shipment are you able to purchase?

Consider the amount of space you will need to store furniture and home decor items. 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. If you don’t have the space to accommodate this amount of inventory, you can look for smaller home & garden and decor lots available on B-Stock Supply.

When you are bidding in LTL or FT auctions, make sure the shipping arrangement works for you. Remember, inventory will be bulky, and some items may be on other pallets or separated. As is the nature of liquidation, you may not always have a complete set. Read more about Wayfair shipping arrangements here.

How to get started

You will need to register for Wayfair Liquidation Auctions in order to start bidding on bulk lots of a wide variety of products including dining room sets, sofas, throw pillows and blankets, mirrors, lamps, and home office furniture, rugs, kitchen & dining, bedroom & bath, outdoor, 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 Wayfair 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 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.

If you’re winning multiple Wayfair auctions out of the same facility, carriers will try to consolidate multiple “Paid” LTL orders. This will turn your shipments into a single truckload (TL) where possible and can save you money versus paying for multiple, individual shipments.

What to know when selling Wayfair liquidation:

Good quality reigns

This tends to be a no-brainer but certain types of inventory have more value. For example, real wood versus manufactured wood will always be more valuable. People search specifically for this and it makes sense that it will fetch higher returns. You can also look for inventory that is stain-resistant and kid-proof, which are two other big selling points.

Offer discounts on items that go well together

If someone is shopping for a nightstand, they might need a lamp to accompany it. Offering a discount on a bundle of items that go well together, like bedding and pillows, is a good way of selling home decor and Wayfair returns.

Encourage customers to mix & match

With furniture liquidation and returns, you may not always get the full set. But never fear! Even if your auction lot only has one chair or table in a set, you can work with that. There is still a good chance people will buy one and get creative. Mixing and matching furniture is becoming way more mainstream.

Branch out with your customers

Wayfair caters to folks who are comfortable ordering online (like Millennials) and who have money for furniture. When you have a physical store, you can reach audiences that are more comfortable shopping in person and ones that are looking for a good deal, too!

Start buying Wayfair returns today!

Have furniture inventory needs? Wayfair Liquidation Auctions has you covered! When you browse Wayfair liquidation auctions, you have access to the thousands of different sellers that Wayfair offers. These returns are great for expanding your inventory offering and style, and at deep discounts. Grab your resale certificate and register on the Wayfair storefront today!