Home Depot Liquidation Auctions: Shop Home & Garden Essentials

The first Home Depot stores opened in 1979 in Atlanta, GA. Since then, The Home Depot has steadily become a home improvement paradise. So much so that they hit $37.5 billion in sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2021. For resellers looking for great home & garden inventory to buy, look no further! Since customers end up returning items for various reasons, this in-demand inventory tends to hit secondary markets pronto.

For DIY enthusiasts, contractors, and home & garden resellers, quality home & garden inventory is a must. Luckily, The Home Depot has the best in tools, small appliances, kitchen & bath, and other hardware. And whether shoppers are looking to buy inventory to upgrade their homes, garages, backyards, or front yards, they’re probably looking for a good deal. If you’re interested in buying discounted H&G inventory, you can browse The Home Depot’s official liquidation marketplace — The Home Depot Liquidation Auctions.

Consider this article your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about Home Depot inventory!

• Overview of The Home Depot’s liquidation marketplace
• What makes Home Depot inventory valuable
• How to start buying Home Depot pallets
• Reselling home & garden tips

Home Depot Liquidation Auctions: Overview

From external garden projects to tackling fixer-uppers, Home Depot is most DIY warrior’s go-to. With a relaxed returns policy (which we’ll touch more on later) it’s likely that Home Depot will be liquidating even more returned merchandise this year than ever before. Fortunately, as a buyer, this is good news for you as you can find plenty of auctions on Home Depot Liquidation Auctions.

What types of merchandise does this category include?

Well, quite a lot actually. Home & garden inventory includes:

For home improvement and renovation projects especially, the Home Depot marketplace can support all your needs! You can find inventory like:

You can bid on customer-returned and overstock tools, power equipment, appliances, window blinds, building materials, hardware, flooring and shelves, kitchen and bathroom, and so much more. Your customers’ projects will be underway in no time. And the best part about an auction setup– aside from its transparency– is you never pay more than you want on inventory! You just set your max bid and let our auto-bidding system do the work for you.

What makes Home Depot inventory valuable?

The home & garden category is a big one, and marketplaces like The Home Depot Liquidation Auctions have much to offer business buyers. For starters, these items are typically more steadily in demand throughout the year. And most importantly, home & garden inventory yields higher returns. A simple fix on items like lawnmowers or power tools that are being liquidated at 10-15% of retail, you can get a really good return.

If it’s valuable, why do home & garden items get returned in the first place?

There are a couple of reasons.

• Over purchasing/ preventative measures- It’s not uncommon to have leftover building materials for homes. This inventory isn’t always able to be stored by contractors and builders so may be returned to retailers. Inventory like generators and water heaters may also be overstocked depending on weather patterns, storm seasons, and region. For example, snowstorms, hurricane season, tornadoes, and more, influence buying trends that result in overstock and customer returns.
• Non-functional reasons- Shoppers may take home their purchased items and realize the pillows don’t match the couch at all, they already have a pan that size, or they bought the wrong lightbulb. For various reasons, these items may be returned and still fully functioning, just no longer needed.

For Home Depot, this means a lot of returns and overstock taking up valuable floor space, warehouse space.

How To Start Buying Home Depot Pallets

Familiarize yourself with Home Depot’s returns policy

Prior to the lockdown, the Home Depot return policy stated that most new and unopened products could be returned to the store within 90 days of purchase. To make the return, you would need to provide an ID, a copy of your receipt or shipping confirmation email, and the original method of payment if you paid with a credit or debit card. Of course, there are some items that cannot be returned, but for the most part, Home Depot is known for making the process of accepting returns simple and efficient.

Find the warehouse closest to you

If it ships from a warehouse closer to you, you’re looking at a lower cost in shipping. Generally, more miles = higher shipping cost. Home Depot auctions are listed out of warehouses in these cities:

• Aurora, IL
• Greenfield, IN
• Indianapolis, IN
• Morrow, GA
• Pittston, PA

Determine the condition you’re after

You should also consider the inventory type and condition. For example, is it customer returns? Were they dot com returns or in-store? Dot com returns are notoriously in better shape. Is the inventory uninspected? Would be okay with some light cosmetic damage? Aside from new and like-new inventory, you should also consider the following conditions:

• Used – Good Condition: Merchandise with signs of use from handling and/or customer exposure that is sellable without repairs needed.
• Used – Fair Condition: Merchandise with heavy signs of use from handling and/or customer exposure that is likely in need of repair prior to resale.
• Salvage Condition: Merchandise requiring significant repairs prior to resale or else will be used for parts/components only.

Note unique product types like Turbo: Turbo inventory includes unscannable returns, overstock, or dot com inventory. Inventory could be out of its original packaging or custom ordered. In some cases, the product has been retired or not originally Home Depot inventory. Turbo products listed on Home Depot are in Used- Fair, Mixed, or Salvage condition.

What size shipment are you able to purchase?

Consider your storage space and also how quickly you can resell inventory. If you are limited by how much space you have, a truckload with 24 pallets might not be the route for you. But, a few pallets on an LTL (less than truckload) — which can be anywhere from one to 10 or 12— might be more manageable. But again, consider how much storage space you have, and who will help you unload, sort, and process your shipments. Read 9 Tips for Organizing Your Liquidation Pallets for more help in this area!

Reselling Home & Garden Tips

There are a few things you should keep in mind when reselling Home Depot returns.

• Be patient and make matches- With certain items, like flooring and blinds, it’s easy to build up an arsenal of deeply discounted materials. It takes longer, but if you’re a buyer that has space and time to do that you’ll make a great return.
• Always pre-test items- If you purchase a pallet of power tools, doing your own pre-testing beforehand will save you from have unhappy customers wanting to make a return.
• Create detailed listings- You should always provide the model number and/or the universal product code (or UPC). Give as much information as possible to buyers so they can find more detailed product specs and manuals.

Start Sourcing from Home Depot Liquidations Auctions

You can source a variety of home & garden items from Home Depot Liquidation Auctions. Hopefully, you’ve had some of your questions answered when it comes to Home Depot products, pallets, and potential reselling profit! To start sourcing the best in liquidation, overstock, and customer returns, register for The Home Depot marketplace today!