How to Buy Walmart Liquidation

If you’re a small business owner who typically purchases returned, excess, or refurbished inventory from a third-party liquidator (or maybe you’ve been considering it), there has never been a better opportunity for you to ditch the middleman and purchase liquidation directly from Walmart. Why? Third-party liquidators typically mark up the goods they are selling in order to cover the cost of shipping and to make a profit. They also have the opportunity to see the items before passing them onto you; possibly keeping the highest quality items to sell on their own.

So, where exactly do Walmart returns go?

It’s common for online retailers to see over 30% of products ordered online returned, as compared to less than 10% in brick-and-mortar stores. As one of the world’s biggest retailers, Walmart deals with its fair share of customer returns. When you consider the amount of business Walmart does ($559 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2021) you might wonder wherethose returns end up? Walmart has to liquidate! This is where private, online liquidation auction sites come into play. And while there are other online liquidation sites out there, nothing beats going directly to the source.  

Buy liquidation direct from Walmart

The old way of liquidating has moved online! In fact, many of today’s top retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy and Home Depot, among others, sell liquidation inventory via their own B2B marketplaces that are built and powered by B-Stock. For example, through Walmart Liquidation Auctions you are buying returned, excess, and liquidation inventory directly from Walmart.

Learn more about why sourcing goods directly through a retailer’s online liquidation platform is the best and most cost-effective way to purchase returned items by the pallet or truckload directly from Walmart and other top retailers.

Buying liquidation directly from the source’s online auction marketplace will help ensure you get high-quality merchandise for fair market value (read: no product poaching or markups from liquidators). This will enable you to still provide your customers with a good discount while helping you turn a higher profit margin. Buying Walmart liquidated merchandise directly from Walmart Liquidation Auctions provides that opportunity. 

How to start buying Walmart liquidation pallets 

There’s no better time to start buying and reselling Walmart returns. We’ll go step by step below. 

1. Get a resale certificate

To buy inventory from Walmart Liquidation Auctions, you will need a resale certificate that allows you, the reseller, to purchase the goods tax-free (read more on resale certificates). 

2. Apply to the Walmart marketplace

After you have your resale certificate, you’ll need to apply to the Walmart Marketplace on B-Stock.

3. Start browsing live auctions

You can use filters like Current High Bids, US States, Condition, Shipment Type, and more. These will allow you to refine your search better. For example, if you’re a buyer on the east coast, you may want to start bidding on inventory from warehouses closer to you just to test things out.  

4. Place your bid

Let our auto-bidding system do the work for you! All bids placed on a B-Stock marketplace act as “proxy” bids. Your proxy bid is essentially your maximum amount. Our system uses your proxy bid amount to automatically bid incrementally on your behalf. So you don’t have to keep coming back to increase your bid!

Check out our Buying Basics Series, starting with How to Become a B-Stock Buyer if you need more help getting started. 

Tips for buying Walmart returns

Review the manifest

It is critical that you read the entire auction lot manifest before placing a bid. While no two manifests are the same, there are several product details that can be commonly found on all manifests. This includes Quantity (QTY), Item Number/UPC/Model, Retail/MSRP, Extended Retail/Ext. MSRP, Item Description, and Category. When you review all these details, you can start making your calculations like how much you can sell each item for (while accounting for shipping costs) based on the number of units, condition, and inventory type.

Buying in bulk 

When you buy in bulk, you get more inventory for less money. Think of it like shopping at Costco – the higher you go in pounds of chicken, the more the price per pound drops. So while you spend more money, you’re also getting a bigger bang for your buck. The same could be said for buying liquidation pallets of customer returns! Instead of individually sourcing items to resell one by one, you can get more inventory at once and at a lower cost per unit. Then, individually resell items closer to MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price) to your customers. 

Walmart Liquidation Auctions will show you what bulk purchases are currently available. For instance, if Walmart currently has a large lot of items it is liquidating, it will likely be sold by the truckload. 

Purchase the amount of inventory you have space for 

The size of the auction lot up for bid can range from a pallet, a half truckload to a full truckload, or even a small quantity of refurbished electronics like TVs, high-end headphones,  earbuds, or laptops. If you are operating out of your garage, you probably want to start small with a pallet or two. Once you work your way through that, you can order more. 

A good plan for inventory organization can also help! Here are 9 Tips for Organizing Your Liquidation Pallets. 

Tips for reselling Walmart returns

Make seller accounts on popular reselling platforms 

If you want to look professional and become a trusted seller, spend some time on your seller account for popular reselling platforms like Poshmark or eBay. Your logo, website, and contact information should be listed in any relevant places. You can also ask customers to leave a review once they’ve purchased from you.  

Resell things you are familiar with

You will be able to see what types of items, like sporting goods, televisions, or baby products, are included in the auction lot by reading the manifest. It helps to pick a product category you know about so you have a better understanding of the items you are selling. For example, if you’re a cooking guru, you probably know the latest models of KitchenAid’s coming out.

Listing is an art form 

When listing inventory for resale, you want to spend time crafting a great product description with any buzzwords that may appear in search results. For example, “New AirPods” isn’t nearly as descriptive as “AirPods (2nd generation) With Charging Case” — see an example below.

Photography

You can make magic happen with a good smartphone camera! However, if you plan to resell on a bigger scale, it doesn’t hurt to invest in a DSLR and tripod. It’s best to point out any product defects so shoppers know exactly what to expect when purchasing from you. For more basic photography tips, check out Reselling Online? Boost Sales with Great Photos. 

Have a solid return policy 

If you have a brick-and-mortar location, or your own eCommerce store or website where you list inventory, this is where having your own return policy can come in handy. Since mistakes are bound to happen, having a return policy is a good thing to consider. By letting customers return an item to your store, you’re leaving them with a positive, lasting impression. Happy customers are repeat customers! 

If you are only selling on platforms like Poshmark or eBay, consider that sites like these already have buyer protections established. (Along with seller protections, too.) There are even sites that allow sellers to create their own guidelines for returns, like Depop. If you’re ready to take that step, be sure to read Free & Easy Return Policy Template For Your Resale Business.

Start buying Walmart returns today 

If buying Walmart liquidation sounds like the right move for your business, head over to Walmart Liquidation Auctions to register. You can also contact B-Stock with any questions on getting started. We hope you’ve had some of your questions answered on buying and reselling Walmart liquidation and returns!