Walmart, of course, is the largest retailer in the world with over $500 billion of worldwide sales. That is truly remarkable when you consider that it represents nearly 9% of all consumer retail spending in the US. That is staggering. What has changed drastically for the company over the past 10 years is the share of their sales that come from e-commerce. Walmart's e-commerce sales exceeded $27 billion in their latest fiscal year. The explosion of e-commerce sale, however, means an explosion of returns from consumers. Overall, e-commerce return rates are substantially higher than brick-and-mortar store returns. By some estimates they can run up to three times higher. So what happens to all those returns?
How to Buy Walmart Return Pallets from Walmart Rather than from Liquidators
The company liquidates returned inventory in several different ways. What you need to know about as a reseller trying to earn a profit from this inventory is how to buy the inventory directly from the company. While you will find Walmart returns and overstock product advertised all over the place by various liquidators, there is only one way to know you are buying directly from Walmart.
By Through Walmart's Liquidation Auction Marketplace
Since 2007, Walmart's e-commerce division has operated their own liquidation marketplace to allow any company with a US shipping address to buy from them directly. The marketplace is located at https://liquidations.walmart.com and it is operated by software company, B-Stock Solutions.
The site offers auction lots of liquidation pallets and truckloads of various sizes and in a bunch of different categories. There is everything ranging from single pallet lots up to multiple truckloads. The inventory comes from a bunch of different distribution centers around the country. There are enough warehouses that no matter where you are in the lower 48, you are within easy shipping distance. The inventory itself tends to be mixed categories, including: Furniture, Outdoor, Home Improvement, Appliances, Apparel, Bikes and many others.
How to Bid on Pallets
Bidding is very simple. The key to being successful is to READ CAREFULLY AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK. You should carefully review the manifests that are attached to each liquidation lot and understand what is included. Don't make any assumptions about the inventory. Remember, these are customer returns so don't expect brand new items. Once you have understood the inventory, do some research on prices for those goods. Check eBay and Amazon for current selling prices and to see how m any of each item are selling each week. Once you have collected this information, you are equipped to decide what to pay for the inventory lot. Don't forget to factor in the cost of shipping! Once you know the potential sale price of all the inventory, you can decide what to bid to leave yourself room for a healthy profit. Simply enter that amount as your bid. You won't win them all, but hopefully you will win often enough to sustain your business.