Key takeaways
- Pricing starts from realistic resale value minus costs and risk — not from your book value.
- Expected sell-through speed is the single biggest factor. Stock that clears in a month is worth far more than stock that takes a year.
- A clean manifest and good photographs genuinely raise the offer, because they reduce the risk the buyer is pricing.
- A complete, un-picked lot is worth more per unit than the remainder of a lot someone already skimmed.
- The original retail price means almost nothing. What matters is the current street price.
The calculation, backwards
A serious buyer builds an offer like this:
- Realistic resale value. Not the original retail price, but what these goods sell for today in a clearance channel — usually a small fraction of the original.
- Minus the unsellable share. At an 85% sellable rate, the buyer is pricing on 85 units in every 100.
- Minus removal costs. Freight, handling, storage, sorting, repacking and labelling.
- Minus the cost of time. If it will take eight months to clear, the buyer's capital is locked up for eight months.
- Minus a risk margin. Everything uncertain on the list is priced as a further discount. Ambiguity always converts into a lower number.
- Equals the offer. Which is why it looks low against your book value — it is built from the far end of the transaction, not the near one.
Why original retail does not matter: a $99 ticket price on something now selling for $22 on marketplaces means nothing to a buyer. They will price against $22. If you want a higher offer, show evidence of the current price, not the original one.
What moves the number most
1. Expected sell-through speed
This is the biggest factor by a clear margin. Recognisable consumer goods that clear in weeks are worth far more than a specialist line that needs one particular buyer. It is why general categories get better offers than specialised equipment, even when the equipment has a higher book value.
2. Condition and sellable rate
New in box gets the highest share of resale value. Raw returns get the lowest, because the buyer carries both the sorting cost and the risk. Details in the condition grades guide.
3. How uniform the lot is
A thousand units across three SKUs is far easier than a thousand units across four hundred. A highly fragmented lot means more work to sort, list and price, and that shows up in the offer.
4. Location
Stock near a port or a logistics hub is cheaper to move. Goods in a remote location, or on an upper floor with no loading dock, cost more to extract, and the difference comes off the offer.
5. The restrictions attached
An export-only condition is entirely reasonable and we agree to it regularly — but it narrows the resale channels and can shade the offer down. A de-branding requirement adds direct labour cost. Know which restrictions are worth paying for in your case — see the brand protection guide.
Seven things that raise your offer
- Send a clean manifest. SKU, description, unit quantity, condition, location. An organised file lowers the priced-in risk, which translates directly into a higher number.
- Photograph the actual goods. Phone pictures of the real pallets beat catalogue images. The buyer wants to see what they are buying, not what it was supposed to look like.
- State a sellable rate if you know it. If you sampled a portion and know the number, share it. Data raises both confidence and price.
- Sell the complete lot. A lot someone already skimmed is priced as a remainder, and the gap is large. If you intend to sell the best lines yourself, say so up front.
- Be realistic about timing. If you have three months, say three months. Artificial urgency is transparent, and genuine lead time allows cheaper freight and a better offer.
- Bundle it. If you have stock in three locations, offer it together. Scale improves the freight economics and the price.
- Get more than one offer. Two or three give you a real range. But compare terms, not just numbers — who pays the freight, when is payment made, and who carries what does not sell?
Questions to ask any buyer
- Do you buy outright or on consignment? The difference is fundamental — consignment means you still carry the risk.
- Will you take the complete lot, or selected lines only?
- Who pays for freight and handling?
- Exactly when is payment made, and on what terms?
- Will you commit in writing to exporting the goods out of my market?
We answer all five before we quote a number — see how we buy.
Send your list, get a number
A manifest and a few photographs are enough to start. We come back with a cash offer in 24–48 hours — and if it is not right for us, we will say so plainly.