Are You Identifying Local Sources Of Surplus Merchandise For Resale?

Are You Identifying Local Sources Of Surplus Merchandise For Resale to help you work from home?

Unless you’re creating digital products to sell on ebay (a good thing if you can!) you need to find another way to find a steady supply of hot merchandise that sells at a price that lets you make some decent money so you don’t just become an ebay slave.

The same holds true for you even if you don’t sell on ebay but, instead, you:

1. Sell at Flea Markets

2. Own a Retail Store, or
3. Sell products on racks in larger retail stores (a “rack jobber”)

There IS big money in selling surplus goods. That’s why there’s a chain called “Big Lots” - surplus is what they sell.

Most of the time though, regular folks can’t really find the actual surplus dealers. We find more “middle men”.

But if we can find a source that has a low enough price for good surplus, it’s possible to do well.

A local acquaintance told me once he made alot of money selling socks at Flea Markets.

He’s driving a big truck with a big trailer in back to haul his stuff to the flea markets so it had the ring of truth, though I don’t expect he told me all his secrets. (Another friend told me he sold alot on ebay too!)

Another man in our county runs a store from his family barn - it’s so profitable it will never be a barn again! It’s all surplus goods.

They each have found a source or sources to keep them supplied.

Do you have a steady “source” if retailing online or offline is your business?

That’s the question.

Here’s an interesting story I ran across from Chad Maslak:

“I’d like to share a story with you. About 5 years ago I worked as a special project agent for the largest regional landfill in SW Virginia. Once a week a Wal Mart tractor trailer came to the facility fully loaded and literally dumped returned/or imperfect merchandise. I watched grown men chase that truck like some dogs chase cars so they could see what was inside. Many of them walked away with coats worth 100.00 dollars or more and ALL types of
merchandise. They had to hurry though because if they were hesitant the front end loaders and other heavy equipment would crush and bury the product. It amazed me that in the retailers eyes it was more cost effective to throw it away rather than sell it, return it to the manufacturer or give it to charity. I’ve seen it first hand. (The bottom line is that Wal Mart and many other retailers are not in the warehouse business).”

I might have scoffed at this idea, but I know a man who was invited to come to a hotel and haul off all their “old” but perfectly usable king size and queen sized beds and room furniture. It was free and he could keep 100% of what he could sell it for if he could find the buyers. They were remodeling per franchise rules and had no use for it. They’d written it all off on their taxes anyway.

So I know this kind of stuff goes on all the time “under our noses”.

Are you keeping your eyes and ears open for such opportunities? What if the fellow who knew what was going on at the landfill could have gotten in line at the Wal Mart distribution center that was dropping the “trash” and got his pick first?

Could there be local distribution centers like this near where you live who have merchandise you can be selling that’s available for pennies on the dollar?

It can take a lot of hard work identifying these sources, building a relationship, and establishing the source, but it might provide years of regular income. Most people stumble over the work part.

So if you’re into retailing, what are you doing to find these local sources? I think I’ll start snooping around myself.

Related Link: Chad Maslak: How To Buy Name Brand Products Locally or Regionally For Pennies On The Dollar