Monday, 5 December 2011

Stock Liquidation Companies on the Internet

The stock liquidation industry had undergone a lot of changes in the past few years, developing more and more in an online environment. Today the Internet offers a massive load of opportunities for retailers, distributors and wholesalers to purchase liquidation stock online. We present here three of the online B2B businesses out there that offer trading and liquidation services to manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, traders and resellers.

TheBiggestClearance.com
is a global marketplace for B2B as well as B2C trading of liquidation stock, bankrupt stock, refurbished and raw customer returns, offering to both Sellers and Buyers a place to post and advertise their stock online. By registering on this online marketplace, you can benefit from free online merchant or buyer accounts, an online store for sellers, online enquiries management and safe online transactions. You can browse for liquidation stock offers from a variety of product categories and conditions from resellers and wholesalers from all over the world. The website offers the possibility of contacting the seller before purchasing a stock offer, but you need to create a buyer account in order to see the contact details.

Liquidation.com
Is an online auction marketplace targeting small business and web based retailers as well as resellers in search of suppliers of liquidation stock, salvage and clearance products, used or raw returns. Sellers have the option to create their own auction listings and promote their liquidation stock, refurbished and returned stock lots through the online bidding system where buyers can place bids on the offerings of interest to them. Every buyer needs to create a buyer account and is bound to submit shipping and billing information in order to place bids on the stock lots displayed on this auction site. The user can browse through a variety of categories of products, from fashion items to industrial machinery, ranging from packages to few pallets stock lots.

BritcomDirect.com
Is a B2B Trading Platform for new surplus stock, refurbished stock and raw customer returns, specializing mainly in selling liquidation stock by the truckload and refurbished wholesale appliances, DIY and gardening tools, home fitment items and consumer electronics.

Unlike the other B2B marketplaces, this online trading platform offers stock lots on behalf of manufacturers, retailers and distributors. Taking care of all aspects related to publishing, marketing, selling and shipping refurbished and liquidation stock Lots. Buyers can browse for wholesale lots in the specially designed categories and search for products they are interested in through a user friendly internal search engine or can receive the latest available stock offers directly in their inbox, by subscribing to daily rich e-mails. This website has quite a unique selling system: it allows buyers to buy stock lots immediately at their displayed selling price or to submit Best Offers on specific lots (how much they are willing to pay for it) by simply creating an online buyer account. It allows you to manage e-mail subscriptions, offers and invoices directly online and have access to customer support services that will guide you through the entire sales process, from online ordering to shipping the stock to your destination and after-sales services.

These are just a few examples of global resources that offer online trading services for wholesale liquidation stock, refurbished and raw returns buyers. Stock liquidation is becoming, with the help of the Internet, a more transparent and a more secure business, every day.

Monday, 28 November 2011

Trading Wholesale Stock - Options for better profitability

The current economic landscape offers great opportunities for sole traders of wholesale stock and trading companies to consolidate their profits by looking after specific categories of stock, such as obsolete and surplus stock, ex-catalogue stocks, customer returns and refurbished products. If you are in the business of trading wholesale stock, here are a few of these options explained.

Surplus Stock
Surplus stock normally refers to unsold brand new products, with no signs of usage or damage, that are still in their original package. It originates mainly from manufacturer overstock or obsolete stock (end-of-line or unsold products that can’t be sold by the manufacturer or the retailer anymore because of age of model).

Stock types that are similar to surplus stock:
- Factory first choice and second choice stock : products that have been rejected at factory quality inspection for cosmetic reasons. These products are perfectly functional, but cannot be sold as new because of manufacturer standards.

- Ex-catalogue stock and cancelled orders: products that are brand new items that have been exposed in stores and showrooms and haven’t been sold or have been returned without being opened by end-users.

Surplus stock is usually available at specific wholesalers and stock liquidators in your market.

You can find their offers of surplus stock on trading shows and trading magazines, but also on big marketplaces and all over the Internet, such as Liquidation.com and Stockshifters.com

You can always try to reach brand manufacturers or retailers directly but these companies usually work with preferred partners for clearing their entire excess inventory stock in bulk. This is the case for Britcomdirect.com, a company that deals directly with manufacturers and retailers and sells online branded surplus stock to traders and other wholesale buyers.

Refurbished Stock
Refurbished products are customer returns that have gone through a grading process (full functional testing and cosmetic upgrade). The degree of their repairs and aesthetic look result in different grades of refurbished products, which are priced and sold accordingly. This is why having full information on the grading system and condition of the refurbished stock is usually desired when doing trading deals with this type of goods.

Refurbished appliances such as electronic devices and home and garden products are fully functional products that can be traded at considerably big discounts and represent a convenient way of leveraging income for retail businesses.

Customer returns offers can be found on many occasions in the trading business, but there are actually very few companies that offer professionally refurbished products in massive quantities. Anovo and Britcomdirect.com are two examples of European companies that own their own refurbishing facilities. The latter offers real opportunities, through it’s B2B Trading Platform, for traders who would like to buy refurbished appliances and consumer electronics by the truckload.

Reasons to consider surplus stock and customer returned refurbished goods when trading:

1. Retailers and manufacturers of consumer goods are constantly looking for efficient channels of clearing their overstocks, obsolete products and customer returned goods. This is especially the case in the most dynamic industries, such as consumer electronics, household appliances and fashion. Brand manufacturers and big retailers in these industries usually demonstrate a real urgency in clearing their old lines of products or surplus stocks in order to deal with cost management pressures and market trends.

2. The potential margins made on trading surplus stock and refurbished appliances such as gadgets and Hi-Fi products are considerably higher, because of the discounted nature of these goods but also because of the expansion of these type of niche businesses in the retail sector - from discount shops and factory outlets to online shops and small resellers on Ebay.





Saturday, 19 November 2011

Finding the best suppliers of clearance stock

Planning to open your own retail business? Start by finding the best suppliers of clearance stock for the products you would like to sell. In the business to business market you will find suppliers specializing in niche products such as wholesale appliances, consumer electronics, DIY, fashion etc. or in special clearance stock categories such as raw returns, refurbished, first and second choice product lines from manufacturers and retailers.

You can search and connect with these suppliers at industry trade shows, by subscribing to trade magazines in your local market or by actively looking for company contact details on the web.

Online research of clearance stock suppliers

You will be able to find very helpful online resources of clearance stock suppliers on your local market, by searching through local business directories and online wholesale magazines like The Trader directory in the UK.

When targeting suppliers of clearance stock from other countries, international B2B marketplaces such as Tradekey.com are a good way to start, as they are real trading hubs where suppliers provide verified company information and where multiple options exist for checking the clearance stock you are interested in purchasing: full contact details, virtual showrooms, virtual showcases and virtual trade shows.

If you choose to work with dedicated global suppliers, the Internet offers many opportunities for uncovering and connecting with suppliers and big distribution companies. Britcom for instance is a recognized supplier of wholesale appliances and other stock categories, specializing in specific stock clearance solutions, such as raw returns and refurbished consumer goods. Acting as a supplier of pre-owned refurbished wholesale appliances but also offering clearance stock from big manufacturers and retailers throughout Europe, this company is a first hand supplier of wholesale deals that will give your retail business an important push start.

Find these types of suppliers of clearance stock directly on the web - most of them have a visible online presence with their own company websites and even online “shops” - or on niche social networks, forums and online marketplaces.

Verify your clearance stock suppliers

Make sure you are making secure wholesale purchases by verifying these suppliers’ credentials, the actual condition of the stock and availability before starting to order. Look for details such as company address and VAT number, size of the company, online presence, pictures of the goods, stock condition and product technical details. Get to know the supplier before engaging in a transaction and also try to build a long term relationship with the suppliers of clearance stock you can trust - this will secure you the best quality products and even better exclusive deals in the future.

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

Making money with raw returns wholesale lots

If you’re in the business of buying and selling wholesale clearance and surplus stock, one of the greatest sources of revenue for your business is going after raw returns lot offers. Most of the high-end retailers and manufacturers all over the world offer raw returned stock for sale to B2B traders and wholesalers as part of their stock clearance programme.

The easiest way to find these raw returned stock offers is by doing a quick search on the web. On websites like Ebay.com and Liquidation.com you can find many stock offers from resellers that trade branded raw customer returns at prices that go at up to 90% off RRP.

Despite the massive saving opportunities, raw returns must be looked at with caution. When purchasing this type of clearance stock, it is crucial to see the goods first or have comprehensive information on the condition the returns are in. This is because raw returns job lots usually come in a mixture of working, damaged and faulty items, with no warranty that they are fully functional products for you to re-sell to end-users. Which in the end will result in additional repair costs for your company.

Most of the untested raw returns bulk deals you find on the web present this risk. Getting in contact with the seller and directly dealing with his company or obtaining information regarding individual SKU condition and packaging are 2 ways of lowering that risk.

Another possible solution for safely purchasing raw returns is through trading platforms like Britcomdirect.com where suppliers and their stock are verified before being listed online. Unlike other auctions sites, this B2B trading platform operates as an agent in getting you the best deals of raw returns and surplus stock from retailers and manufacturers directly.

Moreover, here you can find raw returned stock that has been upgraded through a professional refurbishing process, owned by the company and sold directly online. Other important lot offers represent brand new and end-of-line surplus stock of household appliances, DIY tools and consumer electronics in great condition from top International Brands. The savings you get against RRP on these types of stock are still substantial and can give your business a competitive advantage on the local and international market.

Friday, 21 October 2011

Buying Wholesale Appliances - Tips for getting started

Online retailers and distributors know that household appliances are one of the most popular niches they could invest in at any time. And this is because home comfort and home design have always been major topics in consumer trends, no matter the international economic and social landscape. Especially since big brand manufacturers keep investing early in innovations in their appliances lines and in support for wholesale appliances buyers and resellers.


wholesale appliances
If you would like to start your own business as a retailer or a reseller and you are looking for wholesale appliances offers, here are two very convenient ideas to get you started:

1. Liquidation stock offers

The web offers a variety of liquidation stock deals. You can easily find end of the line, excess stock and ex-display appliances wholesale lots on B2B trading platforms like Britcomdirect.com, big websites like Amazon and Ebay or on auctions websites like Liquidation.com and Overstock.com. Also don’t miss manufacturers’ own online and offline outlets where discounted liquidation lots might be available from time to time.



liquidation stock
The secret in the case of liquidation stock offers is to keep yourself updated on the latest offers and deals, as it is a fast-paced industry. This can easily be done in the online world by creating keyword alerts and watchlists for wholesale appliances on the most important of these websites.

Another important aspect of buying liquidation stock lots is to know exactly the packaging conditions of the appliances you are purchasing. Make sure to have as much product information and pictures as possible, even a downloadable manifest of the stock, when buying online wholesale appliances.  

2. Refurbished appliances


Refurbished appliances are customer returned items that have been fully tested, repaired and cleaned and are resold on the market with big discounts.



refurbished appliances
Refurbished appliances are always good deals because they bring huge savings and perfectly functional appliances to your end-users and good margins for your business. 

Whilst you can find good refurbished appliances in repair centers and at your local retail stores (big retail chains like Argos and Tesco provide these kind of products), the best quality refurbished appliances at the best wholesale prices can be found with authorized refurbishing factories that work closely with big brand names in the appliances industry and resell refurbished stock in massive quantities. Britcomdirect.com is for instance one of Europe’s largest processors of customer returns and has been specializing in refurbished appliances for over 7 years.  

Wholesale Stock Trading - The advantages of going online

When looking for suppliers of wholesale stock, having rapid access to accurate information in your niche industry is maybe the most important element for making the best deals for your business.

Finding price info and consumer trends, technical specs of products and identifying the most trustworthy suppliers out there, chasing after the best clearance stock offers and negotiating the best deals can be a rather difficult task in a trading world that grows by the minute.

This is were the Internet comes in handy with vast resources of information, from worldwide manufacturer surplus stock offers and trading clearance stock deals to refurbished or raw customer returned stock.

There are different types of online services that can help you:

1. Search for wholesale stock suppliers in your niche
A quick and simple search on Google is a good start for finding suppliers for the wholesale stock type of your interest. The result pages will allow you to have an idea of the biggest players in that niche and to browse through their websites, making a first list of potential suppliers of clearance and surplus stock.


2. Check your supplier’s credentials on the web
B2B trading marketplaces, like Alibaba, and online business directories, like The Wholesale Hub, are the places where you can find full contact details and background info for the suppliers you now have on your list. Most of these online services also provide systems of verifying the companies that are listed in their directories and contact forms that send your message directly to the person you are looking for.

Yet another level of security is offered by online trading platforms like Britcomdirect.com, where each of the suppliers’ offers is individually analyzed and verified before publishing, acting as agents in offering you the best deals from selected suppliers. SaleHoo is another verified supplier’s directory that also provides tips and tricks on how and where to buy and sell wholesale stock online.

3. Order wholesale stock online.

Decided what suppliers you would like to work with? It is now time to get some good deals. Even if most of the trading businesses around the world still communicate with their clients via simple mass e-mails, there are some wholesale companies based online that have taken stock clearance business to another level.

Wholesale auction sites are one of them, offering online bidding systems for clearance stock as well as for retail products. Liquidation.com and Ebay are just two of the most popular examples, where you can find wholesale lots from big suppliers in your industry or even from manufacturers.

Another type of online sale is presented by wholesale marketplaces like Zentrada where the publisher intermediates the online transactions between the seller and the buyer, acting as an extra warranty.

Britcomdirect.com brings a unique buying system that combines the classic shopping cart approach with the Best Offer model, a sale type that takes into consideration all offers made on a wholesale lot.

These are just a few of the advantages and solutions of going online when purchasing wholesale clearance stock. Start using them and they will definitely give you that extra edge your business needs, in no time.