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Reseller guide

How to check a liquidation supplier before buying

Before buying, check who takes your payment, the evidence of what you'll get, and written terms for delivery and mismatches. Research complaints yourself and check payment protection. A retailer name, tidy website or warehouse photo can't answer those questions alone.

Plain wrapped pallet in a tidy garage receiving area with a clear aisle

Identify the seller behind the offer

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For one-pallet buying routes, see single-pallet suppliers.

Find the seller's legal name, contacts and goods location. Are you buying from the business holding them, a marketplace or someone arranging the purchase? Get any other shipping or payment party's role in writing. Check that the invoice and terms make each role clear before paying.

B-Stock has private marketplaces for specific retailers, as well as Supply, where multiple sellers offer goods. The platform and seller may be different parties. If an independent seller uses a retailer name, ask for proof of a direct sourcing agreement, a deal to get goods from that retailer. Keep the question neutral. B-Stock's marketplace explanation.

Check unexpected messages through contacts you find yourself. Use a number you know is correct, as the FTC advises. Type the known site address to check orders or payment changes. FTC phishing guidance.

If the payee differs from the seller, ask why through that separate route. Check the answer against your contract and order record, beyond the salesperson's message. Hold payment while a changed bank detail or payee remains unexplained.

Research complaints without turning them into a score

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Search the business name with "complaint" and "scam," as the FTC advises. Include past trading names or sites you can confirm. Read the actual account rather than just a search snippet or star rating. FTC small-business scam guidance.

Note each relevant complaint's date, purchase type, alleged problem and seller response. Look for a named order, quoted terms or proof of how it was resolved. Repeated accounts of the same problem call for focused questions. Copies of one post still count as one account.

Salvage means goods with defects in looks or function. Separate complaints about disclosed salvage from claims that goods differed from the listing. Unresolved claims aren't findings of misconduct; empty searches aren't clean records. Research may leave gaps, so judge your order by its evidence and terms.

Check your state attorney general's office for complaint details or public enforcement records, as the FTC advises. Record what you find and the date. Don't call a supplier vetted just because a search was empty. FTC complaint-research guidance.

Ask for evidence tied to the actual inventory

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A manifest is the seller's list of goods. Check whether it and the photos cover your pallet. Images may show past shipments or samples. As of October 2026, B-Stock Supply warns that photos may be stock, sample or actual goods; sellers' retail reference figures (stated retail prices) are unverified. B-Stock Supply FAQ.

Download any available manifest. Check its listing ID, date, currency, product IDs and counting unit. Ask about swaps and mismatches, and whether condition covers each unit or the whole mix. See the manifest and condition guide for each field and the glossary for trade terms.

For unmanifested goods, which have no item list, ask what the seller commits to supply: a category, package count or stated condition. Don't guess missing details from photos. One liquidator says it can't confirm each unmanifested item's condition in advance. Manifest guidance.

If you can visit, confirm access to the exact pallet, inside cartons, product IDs and permitted checks. Access varies by route. Amazon's current US auction FAQ rules out pre-bid inspection. An independent seller's visit gives no access to that auction stock. Amazon US auction FAQ.

Get the full price and delivery obligations

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Get a dated quote with the goods price, premium (an extra buying charge) or other fees, sales tax where it applies, currency, transport and extra services. Ask who books freight, the transport of goods, and who pays. Keep asking prices and current bids apart from the final delivered purchase total.

Confirm where the goods ship from and to, their size and weight, and the access and equipment at your site. Ask who handles carrier damage and what you must record on arrival. Extra freight fees can include liftgate service (a truck platform to lower goods) and detention (a truck kept past its free waiting time). Use the actual quote and terms. FedEx freight glossary.

The landed-cost guide shows the full math with made-up numbers. Landed cost is what you pay to buy goods and get them to your chosen place. When comparing offers, use totals with the same costs and counts based on the same resale unit. Show unknown costs beside the total.

Read the returns and mismatch policy before paying

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Get the current agreement and your order's policy. Read its "as-is" terms for accepting goods as they are, allowed claims and required proof. A seller may accept documented mismatch claims while refusing change-of-mind returns.

Check these points:

  • Can you cancel an order or withdraw a bid, and when?
  • Can you claim for items that don't work within the stated condition?
  • How much can the count or condition differ before a claim is allowed?
  • When does the claim period start? Does it use calendar or business days?
  • Where do you send the claim, and with which records?
  • Could you get credit instead of a cash refund?
  • Who approves a return shipment, and who pays for it?

Amazon's current US contract gives five days after delivery to inspect and report mismatches in writing. B-Stock's summary says five business days. Get written clarification before buying; keep both versions on record. Amazon US contract, section 5.4, B-Stock dispute-policy table.

Plan your arrival check before ordering. Record how the shipment arrives, which items differ and the supporting paperwork while you can still link them. Use the receiving guide and pallet unload checklist. Photos alone don't give you a right to repayment.

Check the payment protection you actually have

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The FTC points to credit cards or payment systems with buyer protection, help when a purchase goes wrong. Ask your issuer or provider if your business purchase qualifies, which exclusions apply and the dispute deadline. Consumer rules may differ for wholesale goods bought to resell. FTC online-marketplace guidance.

B-Stock Supply US currently requires a wire, a bank transfer, in US dollars within two business days of auction close. A wire rule alone isn't proof of fraud. Verify the order, payee and written terms on your own. Check the dispute process rather than assuming it matches a protected card purchase. B-Stock Supply buying instructions.

Ask the bank what protection applies before sending payment. Check unexpected instructions against the order you access on your own and a verified contact. If you're pressed to pay before reading the agreement, pause and investigate. FTC small-business scam guidance.

Check whether the goods fit your resale plans

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Read the source contract before planning how to advertise or distribute the goods. Amazon and Target currently restrict retailer names or branding in resale activity. Target also limits sales channels and destinations. Discussing those retailers in a guide is separate from the rules a buyer agrees to when advertising the goods. Amazon purchase contract, Target purchase contract.

Unbranded carton contents beside a face-down invoice and closed measuring tape

Check recalls, restricted product groups, cleaning and hygiene needs, and duties to remove customer data. Disclosing a defect won't let you simply resell recalled goods. Use the CPSC recalls search, manufacturer and actual item ID. CPSC is the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC resale safety FAQ.

Only test what you can test safely. Don't test swollen or damaged batteries, damaged cords, gas appliances or recalled products. Plan space for goods waiting to be identified, safely checked or disposed of. Check each unit before counting it as ready to sell.

Resale paperwork varies by place. New York gives one current example of qualifying purchases and exemption certificates, forms for sales-tax relief. Check your purchase's state tax departments. This guide is not legal, tax or financial advice. New York certificate guidance.

Using your own purchase records next time

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Record actual costs and how goods moved through resale to compare seller claims. A notebook or spreadsheet works. PalletPro's Analytics compares your own pallets by the supplier and pallet type you enter, helping your next comparison; see the app.

Sources

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