Reseller guide
Liquidation pallet inventory spreadsheet: what to track
Use two sheets to track a liquidation pallet: stock a business is clearing out, grouped on a shipping base. Keep one row per physical item and a separate row for the whole purchase. Record the asking price, the amount you request, separately from the completed sale, using the payment fields defined below. This is a suggested work record with made-up examples, not an accounting rule.
Start with two sheets
#The blank item CSV and blank purchase CSV give you the columns used here. CSV means comma-separated values: a plain text table. Keep one copy as your blank starting point, then put your own entries in a working copy. The files contain column headings, not live marketplace data or built-in calculations. Import each CSV into a separate tab in one spreadsheet workbook and save the working copy in your spreadsheet app’s own format.
Name the purchase sheet Pallets and the item sheet Items. Give each pallet an ID, a short code you choose, such as P001. Put that same code beside each of its items. This is the link between what you bought in bulk and what you later sell one piece at a time.
Keep the seller's paperwork separately. A manifest is the seller's list of the goods offered in a lot, a group sold together. Your item sheet records what you actually received and checked. If the two differ, preserve both records and note the mismatch. Read the manifest and condition-grade guide before using a seller's list as your starting point. The trade glossary explains other buying terms.
Record the whole purchase once
#Use one row in Pallets for each purchase. Record the date, source and invoice reference. An invoice is the seller's bill for the purchase. Add the amounts charged for the goods and the cost of getting them to you.
In this sheet, a buyer fee is an extra purchase charge. Freight means shipment by a carrier. A pickup cost is an amount you enter for getting the goods yourself. These are separate columns so you can check each against the paperwork. If a charge doesn't fit, use Other purchase costs and explain it in Notes.
| Pallet field | What you enter |
|---|---|
| Pallet ID | Your short code for the purchase |
| Purchase date and source | The date and seller you actually bought from |
| Invoice reference | A filename or reference that leads to the bill |
| Pallet price | The amount charged for the goods |
| Buyer fees and purchase tax charged | Actual separate charges, if present |
| Freight or pickup | The amount you paid to get the goods to you |
| Other purchase costs | Other entered costs, with a note explaining them |
| Entered purchase total | The sum of those cost columns |
Don't decide tax treatment from these headings. Copy the amount charged and leave questions about treatment to the proper source. This guide is not legal, tax or financial advice.
Give each physical item its own row
#An item ID stays with the unit even if you change its listing title. For pallet P001, you might use P001-01, P001-02 and so on. A SKU, or stock keeping unit, is an internal stock code; you can use your item ID for that purpose. It is a code for your records, rather than a maker's model number.
For this starter sheet, use one row per physical unit. Three similar baskets get three rows. That leaves space for a cracked handle on one or a missing insert on another. Put the code on a removable tag or beside the stored item, and keep it with any loose parts.
A furniture piece in several cartons still gets one item row. In Notes, list the cartons and parts tied to it. Use the receiving and storage guide when planning where those pieces will sit. The sheet doesn't replace a safe storage plan.
Keep unfinished work visible
#Choose a small set of work states, such as Needs ID, Needs check, Hold, Ready to list, Listed, Sold and Removed. These are labels for this suggested sheet. Use Notes to say what the next step is.
Give holds a reason. “Need model label” and “Missing assembly bolts” tell you more than “Later.” Keep a held item out of the listing queue until you resolve the issue. Record a shelf or bin code, such as A02, so the row leads back to the correct unit.
Keep the work state apart from the check notes. “Listed” says the listing is live; it says nothing about which functions you checked. In Check notes, record the date, what you did and what remains unknown. For a partial check, write “Powers on; other functions untested.” Follow the inspection guide for the checks themselves.
An inspection note is separate from a marketplace condition. In guidance checked October 9, 2026, eBay says its options “vary depending on the category you list your item in.” Whatnot says, “For detailed information, please refer to the condition guides linked below.” Read your category’s rules before choosing a condition; do not assign one solely from “Untested.”
Only test what you can test safely. Never test swollen or damaged batteries, damaged cords, gas appliances or anything recalled. Use the maker's instructions and qualified help where needed. A recall calls for action on a product hazard. Before moving an item toward resale, check the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls search and the manufacturer’s notices. The CPSC resale guidance calls for close examination of stock and recall checks before resale.
Choose a cost method and write it down
#For a simple work sheet, you can divide an entered purchase total evenly across the units you plan to resell. Label that amount Assigned cost. This is a chosen method for comparing your records, not a statement that each product was bought separately at that price.
Made-up example: a pallet costs $400 and freight costs $100. You entered no other purchase costs. The $500 total divided across 25 sellable units gives an assigned cost of $20 each. Sellable means a unit you have cleared for resale under the checks and rules that apply to it.
If your count changes, note the reason and date before changing the assigned amounts. Keep a saved copy of the earlier sheet. Don't overwrite costs attached to completed sales without a clear record of the change. The landed-cost guide covers the full cost of getting a purchase to you; the pallet calculator can help with that arithmetic.
Enter the sale when it happens
#For this sheet, Sale amount means the item payment plus buyer-paid shipping you receive, before selling fees and excluding separately recorded sales tax. In a made-up local sale with no shipping payment, enter $35 after the buyer pays $35 and takes the item. Leave Sale amount blank for unsold goods, even if the asking price is $40. Add the sale date and Channel, the website or other sales route, and put the order reference in Notes.
For each sold unit, enter the selling fees, the full postage you paid and other item costs included in your calculation. Include postage even when the buyer paid a shipping charge. Match the entries to the transaction details: eBay’s transaction guide distinguishes payments before and after fees. Do not enter a payment after fees and then subtract those fees again. For a refund or return, preserve the original sale, record the adjustment in Notes and mark Item surplus “Needs review” until you reconcile it. A payout is money a platform sends you; the payout guide explains how to match it to sales and adjustments.
For this sheet, define Item surplus as sale amount minus selling fees, seller-paid shipping, other entered item costs and assigned purchase cost. State that definition beside the column. The figure excludes anything you haven't entered, including owner time and any shared costs left elsewhere.
Read a partly sold pallet two ways
#Continue the made-up example: ten of the 25 units have completed sales at $40 each. Total sales are $400. Entered selling fees and shipping add up to $60. No other sale costs are entered in this example.
| Question | Made-up arithmetic | Result |
|---|---|---|
| What is left from those sales after the entered sale costs? | $400 − $60 | $340 |
| What is the surplus on the ten sold units under the chosen cost method? | $400 − $60 − (10 × $20) | $140 |
| How much of the whole purchase outlay is still unrecovered? | $500 − $340 | $160 |
| How much assigned purchase cost sits with unsold units? | 15 × $20 | $300 |
The $140 and $160 answer different questions. The first uses only the assigned cost of units already sold. The second compares the cash from those sales with the entire $500 outlay. The 15 unsold units have no sale amount in this example. Neither figure predicts what happens to them. See profit after expenses for a fuller review.
Add formulas after you check the entries
#You can total columns by hand at first. If you use Google Sheets, SUM adds numbers or cell ranges. In the purchase file's column order, =SUM(E2:J2) adds the entered costs for row 2. Don't include the total cell itself in the range.
In the item file, Sale amount is column O, fees P, shipping Q, other item costs R and assigned cost H. For a completed sale with those cells filled, =O2-P2-Q2-R2-H2 gives the defined item surplus. Leave it blank for unsold units, and do not treat a result marked “Needs review” as a completed calculation. The files deliberately leave formulas for you to add so the headings and your chosen method stay visible.
Keep the pallet records together
#When a purchase has many item rows, keep the purchase reference close to them. A notebook or spreadsheet works. PalletPro records a pallet's supplier, purchase cost and sales tax; you still need the source paperwork and your own check notes. See the app
Sources
#- Liquidation industry glossary - Via Trading, no publication date shown (checked October 9, 2026).
- What is a UPC code? - GS1 US, no publication date shown (checked October 9, 2026).
- Common format for comma-separated values - RFC Editor, October 2005 (checked October 9, 2026).
- Resale/Thrift Stores - US Consumer Product Safety Commission, no publication date shown (checked October 9, 2026).
- Recalls & Product Safety Warnings - US Consumer Product Safety Commission (checked October 9, 2026).
- SUM - Google Docs Editors Help, no publication date shown (checked October 9, 2026).
- Reconciling your eBay sales transactions - eBay, no publication date shown (checked October 9, 2026).
- Item condition by category - eBay, no publication date shown (checked October 9, 2026).
- Listing conditions and expectations on Whatnot - Whatnot, April 10, 2026 (checked October 9, 2026).
Updated
More guides
- Receiving and storing liquidation inventory
Plan pallet delivery, unloading equipment and sorting space, document arrival problems, and keep liquidation items connected to their storage records.
- How to inspect and test liquidation returns
Inspect liquidation returns for missing parts, damage and recalls. Record safe checks and describe working state without overstating a partial test.
- Identify liquidation items from photos and labels
Research loose liquidation returns with photos, labels and model numbers. Compare possible matches and keep uncertain items out of the listing queue.