What actually arrives, what it costs to handle, and the mistakes that make a first load a bad one.
A first pallet is a test of your process, not a test of your luck.
The load will contain things you cannot sell. The question is whether the rest covers it and
whether you can move it fast enough to be worth the space.
What arrives
A standard pallet is shrink-wrapped and banded, roughly 48 by 40 inches at the base, and
can stand anywhere from waist to head height. It is heavy. Plan for how it comes off the
truck before it is on the truck.
What you should expect to find
A mixed-condition load contains customer returns, shelf pulls and overstock in proportions
that vary. Some units are unopened. Some have been opened and repacked. Some are damaged and
some are not sellable at all. That spread is the reason the load is priced the way it is.
The costs people forget
Space to break the load down, which you need before it arrives, not after.
Time to sort, test and list. This is usually the largest real cost.
Disposal of what you cannot sell.
How to judge whether it worked
Judge a first load on what it taught you about sorting time and sell-through in your own
channel, not on the single best item you pulled out of it.
Before you order
Read the process and the
claims policy. Both set out what is and
is not covered, and both are written to be read before the order rather than after it.
Ready to move a load
See what is on the floor
Every listing states the lot type, the approximate count and the condition basis before you buy.