Depends where you live. There are lots of wholesalers you can find online like Roden Imports and heaps of others. Jacobs Trading which a place deals with much of Walmarts returns or delist product that Walmart isn't returning via their consignment terms with various suppliers. All retailers have these subcontractors.
For example, we'd consign say a three cases of there, five of those on and on. We could return unopened mastercases under our Net Terms Consignment w/ Price Protection and get credit assigned our account from the distributor. However open cases where say there are five units left could not return. All depends on the terms "The fine print" per se. This stands true in retail environments and thus that excess or closeout product be worked or not via the retailers. It may end up in markdown section, then clearance section or sent off to places like Jacobs Trading in Walmarts case, well one of Walmarts I should say.
The instore responsibility falls on store manager or in some operations the section manager. That is to say, time get these off the retail floor whether that's due to unit left, something else coming in on and on. Point being all that inventory ends up out in the hands of other operations that buy it up in mass. Usually they'll have minimums like $20,000 order albeit some are very very flexible especially when they have buckets of these excess or delisted inventories to move. This is also true of many manufacturers, warehouses full with unsold delisted (no longer current) product. It takes phone work and most have a qualifications process in the case of manufacturer/distributor delisted product direct.
For example, lets say I want work with Peerless Brand... I'm going to contact them w/ business model and that really should include Amazon or Ebay or Mercari... No, I've online storefront and there better be stuff there and I plan or have a brick and mortar. Unlike previous times 20 years ago, the open marketplaces are often deemed poison to manufactures these days. Doesn't mean can't sell here once established unless of course the agreement has clauses stating you cant.
The prior paragraph is WHY so many middlemen exist, that is to say these operations who buy up unsold (unreturned consign), store return product from the retailers. There are HEAPS of these places and basically they double or triple up their costing per unit and many of these middlemen also buy up from the manufacturer delisted products. So if Peerless has these faucets that delisted who's MSRP was $89.95 and they liquidating them to these middlemen ops for $8-$10 a unit which be about right price wise those middle men sell to you for $25-$30 a unit.
You can seek them out, many a manufacturer will gift you whom their surplus/delist partners are. Now there are some products where there doesnt happen, the manufacturer prefer destroy product for reclamations.
Now if you look over the border depending on where you are. Up here in New York right across the border in Ontario Canada there are literally BUCKETS AND BUCKETS AND BUCKETS of these surplus/delist entities you can make arrangements to source from. I'd also assume the same exists someplace along the West Coast of America be that up in Canada or down Mexico way. Stuff goes across the border for financial reasons of those wholesaler/surplus operations, its MUCH cheaper than keeping it within the USA. It is also advantageous at least right now as the American dollar is stronger than say Canada or Mexico. So a Canadian operation right now if you get those Peerless Faucets is getting further profit due to currency valuation or you're getting a better deal. They care variant in how they operate. This one here might be "We ship pallets only" yet this one here has itemized lists where you can cherry pick or perhaps only by mastercase, minimums order and someplaces not.
Key is once you're established with some of them the others fall like dominoes and will work with you.
Depending on items they may or may not require that you arrange shipping/freighting. Obviously UPS, FedEx are not dealing with pallets, so you might have to arrange freighting or they might arrange it. It varies.
These entities are the BEST to work and I'll tell you why. You have a constant supply chain. When consumer economics go downward that supply chain and quality of items rises and costing to you will drop. There is no such thing as "Banner Economy," there are ALWAYS things available to resell for profit from them. It's what they do!
BUT once you get in the doors and grow it affords you the opportunity to open the doors and go manufacturer direct. So now you're licensed authorized Peerless dealer and you can get the latest greatest under consignment terms and with many a manufacturer you can get direct into the delisted warehouse product... The SAME product that those middlemen are buying and have been selling to you but instead of the $25+ now you can buy same price they buy at!
Most cottage resellers dont do the work and it can be frustrating, it takes a sustained effort but once the doors open more and more fall like dominoes.
The yard sale, thrift etc pickers enjoy the hunt and often end up with decent profits and not. I bought this for $5 sold it for $60 and cool beans. They ship what they ship, sell what they sell. Then you see the sellers on here where there are quantities and it says, 751 sold since they last relisted from the prior 1000 they sold. Thats where the money is, aka: I've sold 1751 of this delisted Peerless Faucet Model and made $40 clean with each one, and thats one product. So shipping it etc, packaging, all of it is consistent, comes and goes like a machine.
The difference is the pickers spend their time picking, listing, re-pricing, micro-managing eating up their time versus getting a list emailed to them of whats available and taking all that time to sell volume and make much more money. So, there's goals. Seller A is just about making decent dough, better than they do on the job working from someone else. Seller B is about building a growth oriented business.
Seller A very likely never qualify for example for a Small Business Administration loan as banks consider viable small business to have revenues of 1.5-5 million annually. Since its a loan they want know where supply chain exists because its their money you're borrowing and "Well I source at Goodwill's and Yard Sales" doesn't cut it. I source through Peerless Surplus Partners, Peerless Direct, Moen, American Standard that works... "Lets talk about how much you need and what we can do for you."
They want to see you're 2 million dollar business become a 10 million dollar business. They want you grow and will provide help, resources to do just that and hire people, the works. To a bank and "Business" that's business its not picking. There's nothing wrong with picking and there is money there but really a whole lot more risk of failure.
Its all about time. Perhaps that loan makes you capable of being an anchor seller within Walmart.com of delisted plumbing fixture products or other varieties of product.
How much money do you value you're time at?
Is that I am happy going out thrifting and yard sales etc, listing, shipping and making whatever, lets say $120,000 a year doin' pretty good. This model can be dominating, it never ends, your constantly in a loop of search, list, ship, dead inventory, adjust, on and on.
The other model means your time at work is constantly driving towards upping the revenue of your business and thus you're bottom line. Aka: I'm not interested in getting by, I'm interested in making as much money as I can be that a million, ten million or a hundred million and I want it to be stable. I dont want to go searching for things to sell, I want to come to me so I spend my time making money as this is why I'm doing this and to make as much as I can.
There is another alternative, make you're own stuff. So how you do that?
Well... Look for a problem people may have their in their homes and solve it.
Know how much those little furniture glides have made? More than any reseller here. How much that stretch grippy tape has made? More than any reseller here.
I give you a idea right off the bat, vertical silverware holder that can go upright inside a cabinet wall. Is this something I've been thinking of? Nope. Just popped into my head just now. Hmmm... How many people have a junk drawer and tried various organizers to manage it? How about vertical junk drawer organized that hangs on a slide inside a cabinet. Slide in, slide out and frees up that junk drawer!
How much did the bag where you slap clothes or comforter into and using you're vac suck the air out make? Far more than any reseller here.
What? Another? Oh ok...
Ya know I really loath having to try clean the inside car glass, I mean the human arm and hand are not built for it. Make a tool that has a flexible arm, and holder. The flexible holder has a little replaceable sponge, flexible squeegee with a few little hoses come off it one of which goes to a reservoir you can set on the floor to deliver water/cleaning solution and another than happily suck the used the mix into you're wet vac.
Something I've been thinking of? Nope. Just popped into my head and happens to also be handy dandy for cleaning the house inside windows, boat windows, RV windows too.
Making it get the venture capital and off ya' go.
Oh my gosh you want another? Boy you sure are hard to please!
Ok, people have Dogs and Cats, woofers and meowers and pesky issue of food is often a pesky of food. Wash the bowl, wash the bowl, dried cat and dog food sticks like glue not to mention how much might go uneaten drying up into a unsavory puss. LOL. So, new bowl type. It has a liner! Imagine that! A liner, replaceable of course, a consumable! Even has a top so can be covered up to not turn into unsavory puss for a time at least.
Something I've been considering? Nope. Just come to me.
Point being, lots and lots of stuff you can get into yourself and build you're own show.
