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What to Buy: Master Case Goods or Assorted Lots?

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by Nathania Stambouli, Via Trading

When browsing the websites and catalogs of closeout and liquidation companies, you will encounter different types of product packaging and purchasing options, the most common of which are: Master Case Lots and Assorted Lots. In theory, any liquidation or closeout product that is sold to you in good condition and at the right price can be profitable for your resale business, but in practice, there is usually one type that is likely to do better for your resale channel than the other. Confused about which you should be looking at and what benefits and drawbacks there may be to each? Read on!

Master Case items are products that are in new condition, and resold inside their original factory packaging. This usually means large brown boxes that detail the items’ country of origin, particular production code numbers and the piece count per box. Inside each larger master carton, you would either find the loose products ready to be resold, or smaller inner packaging that contains sub-master cartons containing the actual products.

Irrespective of the exact outer packaging of the products, the majority of Master Case items will have the following characteristics:

– They will be in all new condition just as they were when they left the factory
– The items inside the boxes will all be identical (or sometimes with color variations)
– They are typically available in larger quantities (in the thousands)
– They may include a small percentage of manufacturer defects also known as “irregulars,” as with any manufactured/produced product line.

Assorted wholesale lots are products that may be in new or returned/used condition, resold outside of the original factory packaging. Individual items may still be in their poly-bags, small protective boxes or original retail packaging, but the items will be sold all mixed inside a larger box or pallet. Assorted lots may or may not be sold with an exact piece count, and are likely to include a wide mix of items within a given product category. Generally, assorted lots are not manifested and buyers need to be willing to accept a mix of items without knowing the exact contents of each lot.

How do these characteristics define which would be most appropriate for your resale channel? While this is not an exact science, the following have proven to be true in our experience over time.

Online retailers like eBay vendors may find that Master Case items are easier to work with as only one product listing needs to be created. The item would need to be photographed and a description written once and sellers would continue moving the entire quantity based on one single product listing. This requires a lot less work than dealing with assorted lots, which can be more labor intensive in photographing, describing and listing each item individually.

Retail stores, depending on the storage space available and the product categories the store carries, can benefit from both kinds of items. Master case items can give you the ability to have a consistent supply of the same product on hand for a while until it runs out, but can be slower to move. Assorted lots can present a merchandising challenge in displaying a lot of different products simultaneously, but the variety of products available and the consistently changing inventory can be attractive to customers, and can entice them to come back to your store to see what’s new on a regular basis.

Flea market vendors typically do better with assorted lots. Having a wide variety of items and being able to sell them all at a flat price or a “lot” price (such as 3 for $5), can move the largest quantity of product in the shortest amount of time. Just place the items on a rack, in a dump bin or on a table, and let customers take their pick of what is available.

Master Case items in a flea market setting greatly diminish the variety of products you are able to offer and limit your sales to those customers who are interested in the specific items you have at that time.

Since flea market vendors usually work with a little less storage space than retail store owners, minimum order quantities are often something to consider. Assorted lots that are typically available in smaller quantities than Master Case items can also be a better choice.

Wholesalers may have an easier time moving Master Case items as they are easy to describe, have an exact piece count, and wholesale buyers are usually more familiar with Master Case goods – their condition and their ability to sell them. That said, assorted lots can also be profitable for wholesalers if they are in the business of selling to retail stores or flea market vendors, or to buyers who are after a wider variety of items with a smaller investment. Brokers of wholesale goods can also do well with both types, depending on the wholesale buyers they are targeting.

All things considered, there is no significantly “better” item for one resale channel or the other. However, it is important to note the differences between the types of merchandise available on the liquidation market in order to best determine what merchandise to invest in. Experimenting with a small mixed lot can present a smaller risk than purchasing a full pallet of several thousand units of one item, on the off chance that it is not right for your business. Then again, you could always resell that whole lot to another retailer or wholesaler, and take it as a learning experience!


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