Overstock buyers: sell your overstock inventory to us

Overstock happens to good businesses. A forecast runs hot, a retailer cancels or cuts an order, a container lands late for the season, or a minimum order quantity left you with three years of supply. We've been buying overstock for over 30 years from our Sydney office in Parramatta. We buy the parcel ourselves, then resell it through our own network of buyers, so it moves quickly and doesn't turn up next to your full-price range.

If you want the background on what overstock is and why it builds up, read our guide to overstocks. This page is about selling it.

Who buys overstock in Australia?

Overstock in Australia is bought by stock buyers like us, discount chains, major retailers, wholesalers, distributors, charities and overseas buyers. Most sellers deal with one stock buyer who knows which of those will want it, rather than ringing them all.

There's a practical reason. A department-store purchasing manager gets 200–300 emails a day. Your overstock offer is one of them, and they're not looking for it. We already know who's buying in your category, who has space, and who suits the conditions you set. For a wider view, see who buys excess stock in Australia.

Who do you buy overstock from?

We buy from anyone holding more stock than they can sell through their normal channels:

• Brand owners and manufacturers with a production overrun, a cancelled order or a range change
• Importers with a container that landed late, arrived wrong, or was over-ordered to hit a minimum order quantity
• Wholesalers and distributors who lost a customer or a ranging
• Retailers with retail overstock left after a promotion, a store closure or a category reset
• Administrators and liquidators clearing stock for creditors (see our page for administrators and liquidators)

How do I sell overstock inventory to you?

You send the details, John surveys the market, and in most cases he makes an offer to buy all of it.

1. Send us the details. A stock list spreadsheet, photos, quantities, any dates and where the stock is.
2. Hear back the same business day. John replies with his first response and any questions.
3. We survey the market, discreetly. John speaks quietly with buyers who suit your stock to find out what it's worth now. Your brand isn't broadcast.
4. We make an offer. In most cases, an offer for the whole parcel.
5. We agree terms. Price, payment terms, where the stock may and may not be sold, and how it moves. Collection is flexible: we're happy to arrange it, or you can deliver. We agree it per parcel.
6. You get paid. We send payment promptly, as per our agreed terms.

If buying the whole parcel isn't possible, John will still give you his best advice on how to sell it.

What should I send?

A complete first email gets a firmer answer. Send:

• A stock list spreadsheet: SKU or product code, description, quantity, and carton or pallet configuration
• Cost or RRP, if you're happy to share it
• Best-before or expiry dates for anything dated
• Photos of the product, the outer cartons and the labels
• Location, and whether it's palletised
• Your conditions, such as no sales into particular retailers, states or countries
• Anything wrong with it, such as damaged cartons or a labelling error

Your own system export is fine. Don't spend a day tidying it.

How do you keep overstock away from my customers?

We match your stock to buyers whose customers don't overlap with yours, and we put your rules into the deal. These are our four guarantees:

1. "We strictly follow your guidelines in relation to pricing and distribution locations."
2. "We send payment promptly, as per our agreed terms."
3. "We place a priority focus on clearing your stock."
4. "We speedily and discreetly convert your stock into cash at the highest possible price, without damaging your market position."

This matters most with overstock, because it's usually still a current line. Dumping it on a marketplace teaches your retailers that your RRP is optional. Selling it to an overseas buyer, a charity or a discount channel you've approved doesn't. See protecting your brand when clearing stock.

What happens after I email you?

Here's what to expect, step by step. We don't put days on the offer, because a parcel of one SKU and a parcel of 400 SKUs take different amounts of checking.

How is an overstock parcel assessed? A worked example

Here's how John would look at a typical parcel. The details are illustrative, not a real deal.

An importer of kitchenware holds 14 pallets: 22 SKUs, current packaging, no dates, sitting in a Melbourne warehouse. Two SKUs are still ranged in a national chain, and the importer doesn't want them discounted locally.

1. Sort the lines. Twenty SKUs have no restrictions. Two carry a condition: no sale in Australia or New Zealand.
2. Match buyers to lines. The unrestricted lines suit discount chains and wholesalers here. The two restricted lines go to overseas buyers only.
3. Check what moves the number. Mixed or single-unit lines, damaged outer cartons, and freight from the warehouse all count. Clean, palletised, full-carton stock is easier.
4. Offer for the lot. One price for the whole parcel, with the export condition written into the terms.

The point: your conditions don't kill a deal. They shape which buyer gets which line.

Overstock clearance or overstock liquidation: what are my options?

Clearance is selling it yourself at a discount over time. Liquidation is selling the lot in one go. Selling to a stock buyer isn't always the right answer. Here's how the common options compare.

If the stock is better sold another way, John will tell you. Our guide to clearance versus liquidation goes deeper.

What affects the price of overstock?

Buyers pay for what they can resell, not what the stock cost you. The biggest factors are demand for the brand, the size and mix of the parcel, dates, packaging condition, freight, and any channel restrictions you set. Restrictions are worth having, but they narrow the buyer list, so set the ones that matter and drop the rest.

One honest piece of advice: if the first offer is fair, take it. Overstock rarely gains value in a warehouse. Our article on why to take the overstocks offer explains why. For the factors in detail, see how much your stock is worth.

What overstock have you bought?

Over the years it has included food, soft drinks, confectionery, personal care, cosmetics, clothing, shoes, toys, licensed products, electrical goods, batteries, paint, cleaning products and plenty more. A few examples:

• 37 semi-trailers of short-dated orange juice
• 27 semi-trailers of a discontinued paint product
• 19 containers of washing powder, bought in New Zealand and sold to Singapore
• A discontinued line of glass bottles, filled with soft drink by a beverage company with spare capacity and sold to a discount retailer

Some overstock parcels from our case studies: 43,000 packets of branded gum, 17,000 perfumes across nine brands and 24,000 Christmas decorations. In each one the brand and pricing were kept off the website to protect the client.

Anything is possible!

Who will I deal with?

You'll deal with John Coorey, our Managing Director. John was previously Asia-Pacific Managing Director of a well-known battery manufacturer and held senior roles at a Big 4 accounting firm, so he knows overstock from the supplier's side and what a write-down does to the numbers. Read more about us.

Ready to sell your overstock?

Send your stock list, photos, dates and location to john@coorey.com, or call John on 0411 430 047. You can also use the form below. You'll hear back from John the same business day.