Wholesale Shelf Pull Apparel Explained
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Loading ...by Robert Cyr
We are going to journey today into the category of Wholesale “Shelf Pull” apparel. This is a very popular category of liquidation merchandise sought after by ebay sellers, flea market vendors and exporters. I want you to fully understand what Shelf Pulls are and what to expect when buying this category of wholesale merchandise to resell.
The following are actual photos from a recently purchased shelf pull apparel pallet received from a liquidator. This pallet of merchandise was described as, “A Nice Mix Of Casual Dresses, Formal Dresses and Special Occasion Dresses With Some Suits And Separates. Brands Can Include Jones New York, Liz Claiborne, Kasper, XOXO Dresses, Elie Tahari, Rampage Nine West, Donna Morgan, Calvin Klein, Adrianna Papell, Jessica Howard, City Triangles, Donna Ricco, Maggy London International, and More”
Wholesale Shelf Pull merchandise simply refers to items that have been removed from a retail store usually after a series of pricing markdowns. The rationale is simple…If an item does not sell… liquidate it to a wholesale distributor and thereby increase cash flow. Shelf pull merchandise is a big mixture of items that did not sell for various reasons, maybe due to “end of season” or just “too many” of one style.
Shelf Pull merchandise can be considered new merchandise, but remember items will have been handled by several individuals before you purchase them. Keep in mind that some apparel items may have been tried on in the store by shoppers. Once “deemed” shelf pull by the original retail store, items are usually placed into a large cardboard box called a Gaylord. The Gaylords are then placed onto pallets and shipped to a reclamation center or a wholesale liquidation distributor who will then sell in smaller quantities to ebay sellers, small retail stores etc.
I cannot stress enough that Shelf pull apparel is a big assortment of sizes and brands. It is possible to receive duplicates styles. Most liquidators who advertise this category of merchandise
will advertise brand names you might see in your purchase. Do not be led into believing that the name brands listed will necessarily be included in your purchase. Again, expect an assortment of all brands sold thought the department store they originally came from.
Each article of clothing will have a department store and/or manufactures sales tag unless it fell off in handling. In the ebay world of name brand apparel this is where we get the acronym, “NWTS” or “New with Tags”.
The first photo above shows an actual retail tag from this clothing pallet. All tags will have the manufacturers suggested retail price and then a series of markdowns in ink. This particular clothing item started out at $320 followed by $199, $160 and then down to $99.99
Once you receive your shelf pull apparel pallet you will need to do some additional work to make the clothing presentable or “retail ready”. This may include minor spot treating (from handling) and wrinkle removal.
Unless you are buying 200-500 pieces of clothing at any one time, small orders of 50-200 pieces can usually ship to your door by UPS or FedEx. The average weight for 100 pieces of adult apparel is approximately 130-150 pounds depending on the apparel season. Winter apparel weighs far more than Summer. Coast to Coast shipping via UPS or Fedex will average $50-$70 per 100 pieces.
Questions to ask when buying Shelf Pull apparel from a Liquidator:
- What store is this apparel originally from?
- Will this pallet contain any accessories such as socks, belts, jewelry and other items other than clothing?
- Will this Shelf pull apparel pallet contain any customer returns
- Are you shipping this apparel from your warehouse or is this a brokered purchase?
- What is my cost per piece?
- What season is the apparel from?
- Do you offer a quantity discount for larger orders?
- How much damage should I expect with this purchase?
