Job lots, liquidation stock and returns pallets bought in bulk, then split into single sales. Your margin is set by the price you pay for the lot.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Wholesale, job lots and pallets seller. Change the answers to fit yours.
Lighting
Large, soft light for clothing and full-body shots.
Microphone
Keeps your voice clear when you turn away from the phone.
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Work backwards from sold prices. Search eBay's sold listings for five sample items from the manifest, take a cautious average, and multiply out. Then knock off platform fees, postage and a share for faulty or missing units.
If the maths only works when every item sells at full price, walk away. A good lot still makes money when a quarter of it goes to the charity shop.
A full pallet takes up roughly the floor of a single garage space once it is unpacked. Clear the room first, and have shelving and clear tubs ready so nothing sits in a heap.
Sort into three piles as you open it: ready to list, needs testing or cleaning, and unsellable. Give every sellable unit a shelf code written on a label, so a sale on any platform turns into a quick pick.
Open every returned item and check it against the original contents list. Missing chargers, remotes and instruction leaflets change the price, so note them.
Grade each item in plain words: new and sealed, open box but unused, used and working, or for spares. A fault you describe fairly rarely costs you feedback. A hidden one does.
Mystery boxes and pallet openings work well live because viewers want to see what comes out. Show each item on camera, read out its condition and keep a printed run sheet so lots go in order.
Bundle small low-value items into lots of three or five. A single £2 item barely covers its packing time, and a bundle sells for more than its parts.
Wholesale stock arrives in mixed shapes, so keep three sizes of box and a roll of mailing bags rather than a dozen sizes. Reuse clean outer cartons from the pallet for heavy items.
Weigh every parcel and match it to the cheapest service it fits. A few grams over a postage band, repeated across a hundred orders, costs you money.
Log each lot with its cost, supplier, date and what you sold from it. From that one sheet you can work out your margin and take the figures for Self Assessment.
As a trader you can't sell items as seen to avoid consumer rights on eBay or Vinted. Your item must match its description, and most online buyers can cancel within 14 days of delivery. Read GOV.UK's guidance on selling online before you scale up.
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
Complete kits for one kind of seller, costed and laid out.
What most orders like these go by, at today’s published prices. Prices checked 6 October 2026.
Royal Mail Tracked 48 Small ParcelUsual£3.75
Clothing and small boxed items up to 2 kg, with tracking for less than untracked 2nd Class.
InPost locker to locker, medium£2.59
Shoe boxes, books and bags up to 19 cm deep, sent between lockers when the buyer picks a locker.
Royal Mail Tracked 48 Medium Parcel£5.70 to £12.25
Trainers, homeware and electronics up to 20 kg, tracked and cheaper than untracked 2nd Class.
Oversized boxes for small items. A bigger box can push the parcel into a dearer size band.
A plastic-free wrap that cushions as well as light bubble wrap.
Light boxes for boxed toys and beauty sets.
Step-by-step help for the jobs that come next.
Buying in bulk turns one purchase into dozens of listings. A box of 40 phone cases or a pallet of customer returns can cover its cost with the first third of the stock, and the rest is margin, provided your price for the lot was realistic before you paid.
In between, you unpack, sort, test and photograph every unit. Plan floor space for a pallet before it arrives, and keep a sheet of what each lot cost so you know which suppliers earn their place.
On Whatnot, wholesale shows sell the unboxing itself. On eBay and Vinted, the same stock sells slower as single listings at a better price per item. You can run both.
Liquidation companies selling retailer returns and overstock, online auction sites for business surplus, and job lots on eBay itself. Ask each supplier for a manifest, which lists what the pallet holds, and read reviews from other resellers before your first order.
Some are and some lose money. Returns stock includes faulty, used and incomplete items, so price a pallet on the assumption that a share of it will be unsellable. Start with a small mixed lot before committing to a full pallet.
Test what you can and say plainly in the listing what you tested. Anything you can't test, sell as untested or for spares or repair, and never describe it as working. Faulty mains items can be dangerous, so leave out anything with damaged cables or plugs.
Buying stock to resell at a profit is trading. You take on a trader's duties under consumer law, including the right of most online buyers to cancel, and you report the income to HMRC once it goes past the trading allowance.
Yes, UK platforms now share seller data with HMRC once you pass their reporting threshold for the year. Keep your own records of what each lot cost so you can work out your profit, not only your takings.
Prices far below normal wholesale, missing barcodes, poor print on packaging and spelling errors are warning signs. Selling fakes is illegal and gets accounts closed, so bin anything you doubt rather than listing it.
