Excess inventory platforms in Europe: eleven options compared

The eleven platforms at a glance

Which type fits which situation

Private B2B marketplaces fit brands that want to sell volume without their name or price showing up in their home market. Buyers are checked before they see anything, and you choose which kinds of buyers and which countries may see an offer. The difference between them is mainly how the price comes about: an asking price, a recommended price, or several sealed bids at the same time.

Open B2B auction and listing sites fit large, mixed volumes that need to go fast, and sellers who do not mind who ends up with the goods. Reach is wide, often across all product categories and many countries. Control over where your stock is sold afterwards is limited, and on listing sites your company is visible to members.

Consumer outlets fit brands with an outlet strategy of their own. You usually get a better price per unit than from a trade buyer, but your brand and its discounted price are visible to shoppers, and you often handle shipping and returns. That is the opposite of anonymous.

Platform by platform

Unworn. A Dutch platform that starts with a free analysis of your webshop, ERP and warehouse data and recommends per article whether to hold, mark down, bundle, sell, donate or recycle. Articles you decide to sell go out as an offer to screened buyers, who bid sealed and at the same time. You choose the buyer groups, countries and channels, your name stays hidden until you accept a bid, and the buyer pays through a licensed payment institution before the goods leave your warehouse. You pay no fee. Unworn is new; the buyer network is still growing, which is the honest trade off.

smatch. A Hamburg company that raised €7.3 million in seed funding in January 2026. Its selling page offers both an asking price and competitive bids, discretion about who buys and sells, and control over which buyer organisations, countries, buyer types and channels may buy. It says it reaches more than 1,000 verified buyers in over 40 countries. It does not publish its fees.

Unfrosen. A Romanian platform focused on fashion. The seller pays no commission; the buyer does. You invoice Unfrosen rather than the buyer and are paid upfront. It offers anonymity, geo blocking and filters on store type, and serves buyers across the EU.

Ghost. A Los Angeles company with a members only marketplace, backed by a $40 million Series C led by L Catterton (2024). Sellers set the price and control channels, retailers and geographies, and Ghost says it never publishes who buys and sells. Its market is largely American; check whether it serves your country and buyers before you sign up.

Stocklear. A French B2B auction site for all categories. Lots usually run for five working days with a reserve price, and the seller approves the winning bid. You can limit visibility by country. Buyers must be registered businesses.

B-Stock Supply Europe. The European marketplace of the American B-Stock, built around auctions for business buyers. Its European selling page asks for a monthly subscription with a three month upfront commitment. The buyer arranges and pays for shipping.

Merkandi. A Polish listing site for wholesale and liquidation stock in all categories. Sellers list at a fixed price and pay for a subscription package, not a commission. Any registered business can buy, which gives reach but little control over where goods end up.

Restposten.de. A long established German listing marketplace for stock lots of every kind. Sellers pay a membership instead of a commission and buyers contact them directly. Members see each supplier's contact details, so it is not anonymous.

Otrium. An Amsterdam outlet marketplace that sells brands' past season stock to consumers, with the brand in control of price, merchandising and visibility. It suits brands that want an online outlet under their own name.

Secret Sales. A British off-price marketplace for consumers, active in seven European markets, where brands and retailers run storefronts and handle shipping and returns themselves. Backed by private equity firm Perwyn, it bought H&M's Afound in 2024.

Lounge by Zalando. Zalando's members only shopping club for consumers. Zalando runs the sales; the commercial terms for brands are not published, so ask which model applies to you. It reaches a very large audience in more than twenty countries, and your brand is visible to its members.

What to ask any platform before you sign up