Buying overstock clothing from brands: how to source lots you can trust
Branded overstock clothing is new, unworn stock that a brand, retailer or distributor could not sell through its own channels: end of season lines, broken size runs, cancelled orders and overproduction. You can buy it from stocklot traders, on open B2B marketplaces, or directly from the seller through a private platform where screened buyers bid sealed on documented lots. Buying at the source gives you first hand goods and a better record of what you are buying. The trade off is that the seller decides per lot which buyers may see it.
Where branded overstock comes from
Knowing why a lot exists tells you what to check first.
| Source | What it usually is | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| End of season | Complete styles, full size runs early on, broken later | How far the size run has been picked over |
| Broken size runs | The sizes that did not sell in the brand's own channels | The units per size, before anything else |
| Cancelled wholesale orders | Full packs, often in original packaging | Whether the season is still current in your market |
| Overproduction | More of a style than the brand planned | Volume per style, uniform condition |
| Discontinued lines | Styles that will not return | No replenishment, so sell it in one go |
| Customer returns | Goods sent back by consumers | The grading per line, and who did it |
| Closing stock | A company stops, or drops a line | Mixed lots, short pickup deadlines |
End of season
- What it usually is
- Complete styles, full size runs early on, broken later
- What to check
- How far the size run has been picked over
Broken size runs
- What it usually is
- The sizes that did not sell in the brand's own channels
- What to check
- The units per size, before anything else
Cancelled wholesale orders
- What it usually is
- Full packs, often in original packaging
- What to check
- Whether the season is still current in your market
Overproduction
- What it usually is
- More of a style than the brand planned
- What to check
- Volume per style, uniform condition
Discontinued lines
- What it usually is
- Styles that will not return
- What to check
- No replenishment, so sell it in one go
Customer returns
- What it usually is
- Goods sent back by consumers
- What to check
- The grading per line, and who did it
Closing stock
- What it usually is
- A company stops, or drops a line
- What to check
- Mixed lots, short pickup deadlines
Three ways to buy, compared
| Route | Distance from the source | The lot record | Who you compete with | Resale conditions | Payment | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocklot trader | One or more trades removed | Often a short list, sometimes photographs | Nobody you can see; the trader sets the price | Rarely written down | Usually upfront to the trader | Immediate when in stock |
| Open B2B marketplace | Varies; sellers are often traders themselves | Whatever the lister writes | Everyone, in the open | Rarely written down | Depends on the platform | Immediate |
| Directly from the seller, sealed bids | First hand | Counts from the seller's own systems, size run, condition grade, photographs to a fixed brief | Other screened buyers, sealed; nobody sees another bid | Set per lot by the seller: rings, countries, channels | Through a licensed payment institution; goods released after payment | A bidding window, then pickup |
Stocklot trader
- Distance from the source
- One or more trades removed
- The lot record
- Often a short list, sometimes photographs
- Who you compete with
- Nobody you can see; the trader sets the price
- Resale conditions
- Rarely written down
- Payment
- Usually upfront to the trader
- Speed
- Immediate when in stock
Open B2B marketplace
- Distance from the source
- Varies; sellers are often traders themselves
- The lot record
- Whatever the lister writes
- Who you compete with
- Everyone, in the open
- Resale conditions
- Rarely written down
- Payment
- Depends on the platform
- Speed
- Immediate
Directly from the seller, sealed bids
- Distance from the source
- First hand
- The lot record
- Counts from the seller's own systems, size run, condition grade, photographs to a fixed brief
- Who you compete with
- Other screened buyers, sealed; nobody sees another bid
- Resale conditions
- Set per lot by the seller: rings, countries, channels
- Payment
- Through a licensed payment institution; goods released after payment
- Speed
- A bidding window, then pickup
None of these is better for every buyer. A trader holds stock and ships tomorrow. A marketplace has volume. Buying at the source suits buyers who want first hand lots with a reliable record and can work within the seller's conditions.
What a reliable lot record contains
Before you bid on any lot, from any source, you should have these ten things in writing.
- 01The total unit count, and where the count comes from: a warehouse system, an ERP or a manual count.
- 02Units per style and per size, so you see the size run before you bid.
- 03The condition grade per line: A new with tags, B new with small defects or without packaging, C damaged.
- 04The season and year of each style.
- 05Category and gender, and the share of each in the lot.
- 06Photographs of the actual goods: the pallet or boxes as listed, the size run laid out, a close up of the condition.
- 07How the goods are packed: on hangers, folded, polybagged, in original boxes.
- 08Whether barcodes are on the goods and whether labels stay in.
- 09The pickup address, the number of pallets or boxes, and the earliest pickup date.
- 10The resale conditions: which countries and channels are allowed, and whether a price may appear online.
How sealed bids work for a buyer
- You apply once. Our team checks your company, your channels and the countries you sell in. That decides which rings you belong to, by what you actually do with the goods. A buyer can belong to several; export is worked out per lot from where you sell.
- A seller opens a lot to the rings it chooses. If your ring is open you receive the full lot record. If it is not, you never learn that the lot exists.
- You place one bid for the whole lot, sealed. You do not see the other bids, and nobody sees yours.
- The seller sees your amount, your ring and your country, not your name, and accepts one bid or none.
- On acceptance the names are exchanged. You pay through the payment institution, the goods are released, and you collect them from the seller's warehouse. Transport is yours to arrange.
You pay the amount you bid, plus VAT and the buyer fee. The pricing page shows the fee; it gets lower as the order grows.
What the seller's conditions mean for you
Every lot carries the seller's conditions: which rings may see it, which countries the goods may be sold into, whether a price may appear online, whether labels stay in. They are part of the deal, the same as quantity and condition. Read them before you bid, and only bid on lots whose conditions fit how you actually sell. Breaking them costs you access to future lots. Dealing with a seller outside the platform within twelve months of an introduction is not allowed.
Frequently asked questions
From stocklot traders, on open B2B marketplaces, or directly from brands, retailers and distributors through a private platform such as Unworn. Traders are faster; buying at the source gives you first hand lots with a fuller record.
Businesses that resell: discount and off-price retailers, outlets, stocklot traders within the EU, online marketplace resellers, export buyers and textile recyclers. Our team checks every buyer before the first lot. Consumers cannot buy.
You see the category, season, condition, size run and photographs of the actual goods. The seller's identity is shared with you after the seller accepts your bid. Whether the brand on the goods is named before that is the seller's choice per lot.
In full, through a licensed payment institution, before the goods are released. The institution holds the money until you have accepted the goods, and only then pays the seller. Goods never leave the warehouse on credit.
No. Unworn never buys or owns goods. The seller sells directly to you; Unworn runs the bidding, the payment and the documents.