Pallet grades and conditions explained
Overstock, shelf-pull, customer return, salvage. What each term actually means for what turns up on the skid.
What the words mean
Overstock
Never sold, never owned by a customer. Usually still in original packaging. The cleanest class and the one that commands the highest price per unit.
Shelf-pull
Removed from display to make room for new stock. Physically fine, packaging may be scuffed or opened for display.
Customer return
Brought back by a shopper for any reason, from genuinely faulty to changed their mind. Condition ranges from sealed to broken.
Salvage
Damaged, incomplete or heavily used. Sold on the assumption you are parting out or bulk-bundling.
Mixed
A blend of the above on one skid. The most common class in this trade and the one this catalog mostly carries.
Untested
Nobody has powered it on or opened it. Assume nothing about function until you check.
Realistic outcomes by class
| Class | Sealed or as-new | Usable with work | Not worth listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overstock | 80 to 95 percent | 5 to 15 percent | Under 5 percent |
| Shelf-pull | 60 to 80 percent | 15 to 30 percent | 5 to 10 percent |
| Customer return, softlines | 45 to 65 percent | 20 to 35 percent | 10 to 20 percent |
| Customer return, electronics | 25 to 45 percent | 25 to 40 percent | 30 to 45 percent |
| Mixed | 40 to 60 percent | 20 to 35 percent | 20 to 30 percent |
Treat these as planning ranges from the trade rather than promises. The condition stated on a listing is our honest description of the load, and if what arrives does not match it, that is a covered claim.
How to grade a load when it lands
Three piles, not five
Sellable as-is, needs work, dead. Resist the urge to invent finer grades on your first pass.
Photograph as you go
You are building listings while you sort. Doing it twice wastes the afternoon.
Test anything with a battery or a plug
Untested means untested. A returned electrical item that does not power on is dead stock, and finding out after a customer does is worse.
Price the pile, not the piece
On low-value goods your time is the expensive input. Bundle rather than list individually below roughly five dollars.
Condition is on every listing
We state the class and the condition before you order, not after.