We process returned stock every day, so here's the honest taxonomy nobody selling blind pallets will give you.
What "returns" actually means
Roughly, returned online stock falls into four buckets:
- Changed-mind returns, unopened or barely opened. The best value in the building.
- Wrong-item / wrong-size, opened, complete, essentially new.
- Used-and-returned, worked fine, buyer used it, sent it back. Cosmetic wear possible.
- Faulty returns, something's wrong. At Biddurs these are listed as untested or for parts, never as working.
The condition field on every lot tells you which bucket you're in. "Untested" means exactly that, priced accordingly by the market, which is why untested lots often start and stay cheap.
Blind pallets vs photographed lots
The traditional way to buy returns is a pallet with a manifest, a spreadsheet of what's supposed to be inside. You pay hundreds up front and open the boxes hoping.
The auction alternative: individual photographed lots starting at £1. You see the actual item, you read the actual condition, and your downside is what you chose to bid. For resellers, cherry-picking beats gambling.
The maths for resellers
A reseller's rule of thumb: aim to pay a third of realistic resale. Our sold-price archive shows real hammer prices, and eBay's sold listings show the other side. The margin lives in lots with poor photos-taken-by-us or vague titles, the exact lots casual bidders scroll past.
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