A packaging redesign can create an unexpected inventory problem.

Your company launches new branding, updates a label, changes case packaging, introduces a new logo, or prepares for a major retail reset—but thousands of units featuring the previous packaging are still sitting in the warehouse.

There may be absolutely nothing wrong with the product.

It's new. It's sellable. It may even have substantial remaining shelf life.

But once new packaging starts shipping, many brands, manufacturers, importers, and distributors don't want old and new packaging circulating through their primary customers at the same time.

So what do you do with the remaining inventory?

At Big Willy's Wholesale, we purchase excess inventory resulting from packaging changes, label changes, product redesigns, discontinued SKUs, overstock, and other inventory transitions.

If you have pallets or truckloads of products in old packaging that you need to move, we'd like to review the opportunity.

Need to Sell Inventory With Old Packaging?

If your company has already transitioned—or is preparing to transition—to new packaging, don't automatically write off the remaining merchandise.

There may still be wholesale value in the inventory.

Big Willy's Wholesale buys excess and closeout inventory nationwide, including merchandise resulting from:

Packaging redesigns
Label changes
Logo changes
Rebranding
Retail packaging updates
Case-pack changes
Discontinued packaging
Product-line transitions
Retailer resets
Old UPC transitions
Seasonal packaging
Excess production

Submit Your Inventory for Review

Submit Inventory to Big Willy's Wholesale

Or contact our buying team directly:

Email: william@bigwillyswholesale.com
Phone: (213) 341-1011

Send us the product information, quantities, photos, warehouse location, and your inventory spreadsheet if available.

Why Packaging Changes Create Excess Inventory

Consumer brands update packaging constantly.

Sometimes the change is cosmetic. Other times it's driven by retailers, regulations, marketing strategies, or changes to the product itself.

Common reasons include:

Brand Redesigns

A company may introduce a new logo, color scheme, or overall brand identity.

Retailer Requirements

A major retailer may require updated packaging before continuing to carry a product.

Product Updates

Even a small product change may require completely new packaging.

UPC or SKU Changes

Companies occasionally transition products to new identifiers, leaving inventory under previous SKUs.

Label Updates

Ingredients, instructions, claims, product descriptions, or other information may change.

Promotional Packaging

Brands may produce packaging for holidays, promotions, collaborations, or limited-time campaigns.

Once the promotion ends, remaining inventory may need another sales channel.

Old Packaging Doesn't Always Mean Old Product

This distinction is important.

A product can have old packaging while the physical merchandise itself remains new and perfectly usable.

For example, imagine a household-products manufacturer has 25,000 units in its warehouse.

The company launches completely redesigned packaging next month.

Retail customers have already approved the new design and don't want additional shipments featuring the previous packaging.

The manufacturer now has 25,000 perfectly good units that no longer fit its primary distribution strategy.

That's exactly the type of situation where an alternative wholesale channel may make sense.

What Are Your Options for Old-Packaging Inventory?

Businesses generally have several options.

Continue Selling Through Normal Channels

If customers don't care about the packaging transition, continuing to sell the inventory may provide the best recovery.

But that's not always possible.

Discount the Merchandise

Brands can offer additional discounts to existing customers.

This may increase velocity, although companies should consider whether aggressive discounting could affect existing customer relationships.

Repackage the Inventory

Sometimes merchandise can be placed into new packaging.

However, the labor and materials required to rework thousands of units can make this expensive.

Destroy or Donate the Merchandise

Depending on the circumstances, companies may donate or dispose of remaining inventory.

But if the products still have resale value, those options may leave money on the table.

Sell the Inventory in Bulk

Another option is selling the remaining merchandise directly to a wholesale inventory buyer.

Instead of trying to move thousands of units individually, a bulk buyer may purchase several pallets, truckloads, or an entire remaining inventory position.

Why Sell Before the New Packaging Arrives?

Timing matters.

Once new packaging begins arriving, warehouse space can quickly become an issue.

Now your company may be storing:

Old packaging + new packaging at the same time.

That can create:

Warehouse congestion
Picking mistakes
Inventory confusion
Additional handling
Storage expenses
Customer shipping errors

Selling old-packaging inventory before—or shortly after—the transition can simplify warehouse operations.

Don't Automatically Wait Until the Inventory Becomes Obsolete

One of the themes we see with excess inventory is that companies often wait too long.

The merchandise starts as:

Current product with previous packaging.

Six months later, it becomes:

Aging inventory.

Another year later, it may become:

Obsolete inventory.

The sooner a company evaluates its options, the greater the possibility that the inventory still has meaningful secondary-market value.

What Types of Packaging-Change Inventory Do We Buy?

Big Willy's Wholesale evaluates a wide range of consumer merchandise, including:

Household supplies
Kitchen & dining
Cookware
Small appliances
Beauty & personal care
Cleaning supplies
Pet products
Toys & games
Electronics
Apparel
Shoes
Luggage & travel products
Office products
Baby products
Outdoor merchandise
Storage & organization
Disposable food service products
General merchandise

If your category isn't listed, send it anyway.

We review inventory opportunities across many consumer product categories.

What Quantities Are We Looking For?

Big Willy's Wholesale primarily purchases bulk inventory.

We're interested in opportunities such as:

Several pallets
Hundreds of cases
Thousands of units
Full truckloads
Multiple truckloads
Entire remaining packaging runs
Multi-SKU inventory lists

For example, if you're changing packaging across 20 SKUs and have remaining inventory of each, send us the entire spreadsheet.

We can review the opportunity as a group rather than requiring you to submit products individually.

What Information Should You Send?

Providing complete information helps our buying team review opportunities more efficiently.

Whenever possible, send:

Brand
Product description
SKU
UPC
Quantity available
Case pack
Number of pallets
Product condition
Photos of the existing packaging
Photos of master cases
Warehouse location
Inventory spreadsheet
MSRP or normal wholesale price
Asking price, if available
Any resale restrictions

If the products have expiration or best-by dates, include those as well.

What If You Don't Want the Old Packaging Competing With Your New Product?

This can be an important consideration for brands.

You may want to liquidate the merchandise without having heavily discounted products immediately appear next to your newly packaged products at existing customers.

If your company has specific requirements regarding:

Sales channels
Geographic markets
Customers
Marketplaces
Export
Advertising

include those requirements when submitting your inventory.

We can determine whether the opportunity fits our available channels.

Who Do We Purchase Inventory From?

Big Willy's Wholesale purchases inventory from:

Manufacturers
Consumer brands
Importers
Distributors
Retailers
E-commerce companies
Amazon sellers
3PL warehouses
Reverse logistics companies

We're especially interested in inventory situations where businesses need to move meaningful quantities efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you buy products with old packaging?

Yes. We evaluate products in previous or discontinued packaging depending on the merchandise, quantity, condition, market demand, and any resale requirements.

Do you buy inventory after a brand redesign?

Yes. Brand and packaging redesigns are common reasons companies have excess inventory.

Can we sell multiple SKUs?

Yes. Send us your complete inventory spreadsheet.

Do you buy full truckloads?

Yes. We purchase pallet quantities, truckloads, multiple truckloads, and larger inventory opportunities.

Do you buy branded merchandise?

Yes, depending on the brand, product, quantities, condition, and applicable resale restrictions.

Can inventory be stored at a 3PL?

Yes. Provide the warehouse location when submitting the opportunity.

Do you purchase nationwide?

Yes. We evaluate inventory opportunities throughout the United States.

Changing Your Packaging? Deal With the Old Inventory Early.

If your company knows a packaging change is coming, you don't necessarily need to wait until the new merchandise arrives to decide what to do with the previous version.

Start evaluating the remaining inventory early.

Determine:

How many units will remain?

Will existing customers continue accepting them?

How long will it take to sell through normally?

How much warehouse space will they consume?

Are there resale-channel restrictions?

Would selling the remaining inventory in bulk provide a cleaner transition?

Planning ahead can prevent today's packaging transition from becoming next year's obsolete-inventory problem.

Sell Old-Packaging Inventory to Big Willy's Wholesale

If your company is changing packaging, rebranding products, updating labels, or discontinuing a product line, Big Willy's Wholesale wants to review your remaining inventory.

We're actively purchasing:

Old-packaging inventory
Packaging-change inventory
Label-change inventory
Overstock
Closeouts
Discontinued merchandise
Production overruns
Canceled orders
Slow-moving inventory
Excess inventory

We're particularly interested in pallet quantities, truckloads, large single-SKU positions, and multi-SKU closeouts.

Submit Your Inventory Today

The fastest way to send an opportunity to our buying team is:

Submit Your Excess Inventory

Or contact: