Businesses discontinue products for many reasons.

A manufacturer may introduce a newer model. A brand may redesign its packaging. A distributor may eliminate underperforming SKUs. A retailer may remove a category from its assortment. An importer may decide not to reorder a product.

The decision to discontinue the product may happen quickly.

Selling through the remaining inventory often doesn't.

You could discontinue a SKU today and still have 12, 18, or even 24 months of supply sitting in your warehouse.

At that point, the question becomes:

How much of this inventory should we continue trying to sell ourselves, and how much should we sell in bulk?

Don't Wait Until Discontinued Inventory Becomes Obsolete

A discontinued product can still be valuable merchandise.

It may be:

• Brand-new
• Factory sealed
• Current packaging
• Retail ready
• Fully functional
• Case packed
• Palletized

The problem isn't necessarily the product.

The problem is that your company no longer needs to own it.

Waiting too long can make the situation worse.

Newer models may enter the market. Packaging can begin to look dated. Retail listings may disappear. Customer awareness can decline. Warehouse cases can become shopworn.

Inventory that is simply "discontinued" today can eventually become significantly harder to sell.

New Model Replacing the Old One?

This is one of the most common reasons companies end up with discontinued inventory.

Suppose you sell a household appliance.

Your company launches Model 2.0 and stops producing Model 1.0.

But your warehouse still contains:

18,000 units of Model 1.0.

The old version may still be perfectly functional and marketable.

However, continuing to hold a large quantity while actively promoting the newer version can create an inventory conflict.

A bulk sale can potentially help clear the previous generation while your primary sales organization focuses on the new product.

Packaging Changes Can Create Discontinued Inventory Too

The product itself doesn't always change.

Sometimes only the packaging changes.

Your company might:

• Redesign the box
• Update the logo
• Change product claims
• Introduce new branding
• Change case packs
• Update UPCs
• Refresh retail packaging

Once the new packaging enters distribution, thousands of units in the previous packaging may remain.

The merchandise inside may be identical.

But your company may no longer want to ship the older packaging to its primary customers.

That inventory can potentially be sold through alternative wholesale channels instead.

Discontinuing an Entire Product Category?

Sometimes businesses make larger strategic changes.

A company may decide:

We're getting out of electronics.

We're no longer carrying pet products.

We're eliminating this brand.

We're reducing our SKU count by 30%.

That can create much larger closeout opportunities.

Instead of selling one discontinued SKU, you may have dozens—or hundreds—of products that need to leave the warehouse.

Big Willy’s Wholesale evaluates multi-SKU inventory opportunities and complete product-line closeouts, not just individual items.

SKU Rationalization Can Leave Significant Inventory Behind

Businesses with large product catalogs periodically perform SKU rationalization.

Management identifies products that:

• Generate insufficient sales
• Produce low margins
• Duplicate other products
• Require excessive storage
• Have declining demand
• No longer fit the company's strategy

Removing these SKUs can make the business more efficient.

But deleting a SKU from your catalog doesn't remove the physical merchandise from your warehouse.

If 40 discontinued SKUs leave you with 75 pallets of inventory, that merchandise still needs an exit strategy.

You Don't Have to Sell Every Unit

A discontinued product doesn't necessarily need to be completely liquidated.

Suppose you have:

20,000 units available

and expect existing customers to purchase another:

4,000 units

You could retain those 4,000 units and offer the remaining 16,000 units to a bulk inventory buyer.

This allows your company to continue servicing existing demand without carrying substantially more inventory than necessary.

Or Ask for a Take-All Offer

Sometimes you want the entire position gone.

If you're closing the SKU completely, tell us you're interested in selling all remaining inventory.

For example:

42 SKUs
55,000 units
90 pallets
3 warehouse locations

Send the complete inventory spreadsheet.

Big Willy’s Wholesale can evaluate qualifying multi-SKU and take-all inventory opportunities.

What Types of Discontinued Inventory Do We Buy?

We evaluate many categories of consumer general merchandise, including:

• Household products
• Kitchen & cookware
• Small appliances
• Electronics
• Beauty & personal care
• Pet supplies
• Toys & games
• Apparel
• Shoes
• Luggage & travel products
• Cleaning products
• Office & school products
• Baby merchandise
• Outdoor products
• Storage & organization
• Seasonal merchandise
• Disposable food service products
• Other consumer general merchandise

Have something outside these categories? Send the opportunity for review.

What Quantities Does Big Willy’s Wholesale Buy?

Our focus is bulk inventory.

We're particularly interested in:

• Multiple cases
• Pallet quantities
• Hundreds of cases
• Thousands of units
• Large single-SKU positions
• Full truckloads
• Multiple truckloads
• Container quantities
• Multi-SKU inventories
• Complete product-line closeouts

If you have one discontinued SKU with 50,000 units, we're interested in seeing it.

If you have 100 discontinued SKUs, send the complete list.

Inventory Can Be at Your Warehouse or 3PL

Your inventory doesn't need to be located at your main facility.

We can evaluate merchandise stored at a:

• Company warehouse
• 3PL
• Distribution center
• Fulfillment center
• Import warehouse
• Manufacturing facility

Provide the city and state where the inventory is currently located.

Big Willy’s Wholesale evaluates qualifying opportunities nationwide.

What Information Should You Send?

When contacting our buying team, having complete inventory information helps us evaluate the opportunity efficiently.

Whenever possible, provide:

• Brand
• Product description
• SKU
• UPC
• Quantity available
• Case pack
• Number of cases
• Pallet count
• Product condition
• Product photos
• Packaging photos
• Warehouse location
• MSRP
• Normal wholesale price
• Asking price, if available
• Resale restrictions

For larger inventories, send an Excel spreadsheet containing the complete product list.

For dated merchandise, include applicable expiration, best-by, or manufacturing dates.

What If There Are Resale Restrictions?

Tell us upfront.

A discontinued product may still have restrictions involving:

• Amazon
• Walmart Marketplace
• Other online marketplaces
• Specific retailers
• Geographic territories
• Domestic resale
• Export
• Advertising

Clearly identifying these restrictions helps our buying team determine which inventory opportunities are a fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who buys discontinued inventory?

Wholesale inventory buyers such as Big Willy’s Wholesale evaluate qualifying discontinued consumer merchandise from manufacturers, brands, importers, distributors, retailers, wholesalers, and e-commerce businesses.

Does the inventory need to be discontinued by the manufacturer?

No. A business may simply decide to discontinue a SKU from its own assortment even if the product remains available elsewhere.

Can I sell only part of my remaining inventory?

Yes. You can submit the excess quantity you want to sell while retaining inventory needed for existing customers.

Can I sell an entire discontinued product line?

Yes. Send the complete inventory list if you are looking to clear multiple SKUs or an entire product category.

Do you buy discontinued inventory by the truckload?

We evaluate substantial bulk opportunities including pallets, truckloads, multiple truckloads, and large single-SKU positions.

Do you purchase inventory nationwide?

Yes. Big Willy’s Wholesale evaluates qualifying bulk inventory opportunities throughout the United States.

Once You've Discontinued the SKU, Create an Exit Plan

Deciding to discontinue a product is only half of the process.

You also need to determine what happens to the remaining merchandise.

Ask:

How many units remain?

How quickly are they currently selling?

How many months would normal sell-through require?

Is a replacement product already launching?

How much warehouse space is the old inventory consuming?

Will the merchandise become harder to sell over time?

If you're carrying significantly more discontinued merchandise than your normal customers can absorb, selling the excess in bulk may be worth evaluating.

Big Willy’s Wholesale is actively looking to purchase qualifying discontinued inventory, excess merchandise, overstock, surplus, closeouts, slow-moving products, canceled orders, and other bulk general merchandise nationwide.

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