posted on August 26, 2001 11:53:54 AM
I am ready to buy in much larger quantities......like pallets & truckloads. I am expecting, & will not be able to get out & buy things with a new baby to care for. I have a couple of questions, though, & thought maybe someone here could help.
Will they deliver to residential areas? I live near a mill, & semis drive down my street all the time but we are not zoned for it.
How about unloading? I know it will be on wooden pallets, & I have no forklift, etc. I have no idea how trucks are unloaded.
Is shipping/freight very costly? Approx. how much does it add to the total. (I realize it varies by distance traveled, just seeking general/average amounts.)
posted on August 26, 2001 12:02:53 PM
I only know this from work, not personal experience.
You can tell your shipper that you have no dock and don't want it double stacked (one on top of the other) As far as no fork lift, some carriers may have those protable loading ramps and a hand jack (small pallet moover) As far as costs, I think it will vary from carrier to carrier - and it will also depend on if the supplier has some rate contracts with the carriers.
Do you really have space for this much stuff? A full tractor of stuff can be up to 40 pallets/40,000 pounds.
posted on August 26, 2001 12:12:16 PM
if you buy by the skid load or pallet load with out a fork or clamp truck you will have to unload the truck buy hand.
Since the load may not be loaded in shipping order you may need to unload the whole truck or part of it to get to your pallet(s) by hand and reload the truck.
I would check with the suppler and see if they would ship your items through UPS fedX its the easyest way inless you have a loading dock.
if the company you are buying from is near you then you might check around your area for someone local with a pickup or larger truck who could make the pick up and deliver to you.
If your area wont allow this type of thing in your neighborhood due to restrictions it might be good for you to Rent or lease a storage unit to have goods delivered to.
even with this you would need to set up office space in the unit so you could be there to receive deliverys.
also check with the supplers they may simplly offer Drop shipping of the goods you sell directly to your buyers no need for warehouseing items.
posted on August 26, 2001 12:18:45 PM
Better be prepared to hand unload it since you have no dock, pallet jack, etc. Try to enlist some help. The back end of the trailer will be about four feet off the ground. You'll need someone to move each piece to the tail end of the trailer so another person can easily grab it from steet level. If you hustle and have two or three people working you can unload a pallet in minutes this way.
Surely you're just talking about a pallet or two, not 40.
dman had a good idea. You might be able to pick it up at the trucking terminal and hand-load it into a pickup.
[ edited by loosecannon on Aug 26, 2001 12:23 PM ]
posted on August 26, 2001 12:20:48 PM
actually I should have add that, A 53' truck can hold from 40 to 60 paletts doulble stacked.
this truck load could fill 50% or more of one floor of the average home from the floor to the ceiling and depending on the height a single palet is stacked it may not even fit in the average garage door.
I work in a factory some pallets are stcked from 7 to 8 feet high.
Independent truck driver can get rather edgy as well when loading or unloading takes more then 50 or 60 mins since they get paid by the load and mile they cant make a penny while sitting still..
http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
Email [email protected]
[ edited by dman3 on Aug 26, 2001 12:24 PM ]
posted on August 26, 2001 12:38:02 PM
How about renting storage space from a business who already has loading docks, etc? I did that in a previous business and it worked really well. They left us use their equipment when we needed to.
posted on August 26, 2001 12:42:28 PM
WOW MSC Very costly at least in the area where I live but can be done..
Far cheaper to rent a storage unit and stick with picking up the good from the terminal or haveing a local small hauler pick it up for you a deliver to your unit.
as soon as you start haveing these large trucks puling up to your home no matter what the zoneing is you will have nieghbors you never knew complaining..
posted on August 26, 2001 12:58:22 PM
Wow, I had no idea that many pallets would fit on the truck......I was thinking 10-15, I have enough room for that many. The problem is that there are no local terminals, I live in the sticks. There isn't a buisness here I could rent space from, either. The local flea I rent in is in the buisness district, & would let me unload there, but they don't have a dock - it is in an old grocery store. I will keep working on it, I will be able to think of a way to work it out. I do have plenty of men in my family who will help unload anything, that is a big help. Thank you for all of the great information.
My neighbors wouldn't say a word.....he is a grain truck driver, & his truck is parked in the street at least 3 times a week.
posted on August 26, 2001 01:07:07 PM
Well point was that a turck can hold that many pallets not that you have to order that many.
Thing is the truck that delivers will more then likely be a full load or near full your pallets may or may not be right in front !!!
sixe weight of the pallets and the order will very according to what you plan on ordering.
Some items in fact may not even be load on pallets some times to get the most out of shipping costs truck are hand loaded at the terminal and will hold far more or less according to size and weight. http://www.Dman-N-Company.com
Email [email protected]
posted on August 26, 2001 04:44:28 PM
They usually charge extra if you do not have a loading dock and need a lift gate. I think you should pick the shipment up at terminal they will load the pallets right in your pick up truck.
posted on August 26, 2001 05:14:49 PM
Here is my first hand experience.
Just purchased 4 pallets from California to Wisconsin. Paid $750 per pallet, plus $661 freight. That included a $40 residential charge. I decided that I would pick them up at their terminal, since they would not deliver on Saturday. They brought them right out to my trailer, and offered to load them onto the trailer, but I broke them down and hand loaded them instead.
Depending upon who your supplier ships with, you should be able to get anything from a liftgate truck to one that includes a pallet jack (like a manual forklift).
posted on August 26, 2001 07:42:06 PM
Just something I hadn't heard... I've bought large quanities like this before... Now, I'm a bit leery.
After getting oodles of toys missing wheels and other important parts. Broken. These were returned to the stores for various reasons and then later sold as a lot. I was under the impression at the time they were simple returns.
Wrong. Be careful who you buy from, you don't end up with a bunch of junk.
posted on August 26, 2001 08:10:01 PM
I agree. Some "liquidators" cherry pick their truckloads, and sell off the junk. You can expect to have to toss a percentage of the stuff. It all depends on the types of items how much that will be.
I recently had three pallets delivered to my home in a residential area.
I live in the boonies although in a subdivision with large lots. Semi-trucks are VERY reluctant to come into a subdivsion for several factors, including regs against a 18 wheeler being there but more so related to the fact that the truck has difficulty manuevering in such areas. The truck has to be able to turn around and get back out!
In my case, the truck did come into the area. They will not pull into the driveway but remain on the street. Further, the driver usually does not help in unloading the truck (I lucked out this time and had a helpful driver) so you must have some help to assistb with the unload.
My pallets were stacked 8 feet high with shrink wrap surrounding them. Each of these 3 pallets had to be broken down on the truck, then manually removed to the driveway area.
I am single and live alone, so I hired help from Labor Ready. They charge $15/man with a 4 hour minimum. As you can see, the price tag to those pallets adds up quickly when you factor in shipping/freight/delivery PLUS labor! I also do not have a forklift, but do own a hand truck. Hand trucks can be rented for about $10 for 4 hours.
The drivers do not like to wait and will become extremely grumpy if you are not prepared for this delivery when the truck arrives. I was told that anything longer than 60 minutes unload time a surcharge would be incurred.
Recommendations:
Jevic Transportation, Inc. is EXCELLENT and very cooperative. There rates were the lowest I could find, the shipping the fast I have had, the drivers most helpful with unload and they were willing to come into my subdivision (many do not!).
Labor Ready has cheap labor with a 4 hour minimum. They are in most areas of the country.
I also have used the loading dock from the local hardware store in my area. They offered (at no charge with a waiver of liability) to allow the truck to come to their store and the shipping guy there used their forklift to remove the pallets from the semi-truck and put them directly into the U-Haul I rented for the day. Now, this is the south and small town atmosphere so I am not sure others will have as much luck with helful local merchants.
Renting a U-Hual can be helpful as it allows you time to dismantle the pallets and take your time unloading.
I had delivery of 3 eight (8) foot pallets from Massachuetts to Atlanta area and it cost me $206.41. It was delivered within 2 days of purchasing.
Biggest warning however, is be careful who you buy from....... a LOT of raw deals out there!
posted on August 27, 2001 05:09:50 AM
There is a publication called the closeout news - 331 S. State St Fullerton CA 92831
one year first class = $55+5=$60
one year priority = $65+5=$70
1-800-600-7040 fax 714-870-1552
If you see a seller of truckloads there repeatedly you know that on the average they are treating people well enough to stay in business.
posted on August 27, 2001 08:10:19 AM
I could tell you who I get my closeouts from........
But then I'd have to kill you.
Seriously, search "closeout" or "liquidation" on Yahoo or some other search engine. You can find a lot. It is a gamble. Most of this stuff is returns. Most items are returned because they are damaged. (Don't believe the ones who tell you that most items are returned because someone changed their mind - they are lying)
The idea behind it is - buy in bulk, weed out the unrepairable junk - sell off the repairable stuff at a profit. Some sellers just sell everything "untested" and "as is". I have found that the prices this garners is about 15% - 20% LESS than if you test your items first. Few people are willing to pay big bucks to gamble on an item. They are either going to demand a refund or fire off a neg.
I just purchased 4 pallets recently - approx 220 items. As I was going through the items peeling off return stickers, I tossed about 60 items just from visual damage. So far, I have tossed about 10 items after testing them, and I have about 55% of my items to go through yet. It is a very time consuming process, and I would suggest finding someone to help you do it (one person to test, one person to list). It will go a lot quicker.
Good luck with toys. I considered doing it, but got leery of how much it would bring, considering how quickly the popularity of toys changes.
[ edited by revvassago on Aug 27, 2001 08:19 AM ]
posted on August 27, 2001 09:30:21 AM
I'm not trying to put a damper on your enthusiasm. But you state that I am expecting, & will not be able to get out & buy things with a new baby to care for. If this is your first child, I have to tell you that you might be seriously underestimating the amount of time you'll have to devote to your auction business. So buying in quantity might give you more of a backlog of inventory than you're bargaining for!
posted on August 27, 2001 10:09:33 AM
Thanks for all of the great advice!
The primary source I am considering is selling closeouts, not returns in the category I am considering buying. (Not toys - that is too seasonal/risky for me.)I have bought from them before, just in small quantities.
The other source is a mix of closeouts & returns, in a totally different category that sells very well in my area as well as on ebay. I realize that I will have to cull some of these items.
I am searching for a local buisness that will let me have things delivered there. I probably would not have thought of that, thanks.
As far as the baby, I realize my life is about to completely change, but that is fine with me! (It took us 3 years to conceive)Since the items aren't seasonal, it really doesn't matter to me if I can't get to it all for awhile.
posted on August 27, 2001 10:55:12 AM
Although I've looked into buying by the pallet, I haven't done it yet. The places I was considering buying from will quote shipping charges and take care of the trucking arrangements direct to my residential door.
You can also get a freight quote from a variety of shippers from www.freightquote.com.
posted on August 27, 2001 11:07:25 AM
"can anyone tell me a GOOD suplier of truckloads of toy returns?? "
Whitemist & others:
Not trying to be RUDE here, just honest. My success on eBay is a result of MANY factors, one of which is my suppliers. I have endured over 8 years of searching and experimenting to find the "right" ones. I even go to the time expense of cutting off the labels before throwing the boxes away.
There is NO way that I would share that information with anyone. If you can find them and compete directly with me, go for it, the competition will make us both better, but I'm sure not going to give you the leg up for free that I worked so hard for....
The tip on the magazine was a GREAT one that I'd have thought about for a long time before I posted it.
posted on August 27, 2001 03:39:44 PM
You guys had me scared but everything worked out fine today. I had a semi pull into the neighborhood today for the first time. He agreed to follow me to my storage unit which is a little over a mile from the house. He was extremly helpful so I gave him a small gift. He did mention that in the future there will be a fee for a residence. As a side note, I saw a UPS truck pull into my storage complex and unload packages into a unit without a customer. I thought that this was highly unusual especially considering I have had a couple lost packages before. I called UPS and they said that this is not actually not unusual.
If you have never purchased like this before, do yourself a favor and find the closest dealer you can and visit their warehouse.
People have different definitions of "clean", "damaged", "high end" and a ton of other words. There are many many things I thought were absolutely terrific opportunities until I SAW the merchandise.
For instance, you will often see closeouts on department store hard goods. They are so cheap you just know you can make a mint, I just so happened to see one load that consisted almost entirely of millenium time capsules (and this was last month!). Just imagine if that load was the one you bought.
It can be a crapshoot, you can get some good, some bad but you really need to know what you are buying and who you are buying from.
Even though guides like Closeout News have lots of sources MANY of those companies are fly by night. Some are reputable but others are not. You can also go to tsnn.com and find the trade show for the category you are interested in dealing in and go from there.
