What should I know before buying my first pallet?

Three things first: most marketplaces require a resale certificate to register, the winning bid is not the price (add the buyer's premium and freight to get your real landed cost), and lot descriptions are patterns, not promises — condition grades describe the typical unit, and a few items in most lots won't be sellable.

Start smaller than you think. A first manifested pallet in a category you already know how to sell teaches more than a cheap mystery truckload, and it caps the tuition if the lot disappoints. Decide what happens to the duds before they arrive — donate, bundle, or scrap — so they don't become permanent inventory.

Learn the payment red flags before you shop anywhere. Legitimate marketplaces keep payment on-platform; requests to wire money or pay by app off-platform, prices far below the going rate, and sellers with no verifiable business trail are the classic patterns of a fake pallet seller.

How to spot a liquidation pallet scam before you pay →