Buyer School
Buyer School: straight-talk guides to buying liquidation pallets
Buyer School is a free set of straight-talk guides for businesses that buy liquidation pallets: bin stores, discount and flea-market sellers, online resellers and exporters. Read the five starter guides in order to learn how to buy, get your resale certificate, read a manifest, set a max bid and plan your pickup in metro Atlanta.
10 guides · Updated · By the Two Bro Sales team
New to pallets? Read these five in order
The shortest route from “what is a liquidation pallet” to your first pickup. Each guide links to the next.
- How to buy liquidation palletsWhere pallets come from, where to buy them and the steps from sign-up to pickup.12 min read
- Georgia resale certificate (Form ST-5)The document every buyer needs before a seller will take a bid from you.10 min read
- How to read a liquidation manifestRead the item list before you bid, and know what it can't tell you.10 min read
- How to calculate pallet profitTurn a manifest into landed cost, expected resale and a maximum bid.9 min read
- How to pick up a liquidation palletVehicles, pallet sizes, what to bring and how a dock pickup goes.11 min read
Liquidation buyer guides by topic
Start here
What liquidation pallets are, where they come from and whether the math works for your business.
- Start here
How to buy liquidation pallets
How resellers buy liquidation pallets: where they come from, where to buy, what they cost, a step-by-step bidding flow and the scam red flags to watch for.
12 min read - Start here
Are liquidation pallets worth it? The honest math for resellers
Are liquidation pallets worth it? Illustrative P&Ls for a bin store, an online flipper and a flea-market seller show where profit dies and who should pass.
10 min read
Bidding
Proxy bids, soft close, fees and how to set a maximum you will not regret.
- Bidding
How to calculate liquidation pallet profit and your max bid
The exact formula for liquidation pallet profit and your max bid: landed cost, sell-through, channel fees and the buyer fee cap, with three worked examples.
9 min read - Bidding
How online liquidation auctions work
How online liquidation auctions work: proxy bidding, soft close and staggered closes, bid increments, buyer's premiums and binding bids, with worked examples.
10 min read
Manifests & conditions
Read a manifest line by line and learn what customer returns, shelf pulls, overstock and salvage really mean.
- Manifests & conditions
How to read a liquidation manifest (and what it can't tell you)
Learn to read a liquidation manifest: what each column means, a 10-minute audit before you bid, and how claims work on manifested vs unmanifested pallets.
10 min read - Manifests & conditions
Customer returns, shelf pulls, overstock and salvage
What customer returns, shelf pulls, overstock, salvage and mystery pallets mean, how defect rates differ, and which liquidation condition fits your channel.
11 min read
Bin stores
Inventory math, pricing ladders and paperwork for opening and stocking a bin store.
Tax & paperwork
Resale certificates and the documents a business needs before it can bid.
Pickup
Trucks, trailers, pallet sizes and what happens at the seller's dock.
For sellers
For liquidators who sell on Two Bro Sales: planning auction nights, lotting, manifests, payment and pickup.
- For sellers
How to run an online pallet auction
Lotting, manifests, reserves, soft close, increments, payment and pickup: a step-by-step playbook for liquidators running timed online pallet auctions.
12 min read - Sell on Two Bro Sales
Open a storefront
Your own branded storefront, timed online auctions and verified business buyers.
- Fees
See seller fees
2% of the winning bid, capped at $500 a lot. No listing, setup or per-bid fees.
Tools and quick answers
- Calculator
Pallet profit calculator
Enter manifest retail, your bid and your costs to see landed cost and a maximum bid.
- FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers on verification, fees, payment, pickup and claims.
- Rules
How bidding works here
Proxy bidding, the 2-minute soft close, payment in 2 business days and pickup by code.
- Safety
Spot a pallet scam
The red flags behind fake pallet ads, and how to check a liquidator before you pay.
Ready to bid on your first pallet?
Business buyers only: resale certificate (Georgia Form ST-5 or your state's equivalent) required.