Liquidation pallet profit and max-bid calculator
Your max bid is the most you can pay for a lot and still hit your profit goal after the buyer fee, pickup, labor and storage. Enter the manifest retail, condition and how you’ll resell; the calculator works back from expected sales to a bid rounded to Two Bro Sales increments.
Buyer fees are modeled exactly: none on a seller’s house account, 5% capped at $500 when the marketplace introduced you.
- 3 resale modes
- Real buyer fees and increments
- No sign-up
Max bid for a 30% return
No bid reaches your profit goal with these numbers. Lower the goal or costs, or pass on this lot.
Industry estimate for what buyers pay for this grade: 8–15% of retail.
- Break-even bid
- $0
- Profit per hour
- —
- Add labor hours
If the resale price moves
- −10 pts$0
- −5 pts$0
- As entered$0
- +5 pts$0
Max bid if your resale price lands that many percentage points off.
How the max bid is built
- Gross sales
- $0
- Channel fees
- −$0
- Net revenue
- $0
- Budget at a 30% goalNet revenue ÷ (1 + goal)
- $0
- Pickup, labor, storageLabor 12 h = $180
- −$275
- Left for bid and fees
- $0
- Buyer fee at max bid
- $0
- Profit if you win at max bidROI -100%
- -$275
- Max bidRounded down to the bid increment
- $0
An estimate, not a guarantee of resale value. Presets are industry estimates: verify them against your own sales.
How the max bid is calculated
The calculator works backwards from what the lot should sell for to the most you can bid. This is the exact calculation it runs; the pallet profit guide walks through each step.
- Gross sales
- = online: manifest retail × sell-through % × resale % of retail; bin store: units × sell-through % × average price per unit; wholesale: manifest retail × share resold % × wholesale % of retail
- Net revenue
- = gross sales − channel fees (fee % of each order + fixed fee per order, within any per-order minimum or cap)
- Budget
- = net revenue ÷ (1 + profit goal %)
- Buyer fee
- = $0 on a seller's house account; 5% of the bid, capped at $500, when the marketplace introduced you (the cap applies from a $10,000 bid)
- Processing
- = processing % × (bid + buyer fee), only if your invoice passes card or ACH processing through to you (default 0)
- Max bid
- = the largest bid where bid + buyer fee + processing + pickup + labor + storage ≤ budget, rounded down to the bid increment
- Break-even bid
- = the same calculation with a 0% profit goal
- ROI
- = (net revenue − total cost) ÷ total cost, where total cost = bid + buyer fee + processing + pickup + labor + storage
A customer-returns pallet, flipped on eBay
The calculator’s starting numbers, worked through for both buyer-fee cases. The figures are illustrative, not a real lot or a prediction.
| Step | Marketplace-sourced | House account |
|---|---|---|
| Manifest retail | $5,000 | |
| Lot | 120 units, 1 pallet, customer returns | |
| Sell-through × resale price | 70% × 40% of retail | |
| Gross sales | $1,400 | |
| eBay fees (13.6% + $0.40 × 84 orders) | −$224 | |
| Net revenue | $1,176 | |
| Budget for a 30% return | $904.61 | |
| Pickup $75, labor 20 h × $15, storage $20 | −$395 | |
| Left for bid and buyer fee | $509.61 | |
| Buyer fee at max bid | $24 | $0 |
| Max bid | $480 | $500 |
| Break-even bid | $725 | $775 |
| Profit if you win at max bid | $277 | $281 |
| ROI at max bid | 31% | 31% |
Max bids are rounded down to the bid increment at that price (under $100: $5 · $100 to $499.99: $10 · $500 to $999.99: $25 · $1,000 to $4,999.99: $50 · $5,000 to $9,999.99: $100 · $10,000+: $250). The house-account column pays no buyer fee, so the same lot supports a higher bid.
Why the max bid climbs faster above $10,000
When the marketplace introduced you to the seller, the buyer fee is 5% of the winning bid, capped at $500. The cap kicks in at a $10,000 bid. Below it, each extra dollar of budget buys about 95¢ of bid; above it, the fee stops growing and a full dollar goes into the bid.
| Winning bid | Buyer fee | % of bid |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $100 | 5% |
| $8,000 | $400 | 5% |
| $10,000 | $500 | 5% |
| $15,000 | $500 | 3.3% |
| $25,000 | $500 | 2% |
A shortcut like “budget ÷ 1.05” ignores the cap. With $12,000 available for bid and fee, it says $11,428.57, which is $11,250 on the increment ladder. The real max bid is $11,500, with a $500 fee.
The calculator solves the two sides of the cap separately, so truckloads and multi-pallet lots aren’t underbid.
On a seller’s house account there is no buyer fee at any price, so none of this applies.
Six steps to a max bid you can defend
- 1
Start from the lot
Lot pages link here with manifest retail, units, pallets, condition and the current price filled in. Otherwise copy them from the listing and its manifest.
- 2
Pick how you will resell
Online item by item, through a bin store, or wholesale to another reseller. Each mode starts on a typical channel and a labor estimate for that kind of work.
- 3
Check the condition presets
Sell-through and resale percentages start from published industry ranges. Replace them with your own numbers as soon as you have sales history.
- 4
Enter your real costs
Every lot is picked up at the seller's warehouse in metro Atlanta, Georgia, by you or your own carrier, so include fuel and any truck or trailer rental. Add your labor hours and rate, storage, and the return you want.
- 5
Set your buyer fee status
If you joined through this seller's invite link you are a house account and pay no buyer fee on their lots. Otherwise you are marketplace-sourced: 5%, capped at $500.
- 6
Bid with a margin
Enter the max bid as your proxy maximum: the system bids only what is needed up to it, and your maximum is never shown. Check the sensitivity strip first; if five points of recovery wipes out the deal, bid lower or pass.
Where the starting numbers come from
Condition and channel presets are industry estimates from the sources listed, checked Oct 9, 2026. They are a starting point, not Two Bro Sales data: verify them and replace them with your own results.
By condition
| Condition | Sell-through | Resale, % of retail | Buyers pay, % of retail | Two Bro Sales median | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Overstock and case packs sell through best; seasonal or dated stock still needs markdowns. | 85–100% default 92% | 45–65% default 55% | 15–30% | Not enough sales yet | |
Like new Open-box units with all packaging resell near the top of the range; missing parts drag it down. | 75–95% default 85% | 40–70% default 50% | No published range | Not enough sales yet | |
Customer returns Expect a defect rate. Electronics-heavy loads sit at the low end; apparel resells for far less per unit. | 55–80% default 70% | 30–50% default 40% | 8–15% | Not enough sales yet | |
Shelf pulls Usually complete and working, but may show shelf wear or be last season's stock. | 85–100% default 90% | 35–55% default 45% | 10–20% | Not enough sales yet | |
Salvage Parts and repair stock. Budget for disposal of what doesn't sell. | 20–60% default 40% | 10–30% default 20% | 1–4% | Not enough sales yet | |
Mixed A blend of grades: read the manifest and weight the presets by what's actually inside. | 55–85% default 70% | 30–50% default 40% | No published range | Not enough sales yet |
“Two Bro Sales median” is the median winning bid divided by seller-declared manifest retail, for confirmed sales of manifested lots in the last 365 days. It appears only once a condition has at least 10 such sales from at least 3 sellers, with no seller above 50% of them. Past results don’t guarantee what a lot will resell for.
By channel
| Channel | Fee in the calculator | As published | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay (most categories) | 13.6% + $0.40/order | 13.6% final value fee on sales up to $7,500 per item, plus $0.40 per order over $10 ($0.30 at $10 or less). Not modeled: The fee also applies to shipping and sales tax the buyer pays; some categories and promoted listings cost more. | |
| Facebook Marketplace, local pickup | None | No selling fee when the buyer pays you in person; the 10% selling fee applies to shipped checkout orders. Not modeled: Your time meeting buyers belongs in labor hours. | |
| Facebook Marketplace, shipped | 10% min $0.80/order | 10% per transaction with a $0.80 minimum, charged on the full amount including shipping and tax. Not modeled: Shipping and tax the buyer pays are not part of gross sales here. | |
| Whatnot (live selling) | 10.9% + $0.30/order | 8% commission on the sale price in most categories, plus 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing per order. Not modeled: Some categories pay a lower commission; processing is also charged on shipping and tax. | The page blocks automated fetching; figures read from Whatnot's help-center text in search results. |
| Store or flea register, card payments | 2.6% + $0.15/order | Square's in-person card rate: 2.6% + 15¢ per transaction. Not modeled: Cash sales cost nothing, so a cash-heavy register pays less. Rent goes in storage. | |
| Cash only (flea market booth) | None | No payment fee. Booth rent goes in storage. | No fee to cite |
| Direct to another reseller | None | No platform fee: you agree a price and the buyer collects. | No fee to cite |
| Relist on a Two Bro Sales storefront | 2% cap $500/lot | Seller fee 2% of the winning bid, capped at $500 per lot, with no listing fees. Founding sellers pay no seller fee for 90 days. Not modeled: Counts each pallet you resell as one lot. | Two Bro Sales fee schedule |
Cost defaults
- Bin store price: $5 a unit, about where a weekly ladder that starts at $12 and ends at $1 lands once most units sell late in the week (example ladder).
- Labor: $15 an hour; 10 minutes a unit online, 1.5 for a bin store and 0.5 wholesale.
- Pickup and storage: $50 plus $25 a pallet for pickup; $20 a pallet for a month of space.
- Profit goal: 30% on everything you put in, after paying for your labor.
All illustrative. Third-party names describe their published fees only; Two Bro Sales is not affiliated with them.
Assumptions and limits
The result is an estimate, not a guarantee of resale value. Use it to set a ceiling, then bid below it when the lot carries risks the numbers don’t show.
- Presets come from third-party sources, not Two Bro Sales sales data. Verify them against your own results.
- Manifest retail is the seller’s declared retail value of the items, not what they will resell for.
- Not modeled: sales tax you collect, income tax, shipping and packaging on online orders, returns from your own customers, payout holds on resale platforms, time to cash, and disposal of what doesn’t sell.
- Card or ACH processing is left out unless you add it, and only belongs in if your invoice passes it through to you.
- Claims: shortages on manifested lots can be claimed within 48 hours of pickup; shortfalls under 5% of manifest retail are not claimable, and the remedy is a pro-rata refund. Unmanifested (as-is) lots have no claim window. The calculator assumes no refund.
- Resale platforms change their fees. Check each one’s current fee page before you rely on a preset.
Max bid and ROI questions
How do I work out my max bid on a liquidation pallet?
Work backwards. Estimate gross sales (manifest retail × the share that sells × the price it sells for), take off channel fees, and divide by one plus your profit goal to get a budget. Subtract pickup, labor and storage; what is left must cover the bid and the buyer fee. On the example above that leaves room for a $480 bid.
What ROI should I aim for on a pallet?
There is no standard number. The goal has to cover what the calculator can't see: unsellable surprises, slow sales and price drops. The 30% default comes after paying yourself for labor, so it is a starting point, not a recommendation. Compare the profit per hour with what your time earns elsewhere.
How does the buyer fee change my max bid?
On a seller's house account (you joined through their invite link) there is no buyer fee. If the marketplace introduced you, the fee is 5% of the winning bid, capped at $500, so below a $10,000 bid every dollar you bid costs $1.05.
Why does the calculator round my max bid down?
Bids move in steps that depend on the price: under $100: $5 · $100 to $499.99: $10 · $500 to $999.99: $25 · $1,000 to $4,999.99: $50 · $5,000 to $9,999.99: $100 · $10,000+: $250. Rounding down to that step gives a clean proxy maximum that never goes over your budget.
What sell-through and resale percentages should I use?
Start with the condition preset, then adjust for what the manifest shows: brand mix, category, and how many lines are vague or assorted. Your own sales history beats any published range, so replace the presets once you have it.
Is manifest retail what the lot is worth?
No. It is the seller-declared retail price of the items when new. Resale value is a fraction of it, which is why the calculator multiplies it by sell-through and a resale percentage before anything else.
Does the calculator include card or ACH processing?
Not by default. If your invoice passes card or ACH processing through to you, add the rate under More fee inputs and it is applied to the bid plus the buyer fee.
Keep going
- How to calculate pallet profitEach step of the formula, with worked examples for all three ways to resell.
- Are liquidation pallets worth it?Where profit leaks out: unsellables, fees, labor, storage and time to cash.
- Browse live auctionsFind a lot, then run its numbers here before you set a maximum.
- All toolsThe seller fee calculator and the rest of the toolkit.
Found a lot worth the numbers?
Set your max bid as a proxy maximum. The system bids only what it needs to, and your maximum is never shown.
Business buyers only: resale certificate (Georgia Form ST-5 or your state’s equivalent) required.