Sell surplus production: few articles, real depth, never in the market
Surplus production is not the result of a mistake but of the arithmetic. Minimum runs, committed materials and setup times mean a series comes out larger than the confirmed demand, and the overrun then stands in the factory warehouse. What makes it different from a retail lot is that these goods have never been in the market: new, single-article, and usually in closed size runs. That is exactly what makes them valuable and their sale delicate, because a clean single-article lot is instantly attributable.
- A mutual NDA before you send the first stock list
- The purchase contract forbids us to resell into your home market
- One firm price for the whole lot, with no picking of articles or sizes
- Payment in full before loading, lots from 1,000 units, collection arranged by us
Why a factory overrun sits differently from a retail lot
A retail lot has grown over time: several seasons, many articles, broken size runs, packaging that shows the handling. A factory overrun is the opposite. Few articles, real depth, closed runs, goods that have not been touched since production.
For valuation that is the better case, because depth is the strongest single factor. For discretion it is the harder one: a single-article lot with a closed run gives away its origin faster than a mixed collection, because at that volume only a few houses produce at all.
The situations an overrun comes out of
The causes differ, but the goods behave alike: new, single-article, in depth. Name the situation in the first conversation. It does not change the terms, but it does change the order of the steps.
- A minimum order quantity in production above the confirmed demand
- Committed materials: the fabric or upper was bought anyway, so the run went through
- Call-offs under a framework agreement that were not taken in full
- Pre-production for a season that ran differently from plan
- A change of range or collection while the series was already running
Own brand or someone else's marking
With a factory overrun the decisive question is not condition but whose mark is on the goods. If the lot carries your own brand, the resale question concerns your own price positioning. If it carries a customer's marking, that customer's contractual position comes on top.
So before the stock list we record in writing which marking is involved, and the purchase contract forbids us to resell into your home market. If a supply or licence agreement imposes further restrictions, name them before the offer; if a lot does not fit them, we decline and say why. Reviewing your own agreements stays with you.
The lot stays together
With a series in depth the temptation is to buy out only the core sizes. That leaves you standing with precisely the remainder that is harder to move afterwards, and turns one transaction into two problems.
We assess the lot as the stock list describes it and name a firm price for the whole. No picking of individual articles, no picking of individual sizes. How a lot is read in detail, from depth to packaging, is set out on the pricing page; for textiles carrying an emblem there is a page of its own.
What the next few days look like
Enquiry and reply
Category and brand segment, the approximate volume from 1,000 units, and whether this is your own brand or contract manufacturing. A buyer replies within one working day.
NDA and marking
A mutual NDA, on your template if you prefer. In the same step we record in writing which marking the lot carries, and the purchase contract forbids us to resell into your home market.
Firm price
Within 48 hours of the complete stock list there is a firm price for the whole lot. It applies to the lot as a whole and is named in the conversation.
Payment, then collection
The full purchase price arrives by bank transfer before the goods are loaded. Collection from the factory or the warehouse is arranged by us.
Place the overrun before the next series is standing
For the first reply, category and brand segment, the approximate volume from 1,000 units, and whether this is your own brand or contract manufacturing are enough. A buyer replies within one working day, and the NDA sits before the first stock list.
Three facts are enough: category and brand segment, approximate volume from 1,000 units, and whether you want to talk about selling.
Received. Your offer is being prepared.
A buyer comes back to you within one business day, with a firm offer within 48 hours. Everything is handled under NDA.
Common questions
The goods carry our customer's brand. Can you take them at all?
That depends on your own agreements and is settled before the offer, not after it. We record in writing which marking is involved, and the purchase contract forbids us to resell into your home market. If a supply or licence agreement restricts resale further, we reflect that or we decline. What we will not do is alter the goods to sidestep the question.
The series is single-article and in depth. Is that an advantage or a problem?
For valuation an advantage, because depth is the strongest single factor and a closed size run can travel on in one piece. For confidentiality it is more demanding, because a clean lot of that size is quickly attributed in the market. That is exactly why the list goes to one buyer rather than out for price checks.
Part of the series is still in official distribution. Does that work?
An overrun does not consist only of run-out articles, and that is precisely why resale is settled before we see your list: the purchase contract forbids us to resell into your home market. Which articles we can value and which we cannot is settled in the conversation, before the question arises whether a list should have gone out at all.
Do you take seconds from production?
No. We take first quality, new and in original packaging. Goods with material faults, rejects and development samples we do not buy. The reason is the same as everywhere else: a firm price before inspection assumes the stock list describes the lot reliably, and with seconds the condition can no longer be described unambiguously.
Do you collect from the factory, or do we have to deliver to a warehouse?
Collection happens where the goods stand, whether that is the factory warehouse, an external logistics provider or an interim store. We instruct the carrier and agree the window with your scheduling team. Loading follows payment; your team does not have to gather freight quotes for it.