Via Trading Corporation deals mostly with department store merchandise.
We have direct contracts with most major department stores and can supply our customers with one of the widest assortments of items on the market.
Our large volumes of purchasing and sales allow us to benefit from significant savings which we then pass on to our customers with very low priced merchandise.
We aim to build long-term relationships with customers and are not interested in one-shot deals.
We are able to ship at very competitive rates nationwide and can also export throughout the world. We can take care of all the logistical issues, whether shipping 20 miles or 10,000 miles away. We are members of IMASD (International Marketing Association of Surplus Dealers)and are also very proud member of The Better Business Bureau.
We aim to please all customers, whatever their size and we hope that you will always find us honest and sincere to deal with. We pride ourselves in our quick and efficient customer service. Emails are always answered promptly and efficiently and you will always hear a human voice whenever you call during our business hours.
Most department stores or large stores have 'programs' which help them liquidate their 'salvage' goods. Such programs are commonly called 'Salvage Program', 'Liquidation Program', 'Asset Recovery', 'Reverse Supply Chain Management' etc. Basically all department stores will 'salvage' items which they choose to no longer sell in their stores.
These goods will include customer returns, shelf-pulls, mark-down items, out-of-season, discontinued items, in-store display items, overstocks etc.
Below are brief answers to frequently asked questions which we update on a regular basis. We would very much appreciate any feedback you may have in regards to our website, its contents or ways to improve it - feedback@viatrading.com
Contact Information Address: 2750 South Alameda St., Vernon, CA, 90058 Tel: 1-323-232-1616 Toll Free 1-877-202-3616 Fax Free 1-877-677-5975 Int'l Phone: +323 232 1616Int'l Fax: +323 232 1717 Email: sales@viatrading.com Opening Hours Mon - Friday: 7am - 7pm PT; Saturday: 10am - 5pm; Sunday 10am - 2pm
Typically Customer Return Pallets/Loads are made up of a variety of products which a retail or major department store has decided to sell off in bulk at a much reduced price or items which it can no longer sell at their regular retail price - some of the reasons are that these items were or have:
(i) In Store display items
(ii) Out of box items
(iii) Items with damaged exterior packaging
(iv) Returned to the store by a customer and the store can not or does not want to re-shelf it.
(v) Cosmetic blemishes or slight defects
(vi) Missing minor or major components (such as either a remote control, manual, a cover, cables etc.)
(vii) Defective when returned by customer
(viii) One or more of the items features do not work
(ix) Overstocks
(x) Out of season items
Most of our pallets will be made up of customer return items though we have several Listings of only New or only Overstock Items. You can search for items listed as New/Overstock by clicking on the corresponding category on the left navigation menu.
Most transactions made in this kind of industry are made 'blind' (i.e. a manifested list of exactly what the pallet and/or truckload contains is not provided).
Certain department stores often do provide a manifest when we purchasing truckloads from them but more often then not, manifests are not available, or are only available with the truck once we receive it.
When it comes to Pallet sales, the very large majority of pallets do not have a manifest and the only way we can provide one is by individually going through the pallet and manifesting each item inside - whence ourselves, and others in this industry do not and cannot provide exact manifests.
Alternatively, we do provide approximate piece counts and value of each pallet when this information is available to us.
We do also provide pictures of current or past loads and descriptions for each pallet/load that we offer.
Depending on the type of Pallet/listing - the average value and piece count is taken by dividing the total piece count and value of the truckload we purchased and then dividing it by the number of pallets. E.g. If we purchase a Hardware Load of say 10 pallets - we know that the total wholesale value of the load is $20,000 and the total piece count in the load is say 3,000pcs - if we divide that by the number of pallets - in this example 10 pallets, then we determine that the average piece count is 300pcs per pallet and the average wholesale value is say $2,000 per pallet.
The piece count is pretty clear cut - but in order for us to express an average Retail value, and then depending on the type of items (e.g. Electronics have a smaller Mark-up from wholesale to Retail and clothes have the largest Mark-up) we would "Mark-Up" the wholesale value as best and accurately as we can in order to express the average Retail Value of the pallet - in this case $2,000 wholesale value would be expressed say as between $3,000 to $4,000 Retail Value.
Please note - this is not an exact science - and also assumes that each pallet in the load has more or less the same value and piece count - which is generally but not always the case.
Depending on the Pallet, the type of products and on the department store this percentage varies a lot.
For example, typically speaking - a clothes load has very little defective items. Most items would have just been returned to the store and the store would just sell them in bulk very cheap as part of a "Returned" load because they do not wish to repack it, re-tag it, clean it if necessary etc. Underwear and socks loads are usually always brand new since most stores do not allow the return of socks and/or underwear from customers.
Also, some department stores have more elaborate Repair & Service Centers then others. Products from stores which have comprehensive Repair & Service centers tend to have a higher defective rate. Generally speaking electronic items have a higher defective rate - whilst non-electronic items such as toys, cookware, cutlery, accessories, domestics etc. tend to have much lower defective rates (e.g. a set of 50 pcs of cutlery set may be in a return load simply because one of the pcs has broken.)
The generally recognized industry average used when trying to estimate working % is as follows: 65%-75% working, 20% Repairable, remainder scrap/spare parts/throwaway etc. Ofcourse no individual load or pallet will have that exact breakdown, but generally speaking the latter percentages are fairly accurate to describe the average expected condition.
Please note - exact working % of any particular pallet/load is unknown - and all items are always untested.
In the long term and looking at several purchases most people in this industry would agree that the payoffs and money returns are generally very good and that the long-term risk is generally minimal.
However when looking at any single purchase - YES - there is a definite risk in purchasing such types of items - and all items are sold AS-IS regardless of anyone's best intentions to advertise each load as accurately as possible.
All persons contemplating purchasing such items must be aware and prepared of the risk. Like most businesses in life - the higher the risks - the Higher the potential returns.
No.
Purchasing department store returns is not for everyone. This is not a 'get rich quick & easily' scheme. The payoffs are high for those prepared to work hard and put effort in their purchases in order to create the highest possible return on investment. This is a 'get-rich consistently with hard work & creativity scheme'.
If you are not prepared to test items do not purchase.
If you are not prepared to repair items - do not purchase.
If you only want to deal with 100% retail ready items do not purchase.
If you are not prepared to expect a percentage of items to be out of box, defective, cosmetically blemished etc. do not purchase.
If you are prepared to test, fix, clean, cannibalize, be creative in sales, open new sales channels in order to get the most revenue back when needed - then do purchase. Purchasing returns is not for everyone - and it generally involves more work and resources then purchasing brand new items.
Please do not get this wrong - after all we do not want to discourage you - this is a profitable business for the large majority - and the industry as a whole is approximately $100 Billion in size.
Thousands of people on a daily basis buy and sell such items - many take it up part-time or full-time and profit very well from this. Bottom line is: if prepared to put in a fair share of work and effort - then this could be very profitable for you.
We welcome people to come in and visit our premises. You are free to visually select your pallet before you purchase it.
No - you may come visit us at anytime during our working hours. If you are coming to purchase a particular listing you may call ahead just to ensure that we have it physically in stock on that particular day.
If we cannot ship the particular load using UPS or UPS Hundred Weight, we will ship the whole pallet. Your pallet should arrive to you completely covered with black shrink wrap. We always take care to pack as safely and efficiently as possible.
We are able to offer you very competitive shipping quotes to any destination nationwide.
Depending on the "load" which you purchase, there is sometimes the option to reduce shipping costs, and "break down" the pallet into 2,3,4 or 5 large cartons which we will then ship using UPS or UPS Hundred Weight. This can sometimes reduce shipping costs especially when shipping to a residential address - though only some of our pallets can be shipped in this way.
Though Via Trading will arrange shipping for you - all claims should be made directly with the carrier. We are not responsible for freight rates, lost, delayed or merchandise damage due to shipping. All shipping quotes are given with no insurance unless specifically requested by the customer.
You are also free to arrange your own delivery, or point us out to companies that you have worked with before and who you would like to arrange delivery for you.
A manned forklift is available to help load the pallets at no charge.
Shipping cost depend on the following:
(i) What type of pallet/listing you are purchasing
(ii) How many pallets/listing you are purchasing
(iii) Where we are delivering i.e. to a business or a residential address and whether you need a lift-gate or not (see question below for more info on lift-gate)
Typically speaking lift-gate charges are more or less fixed at $35 and delivery to a residence is fixed at $45. Customers who do not have a business where we can deliver the pallet to can save the residential charge by opting to pick-up the pallets at their nearest terminal. Some listings e.g. watches, costume jewelry, clothing etc. can be shipped by UPS making the type of location we are delivering to irrelevant.
Generally speaking, the cost to ship one pallet ranges from $90 - $200 and varies according to weight and contents of the pallet. Shipping subsequent pallets is considerably cheaper - especially if shipping to a residence. Truckload shipping is calculated based on mileage and usually ranges between $1.00/mile to $2.00/mile with a minimum charge of $350.
Please provide us with the following information:
(i) Zip Code
(ii) Whether you have a business or residential delivery address.
(iii) Whether you require a truck with a lift-gate (for lowering the pallets to the ground) - (NB: usually if purchasing one or two pallets, and if the products on the pallets are not too heavy, it is feasible not to request a truck with a lift-gate and to manually unload the pallet by hand.
(iv) The number and type of pallets you would like to receive a shipping quote for.
Please note: all shipping quotes sent out are only quotes, and are to be confirmed once order is placed.
Most orders, unless otherwise specified, are shipped within 24 to 48 hours of payment. Most orders will reach their destination within 1 to 5 working days of being picked up from our warehouse.
If you are in California and have a Reseller's Permit (not required for purchase), we will email you the link to a form which you will need to fill-out, sign and fax back to us along with your Resellers Certificate (first time only). A Reseller's Permit allows you to purchase merchandise from us without paying the 8.25% California Sales Tax at the time of purchase.
If you are a resident of California and do not have a re-seller's certificate, you can still purchase merchandise but you will be charged the standard 8.25% California Sales Tax on your order.
If you'd like to obtain a Reseller's Permit, please visit www.boe.ca.gov for more info on obtaining one.
The only other form you will be required to fill out is our Conditions of Purchase document, which will be sent to you by email along with your invoice after you place your first order with us. This document outlines our conditions of sale and will require your signature and approval before we take payment on your order.
Customers can pay via Check*, Money Order, Bank Deposit, Wire Transfer, Western Union, Pay Pal** and major credit card***.
*Check must clear before we release the goods
**We only accept Paypal if you have a confirmed address which is the same as your delivery address.
***The first time you pay with a credit card you will need to Fax us a front and back copy of the credit card aswell as a copy of ID. You will also have to fax us a signed Template Credit Card Authorization form as well as signed copy of the invoice which we will provide. We will only ship directly to the Credit Card holder.
Truckload orders and orders over a certain amount can not be paid using Pay Pal and/or Credit Cards.
All goods are sold "AS IS" and all Sales are final. There is no guarantee or warranty, express or implied and without limitations, of merchandise fitness or marketability.
No Exchanges, Refunds or Credits.
Having said that, we do our best to manifest as accurately as possible our pallets, or explain as accurately as possible what, to the best of our knowledge and beliefs is included in each load/pallet. If for example you purchased an electronics load, and you received clothing, then of course we will fully compensate you for this.
If for any reason, you are unsatisfied with a purchase from us, contact us within 48 hours of receiving your order and we will do our best to make you satisfied.
This is not a 100% accurate and "straight-forward" business, and we do our best to be as descriptive as possible with the information available to us, however, we would be lying if we said mistakes don't happen - they do - so please get in touch with us if you are in any doubt about anything, before or after you receive your order.
Please keep in mind that we are in this for the long haul, and maintaining a high number of loyal customers is our goal - if you cannot make money with our products then you will not re-order from us. Our objective is to make our loads as profitable as possible to you so that you may keep coming back for more.
