Resale Rules for School Reopening (and Beyond)

For many parents, this is the most exciting time of the year. Back-to-school season! As students of all ages return to the classroom, families across the country are looking for discounts on clothing and school supplies that balance quality with affordability.

According to NRF:

• K-12 shoppers are budgeting an average of $309.35 on electronics ($13.7 billion total), $253.29 on clothing and accessories ($11.2 billion total), $141.62 on school supplies ($6.3 billion total), and $170.43 on shoes ($7.6 billion total).
• College students and their families are expected to spend an average of $1,364.75 this coming school year, matching last year’s record of $1,366.95. Total college enrollment spending is expected to reach $86.6 billion, the second-highest figure in the survey’s history. Last year’s total spending was expected to hit a record $94 billion.
• As in previous years, the most popular destinations for school supply shopping are online (57%), department stores (50%), discount stores (47%), clothing stores (42%), and electronics stores (23%).

Despite slowing inflation, the survey found that 40% of school supply shoppers said they would consider buying used clothing this year, while 71% of school supply shoppers and 67% of college supply shoppers said it was important to purchase items that were sustainable or environmentally friendly.

With all sorts of great resale items from lunch boxes to laptops hitting the shelves at bargain prices on the secondary market, many people are turning to discount stores that sell gently used or returned items. These stores help ease the financial burden of school supply shopping while also helping students stay well-prepared and well-dressed!

Brands and retailers also benefit

The thriving secondary market also presents opportunities for retailers and brands that might otherwise struggle with returns or excess inventory once classes resume. The influx of students and parents shopping for school supplies is a well-known phenomenon, but the aftermath of the rush is equally important to consider. The surge in returns, exchanges, and excess inventory that occurs after this period will have repercussions, and retailers and manufacturers will need to anticipate, strategize, and manage to minimize disruption to normal operations.

Many retailers and brands are starting to leverage B2B recommerce platforms to handle returns and excess merchandise across all school supply categories. The benefits of this approach are threefold.

• Original brands and retailers can recoup some of the hidden value in unsold merchandise.
• Small business owners stock their shelves with high-quality, brand-name products.
• Budget-conscious consumers can purchase these products at reasonable prices.

As the circular economy provides both supply and demand for goods once owned, it is worth looking at the distribution markets where brands can sell their slow-moving inventory and the online B2B recommerce solutions that can leverage it.

Solutions for Disposing of Surplus School Supplies

B-Stock is the world’s largest online B2B marketplace for returns and excess merchandise, specializing in connecting major manufacturers and retailers directly with trusted secondary market buyers around the world, making it the ideal partner to help you deal with unsold school supplies and other slow-moving seasonal inventory. Here’s why:

B-Stock’s Spot Sales solution, our classic auction-based reselling model, allows many buyers to compete for your product in real time, bringing you the highest price the market can offer. Plus, anyone from major local discounters to sideline entrepreneurs can join B-Stock as a buyer, so you’re more likely to operate closer to the end consumer than if you were selling to a long chain of brokers and wholesalers where everyone gets a cut.

In addition to strong recovery rates, B-Stock can greatly improve the reliability of inventory reductions through its large pool of buyers. Over the years, we have built a global network of over 500,000 buyers who are looking to secure inventory in all categories, quantities, and conditions. When one buyer drops out, there is always another buyer to take their place, and consolidating all buyers on one platform means smoother communication and better buyer relationships.

High prices and stable recovery are certainly important, but perhaps high inventory turnover is your biggest concern. If so, you may be interested in: Other solutions from B-Stock: We also offer contract sales for those looking to move large amounts of recurring surplus inventory at predictable, pre-negotiated prices, and we can also broker direct sales by finding relevant buyers to move irregular or one-off items as quickly as possible.

Finally, B-Stock’s focus on data and advanced analytics is unmatched in the recommerce space. Our platform records virtually every data point of every sale made on your marketplace, helping you not only support your accounting and compliance efforts, but also optimize your recommerce program. With immediate access to your own store’s performance, nearly 20 years of historical marketplace data, and cutting-edge machine learning models and AI algorithms, B-Stock’s experts can accurately forecast sales and provide advice on proven, number-based reselling practices.

Are you ready to get started with B-Stock?

Whether the school year or the fiscal year is your thing, there’s no doubt that September will bring a flurry of school supplies purchases and returns. And with B-Stock on your side, that surplus doesn’t have to be a headache anymore. If you’re looking for recovery, speed, and predictability (or a combination of the two), Explore our site To learn more about how we can help, visit: To get a taste of powerful data at your fingertips, visit: Self-Service Recovery Insights Page Check out how many relevant buyers we have in your area, or get in touch if you’d like to chat with a team member. Schedule a live demo today.