To prepare an end-of-season apparel lot for a direct buyer, agree which stock your brand can release, separate inventory reserved for other channels, and connect the stock list to an internal approver and warehouse contact. A large quantity on a report is not necessarily the quantity available for sale.
This guide is for merchandising, inventory, ecommerce and warehouse teams preparing their own company’s stock. It covers the release decision; our apparel stocklot preparation guide covers the style, size and condition details in the manifest.
Separate surplus candidates from approved stock
Start with a dated inventory snapshot. Mark which lines are proposed for bulk sale and which are still needed for retail replenishment, online orders, replacements or another internal purpose. Use your company’s actual allocation rules.
A useful release list distinguishes three states:
- Proposed: the team is considering the stock for sale, but the decision is pending.
- Approved: the responsible person has agreed that the identified quantity can be offered.
- Held back: the stock remains reserved, disputed or otherwise unavailable for this lot.
Those labels are a suggested working format, not a requirement to change your inventory system. Their purpose is to keep an enquiry from implying that every unit in a warehouse report is available.
Give each decision a named owner
Agree who will confirm the commercial release, who will maintain the stock list and who will check physical availability. One person may cover several responsibilities in a smaller brand.
For a larger team, the merchandising or category contact can explain the range decision, while the warehouse contact confirms counts and location. The person authorised to agree the sale should be included before commitments are made. A warehouse contact can begin the enquiry even if that approval is still pending.
Keep one current version of the release list. Include the date, responsible team and a short change note when quantities change after the buyer has seen it.
Reconcile the offered quantity
Here is a hypothetical planning example, not an SR Infotech transaction:
A brand’s report shows 1,200 garments in an end-of-season range. The team reserves 180 for existing channels and sets aside 40 whose availability needs checking. That leaves 980 proposed units, subject to internal approval and count confirmation.
The enquiry should explain those 980 units. Sending the original 1,200-unit report without the exclusions would give the buyer a different picture of the lot.
Next, break the proposed quantity down by style, size, colour and known condition. Separate fresh surplus from returns, and label estimates where a physical count has not been completed. A missing tag and a garment defect should remain separate descriptions.
Identify restrictions before discussing the sale
Ask the relevant colleague whether the stock has brand, territory, resale-channel or labelling requirements. Record the requirements for discussion with the prospective buyer rather than assuming they are covered by a general website statement.
Keep confidential range plans, internal pricing and unrelated customer records out of the public enquiry. Begin with a concise overview and agree how to share the detailed manifest.
Coordinate the warehouse handover
For each location, identify the warehouse contact, the stock reference and the count basis. State whether the lot is already separated or remains mixed with active inventory. If consolidation is planned, distinguish the present location from the intended pickup location.
Before release, reconcile the agreed list with the available cartons and record any changes for discussion. Collection timing, access and loading arrangements need to be agreed for the actual site; they should not be assumed from a general pan-India pickup statement.
What to include in your first enquiry
Introduce the brand or retail business that owns the goods and your role. Share the apparel type, approximate quantity, known condition, warehouse locations and whether approval is complete or pending. Mention that a size breakdown or manifest is available if you have one.
SR Infotech buys surplus apparel directly from brands and retailers, with its own pickup logistics across India. We discuss acceptance and collection for the specific lot. See how we work with brand teams for the people and information to involve.
Preparing your company’s end-of-season release? Discuss your apparel inventory.
