Question 1

Who are your current Bidders/Buyers?

Accepted Answer

Our buyer community is an exclusive circle, consisting of thousands of registered and vetted professionals. These buyers span various sales channels, from established brick-and-mortar stores to online marketplaces and export operations. They're not just casual shoppers; they're seasoned businesses looking for quality merchandise to fuel their growth.

Question 2

How Do I Apply to be a Buyer?

Accepted Answer

Embarking on your journey to join our esteemed circle of buyers begins with our detailed Buyer Application Form available on our website. This process is crucial in maintaining the high standards and integrity of our auctions, ensuring we onboard buyers who align with our values and operational ethics. Visit our Apply as Buyer page to get started.

Question 3

Do I Need a Business and Resale License?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. As a Licensed Wholesaler, FR8Auctions requires that anyone attending or participating in our auctions hold a valid Business License AND a Resale Tax Exempt Certificate. These documents are essential and must be included with your application. This requirement ensures that all transactions within our auctions meet legal and professional standards.

Question 4

What if I've Been Denied?

Accepted Answer

A denied application isn't necessarily the end of the road. If you find that your application has been denied, we encourage a period of reflection and business development. Typically, we advise waiting at least 12 months before reapplying, which allows you to align more closely with our criteria in the future.

Question 5

What if I've been Waitlisted?

Accepted Answer

Being on the waitlist indicates that your application is under thorough review. Our meticulous process ensures that each potential buyer aligns well with the ethos and standards of our auctions. We appreciate your patience as we take the necessary time for this important decision-making process.

Question 6

How Long Does the Application Process Take?

Accepted Answer

The application review can span anywhere from a few weeks to 6-12 months. This timeframe ensures we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of each potential buyer, ensuring only the best fit for our auction environment.

Question 7

Will Contacting Additional People Within Your Company Speed Up the Process?

Accepted Answer

Our review process is systematic and consistent for all applicants, and thus, reaching out to additional team members will not expedite your application. Our commitment to fairness means every application is given the attention it deserves.

Question 8

Can I Show Up and Bid Without Applying First?

Accepted Answer

No, our auctions are a privilege reserved for those who have successfully completed our application and orientation process. This exclusivity ensures a professional and competitive auction environment.

Question 9

Can I Tour the Auction Before/Without Applying to Become a Bidder/Buyer? Can I Bring Friends or Family with Me?

Accepted Answer

Physical access to our auction floor is exclusive to approved buyers and authorized representatives. However, potential bidders, friends and family can view our auction lots online during designated viewing days, offering a glimpse into the quality and variety we offer.

Question 10

Can I Give Your Employees Gifts or Tokens of Appreciation?

Accepted Answer

To ensure impartiality and maintain ethical standards, our employees are strictly prohibited from accepting gifts from buyers. This policy is integral to maintaining a fair and transparent auction process.

Question 11

Can I Sell Merchandise to Your Employees?

Accepted Answer

To avoid conflicts of interest, direct transactions between buyers and our employees are not permitted. This ensures that all interactions within our auctions are conducted with utmost professionalism and integrity.

Question 12

Do You Have a Firearms Policy?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do. FR8Auctions has a strict "No Firearms or Weapons" policy on all our properties. While we respect the legal right to bear arms, we exercise our commercial right to ensure a safe and secure environment for all conducting business on our premises. Non-compliance with this policy will result in being asked to leave. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in maintaining a safe space for all our buyers and employees.

Question 13

What Types of Payment Do You Take?

Accepted Answer

At FR8Auctions, we accept Cash, Debit Cards, Wire Transfers, and Credit Cards as forms of payment. Please note that American Express, personal checks and cryptocurrencies are not accepted. Additionally, credit card transactions incur a 3% transaction fee. This policy is in place to facilitate straightforward and secure transactions for every auction.

Question 14

Who Sets the Prices for the Merchandise You Auction?

Accepted Answer

The prices of auctioned merchandise are determined by our sophisticated buyers, who bid based on their individual business models and market research. This approach ensures that each piece of merchandise achieves its true market value.

Question 15

What Do I Need to Do Once I've Been Approved as a Buyer?

Accepted Answer

Once approved, you'll be required to complete our New Buyer Orientation process in person. After successful completion, you'll be eligible to participate in our auctions, often on the same day.

Question 16

How Often Do You Host Auctions, and What is the Size of Your Auctions?

Accepted Answer

We conduct auctions bi-weekly. Each auction typically features 1,200 to 1,500 lots, translating to 4,000 to 6,000 pallets of diverse merchandise. This scale offers a wide array of opportunities for our buyers.

Question 17

What is the Format of Your Auction?

Accepted Answer

Our auctions operate on a sealed high bid format. This method not only ensures confidentiality and fair competition but also effectively reduces and discourages bid rigging. It curbs emotional overbidding, encouraging bids based on thorough research and well-grounded business models.

Question 18

How Has the Sealed High Bid Format Impacted Your Buyers?

Accepted Answer

Our sealed high bid process has revolutionized buyer behavior, eliminating the emotional bidding often seen in live auctions. This format has led to more calculated, informed bidding, enhancing profitability and business growth among our buyer community.

Question 19

Why Do Buyers Prefer Your Auctions?

Accepted Answer

Buyers prefer our auctions for their transparency, the integrity of our pallets, and the effort we invest in presenting merchandise. This meticulous presentation reduces their assessment time and often helps them visualize potential marketing strategies for their customers.

Question 20

When Are You Open?

Accepted Answer

Our auction schedule is tailored for sealed bid e-auctions. Approved buyers/bidders are welcome to visit, inspect the pallets, and leave bids on Monday from 12pm-5pm, Tuesday from 9am-5pm, and Wednesday from 9am-12pm during the current auction week. Approved Bidders should keep an eye on their registered email addresses for any updates or changes to our schedule, especially around holidays, to ensure you're always informed. We adamantly encourage any Registered Bidders who plan to submit a significant number of bids to kindly arrive early enough to submit their bids at least an hour before closing time.

Question 21

Do Any of Your Lots Have a Reserve Price?

Accepted Answer

In our auctions, lots generally do not have reserve prices, allowing the market to freely determine the value of each piece. This approach, paired with our sophisticated buyer base, often results in better sustained returns for our Buyers that surpass traditional liquidation channels.

Question 22

I'm Interested in Becoming a Buyer!

Accepted Answer

Wonderful! To start your journey with us, please fill out our New Buyer Application Form available on our website. We look forward to potentially welcoming you into our exclusive community of professional buyers.

Question 23

Who are your current Partners?

Accepted Answer

We'd love to tell you who they are, but we maintain discretion and do not publicize our Partners' names. This gives our Partners the confidence that they can supply large quantities of merchandise with minimal impact to their market value or conflicts with their vendors. Our primary partners are big-box stores and large freight companies. However, we partner with all size retailers and freight companies with varied volume requirements.

Question 24

Who are your current Bidders / Buyers?

Accepted Answer

We have thousands of registered buyers that have completed and been approved through our application process. We are very selective and do not accept all buyers who apply. Our application process helps to protect the market value of your merchandise. The majority of our buyers are sophisticated buyers with various sales channels from brick and mortar stores, internet stores, to export businesses. These are businesses, not side hustles.

Question 25

Why should I work with your auction?

Accepted Answer

Collaborating with us ensures that our interests are aligned. Unlike the traditional liquidation model where your buyers realize more profit when they drive your price down, with us, the higher the final auction price, the better for both parties. Our dedicated team works to ensure that each piece of merchandise achieves its maximum return potential by sorting, palletizing, and displaying your merchandise in a way that our buyers appreciate and helps them accurately gauge the market value of the merchandise prior to bidding.

Question 26

Who sets the prices for the merchandise you auction?

Accepted Answer

Quite simply, our winning bidders set the price of the merchandise we auction. We have sophisticated bidders who spend time researching the merchandise in our auctions as well as the advertised prices throughout the various possible channels for selling the merchandise.

Question 27

What do I need to do once I've been approved to work with you as a Partner?

Accepted Answer

Once you are an approved Partner (Consigner), we will work together to coordinate your future shipments. That's it! All you need to do is ship your merchandise to us. We handle everything from there — no need for you to organize or sort anything. We do all the groundwork and handle all of the labor required to maximize your returns.

Question 28

How often do you host auctions, and when will my merchandise be auctioned?

Accepted Answer

We conduct auctions every two weeks. Typically, merchandise is auctioned within two cycles after receipt and preparation. Special loads will be handled on a case by case basis after consulting with you.

Question 29

How big are your auctions?

Accepted Answer

Our auctions typically showcase 1,200 to 1,500 lots, which translates to 4,000 to 6,000 pallets of merchandise. Lots can range from one pallet to 26 pallets or even more than truckload.

Question 30

What is the format of your auction?

Accepted Answer

We utilize a sealed high bid auction format. This ensures that buyers submit their highest and best offers, as they're only allowed one bid per lot. More importantly, our sealed high bid format ensures confidentiality and fair competition while also encouraging a true valuation of the market value of your merchandise. As a result, our buyers have become stronger and better businesses that continue to expand and grow while in turn helping grow our business and generate better returns for you. That's a true win-win-win partnership!

Question 31

How has the sealed high bid format impacted your buyers?

Accepted Answer

This process has improved many buyers' business practices. Our sealed high bid format has eliminated the emotional bidding of live auctions that has led to bad business decisions. They now calculate costs, potential profit margins, shipping, and much more before placing their best bid, curbing emotional bidding and enhancing consistent profitability. As a result, many of our buyers are now purchasing much more than they did during our prior live auction format.

Question 32

Why do buyers prefer your auctions?

Accepted Answer

Buyers trust the integrity of our pallets. We often hear from our buyers that they trust the quality and makeup of our pallets. We ensure transparency — there are no hidden elements or surprises. The quality visible outside our pallets reflects the merchandise inside. Our buyers also appreciate the amount of labor we put into creating beautiful pallets of merchandise. Doing so allows them to reduce their labor costs and sometimes helps them better visualize how to display or market the merchandise to their customers.

Question 33

Can I set a minimum price for my merchandise?

Accepted Answer

We don't set minimum prices on our auction lots. This approach has been advantageous for our partners, often yielding returns exceeding those from traditional liquidators. Quite simply, our winning bidders set the price of the merchandise we auction. We have sophisticated bidders who spend time researching the merchandise in our auctions as well as the advertised prices throughout the various possible channels for selling the merchandise. One of the many benefits of a sealed high bid format is that our buyers are not influenced by who may or may not be bidding on merchandise they would like to bid on. Instead, they bid based on their honest valuation of the merchandise within their respective business models.

Question 34

How does the merchandise submission process work?

Accepted Answer

Partners send us pallets, gaylord boxes or truckloads of merchandise. After receipt, we process, repalletize, and prepare these for auction. We palletize your merchandise to best display your merchandise and bring the highest return from our bidders.

Question 35

Are there any storage fees?

Accepted Answer

No, we don't charge storage fees for merchandise awaiting auction. However, we do expect that you will communicate with us regarding what merchandise you intend to send and when your merchandise will be delivered until we have developed a regular cadence that we are both happy with.

Question 36

What happens if my merchandise doesn't sell?

Accepted Answer

It's exceptionally rare for merchandise not to sell. In fact, unsold lots have been a rarity since we moved to our sealed high bid format.

Question 37

I'm interested in becoming a Partner or need more information?

Accepted Answer

Please visit our Become a Seller page to fill out our Partner Interest Form or to reach out to our team for further details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bidders (Buyers) FAQ

Partners (Sellers) FAQ

Still have questions?