Bargains by the truckload: Liquidation.com

If you're a veteran eBay buyer/seller curious about where people who claim to make a killing in that market get their goods, you should be aware of sites such as liquidation.com. This site does for wholesale what eBay does for retail; arranges auctions of electronics, clothing, jewelry, tools, almost anything imaginable. The difference is that liquidation.com auctions sell in bulk lots.

For example, today's specials include a lot of 30 refurbished iPods (current bid:$1,650), a truck full of miscellaneous returned goods from a big box store (8,800 items, current bid $9,500), a truckload of chandeliers ($6,000), 200 Fossil watches currently bid to $8.04 apiece, and six Stanley Garage Workshop Drawer Tool Cabinets for $326.

Before you whip out your credit card, however, you should consider the risk. Although Liquidation.com has an established dispute resolution process, it doesn't stop sellers from misrepresenting their products, resulting in headaches for the buyer. Also, you should be prepared to receive bulk shipping; nothing frustrates a semi driver more than to pull up to a building without a loading dock.

If these cautions don't dissuade you, check it out. I could use a good drawer toolbox, although I'm not sure what I'd do with the other five.