Sell leftover seasonal and holiday inventory

Three seasons, three calendars

We make offers across the three big seasonal programs:

• Christmas and winter holidays: artificial trees, lights, ornaments, wreaths and garland, gift wrap and bags, inflatables, stockings, holiday decor and tableware
• Halloween and autumn: costumes, masks, makeup kits, decor, animated props, candy bowls, harvest decor
• Summer and outdoor seasonal: pools and inflatables, floats, patio furniture and umbrellas, grills and accessories, outdoor toys, fans

Smaller occasions (Valentine's Day, Easter, back to school, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Eid decor) follow the same logic with shorter windows.

When should seasonal goods be sold?

The best time to sell leftover seasonal stock is while buyers still have time to plan for the next season. Retailers, discount chains and exporters set their seasonal plans many months ahead. Goods offered right after the holiday meet tired buyers with full warehouses; goods offered as plans are being built meet open budgets.

Export buyers have to allow for ocean transit and customs on top of their own selling calendar, so they generally need goods earlier than a domestic store selling into the same holiday. If you plan to sell abroad, move even sooner.

Hold or sell? Do the holding math

Sellers often hold seasonal leftovers "because next year it will sell at full price". Sometimes that is right. Often it is not. Put real numbers against both paths:

1. Storage. Cost per pallet per month at your warehouse or 3PL, multiplied by the months until next season.
2. Handling. Moving goods in and out of storage at least twice, plus re-picking.
3. Shrink and damage. Cartons crush, lights fail, inflatables puncture.
4. Capital. The cash locked in the stock for most of a year, at your cost of money.
5. Next-year risk. Will the design, color or license still be current? Will your own buyers want it again, or have they moved on?

Compare the total with an offer today. Use your own storage invoice for item 1, not an estimate: 3PL rates vary widely by region, pallet size and contract, and many add receiving and outbound fees per pallet that belong under item 2.

Our guide on whether to write off or sell excess inventory explains the accounting side. Ask your accountant how holding or selling affects your inventory valuation.

What makes seasonal goods lose value

• Printed years and dated themes. "Christmas 2025" or "Class of 2025" is nearly worthless after the year.
• One-season licenses. A costume or inflatable tied to this year's film loses its draw quickly.
• Trend colors. Ornament color stories change each year at major retailers.
• Electrical failures. Light strings and pre-lit trees with dead sections.
• Bulk. Trees, inflatables and patio sets are expensive to store and move.

What holds value: evergreen designs, classic colors, generic costumes, and well-packed goods in sealed cartons.

Safety notes for seasonal goods

• Lights and electric decor. Light strings, pre-lit trees, animated props and inflatables with blowers should carry a safety listing mark such as UL or ETL. Strings without marks, or with damaged cords, are hard to resell responsibly.
• Costumes. Children's costumes are children's products under Consumer Product Safety Commission rules, with testing and certificate requirements. Costumes and wearable textiles also fall under federal flammability rules for clothing textiles.
• Candles and fuel. Scented candles, fire starters and patio heater fuel can have freight restrictions.
• Pools and inflatables. Products for children, and items with safety warnings, need their warnings intact.

Who buys leftover seasonal goods?

• Discount and dollar chains plan seasonal aisles well ahead and buy in volume.
• Bin stores use seasonal goods as a theme for their weekly restocks, often well after the holiday.
• Party and costume shops buy Halloween stock and some general party goods year round.
• Export buyers sell into markets where the same holidays fall on the same dates but local supply is thin, and into Southern Hemisphere markets where summer goods sell during the US winter.
• Event, church and community buyers take decorations in smaller quantities.

Southern Hemisphere demand is worth mentioning for summer goods: pools, fans and patio items left over in a US autumn can meet a season that is just starting elsewhere. Freight and voltage still apply.

The seasonal offer checklist

• Season and SKU, description and UPC
• Quantity in units and cartons
• Any year or date printed on the product or packaging
• License name and whether it is current
• For lights and pre-lit trees: light type, count, tested or not, listing mark
• Condition per line; returns separated
• Retail price per unit
• Carton size, pallet count and whether pallets stack (trees and inflatables often do not)
• Photos: packaging front, any date print, an open carton, pallet shots
• Location and dock access; your storage cost if you are deciding whether to hold
• Restrictions such as no domestic resale this season

Seasonal seller mistakes

• Holding a year without pricing the storage
• Selling year-dated items after the year has passed
• Mixing seasons on one pallet (Halloween props with Christmas lights), which forces sorting
• Sending light strings without testing a sample
• Throwing away master cartons, which makes trees and inflatables harder to ship

A worked example

For illustration only, not market data: a home and garden retailer ends the Christmas season with a few dozen pallets of leftovers: pre-lit artificial trees, boxed ornaments and inflatables. Its 3PL charges a monthly fee per pallet, plus handling in and out.

The retailer sells the ornaments and inflatables right away, because their color story is this year's, and tests a sample of trees before selling them in spring to a buyer planning the next season. The retailer asks for no resale in its own market until after the next holiday, which is written into the deal.

To see how seasonal loads are offered to the trade, visit wholesale seasonal closeouts. Toys follow a similar calendar; see selling excess toys. Send your leftover list through the offer form on this page.