Guide to Buying Macy’s Liquidation Merchandise

Macy’s, Inc. is one of the largest department stores in the world, selling a wide range of merchandise, but specializing in clothing and accessories, cosmetics and home furnishings through its 3 brands – Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury.

With more than $414 billion worth of sales since 2005, and more than 700 stores, Macy’s deals with a lot of surplus merchandise. What happens to Macy’s liquidation merchandise, and how can you buy Macy’s liquidation lots?

Macy’s by the Numbers

• Macy’s currently operates out of 732 locations worldwide (2020) and employs around 90,000 people.
• The Macy’s company operates three branded stores: Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Bluemercury.
• Macy’s has an e-commerce presence in 92 countries worldwide.
• In 2020, Macy’s made more than $17 billion in net sales.
• Macy’s has net sales since 2005 of $414 billion (through 2020).
• Macy’s Herald Square, Manhattan, is one of the largest department stores in the world.

What Happens to Macy’s Liquidation Merchandise?

Macy’s sells their liquidation merchandise through their own platform, which you can freely register to join.

What Can You Expect in Macy’s Liquidations?

With women’s apparel and accessories together providing 61% of all Macy’s sales, it’s fair to expect more than half of the returns to fall into these categories. Clothing is also more likely to be returned, compared to the store’s homewares range. Typically, an incredible 17% of apparel is returned to retailers, making it one of the most-returned categories of merchandise.

When the pandemic hit, in 2020, the general trend of more people buying clothing online rapidly increased, and Macy’s also began giving customers an extra 60 days from the original purchase date to make a return.

This increases a problem called ‘bracketing’ — which means buying a product already intending to return it. This has become very common: 30-40% of clothing bought online is returned.

Combining these facts gives an insight into the types of returns you can expect at Macy’s. Not only are a majority of the items going to be apparel – especially women’s clothing – but a large proportion are likely to be barely worn, if at all, with no problems with the items themselves.

Source: Statista, 2022.

As we will discuss during the buying process, customer returns are not the only types of liquidation merchandise Macy’s sells. ‘Jobouts’ and ‘store stock’ are all brand-new items that have never been sold. They are liquidated as product lines end, and as the seasons change.

When you sign up to receive Macy’s liquidations, you have the choice of what type of surplus merchandise you are interested in, what seasons’ items you prefer, and even by the category. Choosing more popular, or more open categories, such as “women’s apparel” will offer you the most choice, and you will likely be contacted more regularly by the sales team.

Buying Liquidation Merchandise Direct from Macy’s

Let’s take a look at how the process of buying liquidation lots direct from Macy’s works.

Requirements to Sign Up to the Macy’s Liquidation Department

• You must have an address in the USA.
• You must have a Tax ID (or Employer Identification Number).
• You must have the ability to send wire transfers.

Source: Macy’s, 2021.

Registering with Macy’s Liquidation Department

1. Make your way over to macysliquidation.com, and click on “Register Now”
2. Enter your registered company’s name, and your chosen login information
3. Enter your contact information and your billing and shipping addresses.
4. Enter your tax identification details
5. Enter your preferred language from the drop-down menu for English or Spanish
6. Choose your preferred type of liquidation merchandise from the three options available:

Customer Returns: the most inexpensice merchandise to acquire; items that have been sold to a customer and returned for any reason. Expect some damaged and unsellable merchandise.

Jobouts: Seasonal stock that is removed from shelves when the season is over – e.g. removing thick winter coats in spring.

Store Stock: Also known as overstock; this type of merchandise has never been sold and is retail-ready. However, this is the most expensive type of merchandise to acquire.

Source: Statista, 2020.

7.  Choose your preferred season between “All”, “Mixed” or either “Primarily Fall and Winter” or “Primarily Spring and Summer”. “All” refers to all types of products stocked by Macy’s. “Mixed” means the products will be focused on seasonal goods from any season. The remaining two options will preferentially show you lots that contain a majority of products from the specific season.
8. Next, you need to set your preferred location. There are currently 6 distribution centers available to choose from in TX, MD, CA, IL, CT, and GA. Choose the option closest to you to cut down on shipping fees.
9. You now need to select your preferred merchandise category from the 76 options available – or simply click the “All” option.
10. Provide information on where you were made aware of the program e.g. advertisement (selecting the site), whether your business was contacted by their sales department, or whether your source was a referral, either by a friend or a third party. If you’re only learning of this program through this guide – we suggest you choose the last option.
11. Set your email subscription preference to ensure you receive emails related to your location or specific products.
12. Ensure that you read the full confidentiality agreement and understand it, checking the box to confirm you have done this.
13. At this stage you need to upload your tax declaration document, ensuring that your business is properly registered.
14. Submit your application.

Source: Macy’s, 2022.

This is the application process complete. You should shortly receive a confirmation email and will be contacted by a member of the team within a week. They may contact you within this time to clarify any issues they have with your application, before final approval.

Buying Macy’s Liquidation Lots

Once registered (the process can take 5-7 days), you will be able to log into Macy’s liquidation website, giving you the ability to bid on lots. Alternatively, you can just stay tuned to their emails, which also include deals (for example, buy-one-get-one-free deals on certain lines).

Source: Macy’s, 2022.

These emails often contain load lists, showing you the buy-now price with the product’s original retail price. Macy’s also discloses the amount they originally paid to their suppliers for the same merchandise. Each line represents a different lot with a different price. You can simply reply to these emails with the lot number you are interested in to be immediately invoiced by the sales reps, if the lots have not already been sold.

Looking for Liquidation Lots from Top Retailers?

At Direct Liquidation, we take pride in exclusive deals with top national retailers and manufacturers, such as Walmart and Lowe’s. We can offer you single pallets up to full truckloads.

With warehouses in 13 locations, you can also freely pick up your merchandise yourself, saving on shipping fees. So, why not check out what top liquidation merchandise we have available for you right now.

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