Seven questions to ask any surplus seller before you pay

Most losses in surplus trading are not “the parts were fake” but “the goods were not what was described”. Ask these seven questions in order — how a seller answers matters more than the answer itself.

1. Where is the stock from? You do not need the upstream name, but the source type — cancelled project, plant closure, distributor clear-out, pulls — must be stated. A vague “overseas channel” states nothing.

2. Is there a line-item manifest? Part number, quantity, date code, packing state, line by line. “About 50k pcs mixed” is unjudgeable at any price.

3. Are the photos of this lot? Ask for one photo with content you specify — a reel next to a note with today’s date. Sellers using manufacturer renders or a generic “warehouse gallery” fail this step immediately.

4. Can you inspect before paying? In person, via an agent, or through a third party like SGS or BV. Terms vary legitimately; “no inspection of any kind” is the only bad answer.

5. On what terms? Normal surplus terms are as-is, no warranty. That is not the trap — the trap is a seller who promises “full refund if any problem” verbally and puts nothing in writing. A seller with hard terms stated up front is safer than a generous-sounding one.

6. Is there a traceable track record? What has been sold, which lots cleared, what the legal entity is. A new seller may have little history — that is not disqualifying, but they should say “we are new” plainly rather than invent years.

7. Who exactly are you talking to? A named person who will take a video call and matches the company. If the entire relationship lives inside one faceless chat account, re-weigh everything above.

None of the seven needs special equipment, and all of them can be asked before any money moves. Ask them all, and you have most likely filtered out the worst sellers already.