1. The Hub Strategy (Know Your Warehouse)
Because AllSurplus Deals rarely ships, your profit is protected by the "pickup barrier." The local hubs are where the inventory lands directly from big-box retailers.
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Cincinnati Hub (Hebron, KY): Located near CVG airport. This is a high-volume center for Amazon and Target returns. Expect small electronics, kitchen appliances, and "mystery mail" lots.
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Indianapolis Hub (Brownsburg, IN): A massive destination for home improvement items (Lowe's and Home Depot). If you want Milwaukee tools or Kohler fixtures, this is your primary target.
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Phoenix & Dallas Hubs: These are often the best spots for furniture, outdoor gear, and larger "hard goods" that are too expensive for retailers to ship back to a central return center.
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Pittston, PA Hub: This is a key Northeast corridor for general merchandise and seasonal overstock.
2. The Math: Avoiding the "Surplus Trap"
Beginners often overbid because they don't factor in the 2026 fee structure.
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Buyer’s Premium: This is usually 10% to 15% (but some specialty auctions can hit 22%).
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The Increment Rule: You can’t just bid $1 more. You must follow set increments (e.g., $5 increments once an item passes $100).
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Soft Close: If a bid is placed in the final 5 minutes, the auction extends. Never "snipe" on AllSurplus; it just gives your opponent another 5 minutes to outbid you.
3. Grading vs. Reality
The condition labels are your only guide, but you must read them with a critical eye:
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Open Box: Usually 90% chance of being perfect. The box was just ugly.
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Refurbished: Higher trust factor, as it has been tested by a third party.
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Returns: This is the "Wild West." It could be a brand-new item the customer didn't like, or a literal box of rocks. Always check the photos for "double tape"—a sign it’s been opened multiple times.
AllSurplus Deals Quick Reference (2026)
4. Accelerate Your Turnaround with Closo
Once you’ve loaded your trunk at the Hebron or Brownsburg loading dock, the clock is ticking on your storage space.
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Pre-Bid Intelligence: Use Closo Demand Signals to see if that "New" Dyson model is actually selling on eBay or if it's a dead model with no parts support.
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Instant Cross-listing: Use the Closo 100% Free Crosslister to scan the product UPC while you're still in the parking lot. You can have your won items listed on eBay, Mercari, and Facebook Marketplace before you even get home.
What Is AllSurplus Deals? (And Why It’s Not eBay)
When you search for allsurplus deals, you aren't looking for a standard retailer. You are tapping into the "Reverse Supply Chain." Retailers hate returns. When you return a blender to Amazon because the box was dented, they don't put it back on the shelf. They liquidate it. AllSurplus Deals (part of Liquidity Services) is the clearinghouse for this stuff.
Here's where it gets interesting... Unlike their sister site Liquidation.com (which sells massive pallets), AllSurplus Deals often sells "single items" or "small lots." This is huge for the solo reseller. You don't need a forklift or a warehouse. You can buy a single Ninja Air Fryer or a lot of 10 Bluetooth speakers.
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The Inventory: Electronics, furniture, tools, home goods, and baby products.
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The Condition: Everything from "New in Box" to "Destroyed."
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The Catch: It is 100% "As-Is." No returns.
Opinion Statement: If you are the type of person who gets upset when a "Used" item has a scratch, do not use this site. This platform is for people who know how to test, clean, and fix things. It is a garage sale on steroids, not a boutique.
Navigating the Hubs: Cincinnati, Phoenix, and Indianapolis
The magic of allsurplus deals is that it is local. They don't ship these deal items to you (usually). You have to go get them. This kills the competition. The guy in California can't bid on the TV in Kentucky because he can't pick it up.
AllSurplus Deals Cincinnati Area (Hebron, KY)
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The Hub: Located near the CVG airport in Hebron. This is a massive logistics center.
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The Vibe: Fast-paced. You schedule a slot, pull into a numbered bay, and they bring it out.
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Best For: Small appliances and electronics.
AllSurplus Deals Phoenix
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The Hub: Often focused on larger "hard goods" like furniture and outdoor equipment.
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The Strategy: You need a truck. Do not show up in a Prius to pick up a sectional sofa.
AllSurplus Deals Indianapolis (Plainfield/Brownsburg)
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The Hub: Another major logistics corridor.
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The Niche: I see a lot of "General Merchandise" and home improvement tools here.
My Anecdote: I once won a 75-inch TV from the Phoenix hub while visiting family. I rented a pickup truck just to get it. Total cost: $150 for the TV + $60 for the truck. Sold price: $600 locally on Facebook Marketplace. Even with the rental, the profit was insane because local pickup scares away 90% of the bidders.
The Bidding War: How to Snag Discounted Bargains
This is an auction. Prices start low (often $5), but they don't stay there. To win discounted bargains, you need a strategy.
1. The "Soft Close" Rule Unlike eBay, where you can "snipe" at the last second, AllSurplus uses a "Soft Close." If a bid is placed in the last 5 minutes, the timer extends for another 5 minutes.
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The Result: Bidding wars can go on for an hour past the end time.
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The Fix: Set a hard "Walk Away" number. If you get emotional, you lose money.
2. The Hidden Fees (Buyer’s Premium) This is where beginners lose their shirt. The final bid is not what you pay.
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Buyer’s Premium: Usually 10% to 15% added on top.
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Tax: Sales tax is applied to the bid + the premium.
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Example: You bid $100.
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Premium (15%): +$15
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Tax (7%): +$8.05
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Total: $123.05
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Lesson: Always calculate your max bid as
(Resale Value x 0.5) - Fees.
Using Closo Demand Signals to Avoid Duds
The biggest risk with surplus auction lots is buying things nobody wants. Just because a "Smart Wi-Fi Toaster" retails for $300 doesn't mean anyone is buying it. If I see a lot of 20 obscure smart home hubs, I don't guess. I use data.
I use Closo to automate checking demand trends – saves me about 3 hours weekly. Before I bid, I check Closo Demand Signals.
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The Search: I type in the model number.
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The Signal: Closo tells me if search volume for this item is rising or falling.
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Real Life Example: I saw a pallet of "Phone Sanitizers" (popular in 2020).
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Bid was low ($50).
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Closo Signal: Demand was down 95% year-over-year.
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Decision: I passed. The guy who won them is probably still using them as paperweights.
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The Pickup Process: Don't Be Late
If you search auctions az or arizona online auctions, you'll find plenty of local sites, but AllSurplus is stricter than most.
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Scheduling: You must schedule your pickup window online immediately after paying.
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The Window: You typically have 3 to 5 business days to pick it up.
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The Penalty: If you don't show up, they consider the item abandoned. You do not get a refund. You lose the item and your money. And they might ban your account.
Honest Failure: I missed a pickup window in Indianapolis because my car broke down. I called them 2 hours after my slot. They said, "Sorry, it's already been processed for re-listing." I lost $200.
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Lesson: If you can't get there, send a friend with the invoice/QR code. They usually allow proxy pickup if you do the paperwork.
Grading and Condition: The "Surplus Discount Store" Reality
You are essentially buying from a surplus discount store warehouse. They categorize items, but you need to read the fine print.
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New / New Open Box: Usually pristine. The box might be ugly, but the item is untouched.
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Used / Returns: This is the gamble. Why was it returned? Did it not work? Is a part missing?
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Salvage: Garbage. Only buy for parts.
Parenthetical Aside: (I bought a "Used" lawnmower once. It was missing the wheels. Literally just the engine and deck. I had to laugh. I sold the engine for parts and broke even, but always look closely at the photos!)
From Pickup to Profit: The Closo Workflow
So you picked up your truckload of allsurplus deals cincinnati area loot. Now you have 50 items in your garage. You need to list them fast, or your garage becomes a hoarders' nest.
Step 1: Sort and Test
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Bin A: Ready to list (New/Open Box).
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Bin B: Needs cleaning/testing.
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Bin C: Trash/Donate.
Step 2: Rapid Listing with Closo I don't manually type listings anymore. I take a photo of the item (or scan the barcode). I use the Closo 100% Free Crosslister to pull the stock data.
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It generates the title and description.
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I add my condition notes ("Box damaged, item mint").
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I push it to eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark instantly.
Closo Wholesale comes into play if I find I bought too much. If I won a pallet of 100 humidifiers and I only want to sell 10, I can actually create a wholesale lot on Closo Wholesale to sell the other 90 to other resellers. It’s a quick exit strategy.
People always ask me...
Can I inspect the items before bidding?
Common question I see. No. AllSurplus Deals is strictly online. You rely on their photos and descriptions. This is why I stick to "New" or "Open Box" grades unless the price is so low that I can afford a broken item.
Is AllSurplus Deals the same as Liquidation.com?
They are owned by the same company (Liquidity Services), but they are different. Liquidation.com is mostly bulk pallets and truckloads that require freight shipping. AllSurplus Deals is smaller lots/single items focused on local pickup.
Conclusion
AllSurplus Deals is not for everyone. If you want a polite customer service experience and a return policy, go to Amazon. But if you want to buy inventory for 10% of retail price and you have a truck, it is one of the most profitable sourcing channels in 2026. The key is to stay local (Cincinnati, Phoenix, Indy), verify the demand with Closo Demand Signals, and list fast with the Closo Crosslister.
Get your hands dirty. drive the truck. The treasure is out there waiting on a loading dock.
Start cross-listing with Closo today—because the only thing better than winning the auction is hearing the "Cha-Ching" of the sale notification.
