The day after Christmas is still weeks away, but that's close enough for finance and supply-chain executives to start worrying about merchandise returns and excess inventory. How will they get the best value for the unwanted goods?
One answer is to auction them off. By posting returned or overstocked items of interest to consumers (video games, baby clothing, televisions) or other businesses (computer parts, pallets of manufactured items) on an online auction, sellers can gain access to many more potential buyers than they would if they simply went straight to liquidators.
Further, auctions can help streamline the process of getting cash for returned, unsold, or excess products, supply-chain executives say.
