The Manifest Checklist That Gets You a Firm Offer in 24 Hours

Two suppliers send us the same pallets on the same day. One gets a firm offer by Thursday. The other is still answering questions the following week. The difference is almost never the goods. It is the manifest.

A buyer quoting without information has to price the worst plausible case. A buyer quoting with information prices what is actually there. Here is exactly what to send.

The nine columns

One row per SKU. A spreadsheet is perfect; nothing fancier is needed.

1. SKU / item code — your internal code is fine.
2. Product name — as printed on the packaging.
3. Category — skincare, colour cosmetics, haircare, fragrance, body and personal care, tools.
4. Size / volume — 50ml, 30g, and so on.
5. Quantity — units, plus units per case if the goods are cased.
6. Condition — sealed / new, shelf-pull, customer return, damaged packaging.
7. Expiry or batch code — the single most important column in beauty.
8. Retail price — for reference only; it does not set the offer, but it helps the buyer place the product.
9. Location — city and state or country, per line if the stock is split.

If a column is unknown, write "unknown" rather than leaving it blank. A blank cell reads as a hidden problem; an honest "unknown" reads as an honest manifest.

The five photos

• A wide shot of the stock in place — pallets, racking, however it sits.
• One full pallet, wrapped, so the buyer can judge volume.
• A carton label, close enough to read the SKU and quantity.
• A date code or expiry, close enough to read.
• An open case, showing how the units are actually packed.

Phone photos are fine. Clarity beats production value.

Six things to state in the body of your message

These come up in every deal. Answering them upfront removes an entire round trip:

• Why it is available — overstock, discontinued line, packaging change, account cancellation, returns.
• Whether the lot must move together or can be split.
• Any restrictions you require — territory, channel, no re-import, delabelling.
• Loading conditions — dock, forklift, liftgate, pickup hours.
• Timeline — when it has to be gone.
• Whether this is recurring — a monthly flow is a different, and usually better, conversation than a one-time lot.

Four things that quietly lower your offer

1. Mixing conditions in one line. Sealed units priced alongside returns get returns pricing.
2. Optimistic counts. A short count discovered at pickup reopens the price. Under-promise.
3. Leaving out expiry. Missing dates get quoted as short-dated by default.
4. Sending it in five messages over two weeks. Momentum is worth real money.

What good looks like

"142 SKUs, skincare and suncare, 1,860 units, all sealed overstock, expiry Jan–Aug 2028, on 6 pallets in Santa Fe Springs CA, dock with forklift, must ship by end of month, and we expect similar volume quarterly."

That is two sentences, and it is enough for a buyer to start pricing immediately. Attach the spreadsheet and the five photos, and there is nothing left to ask.

How the 24 hours are spent

On our side the clock runs like this: we confirm receipt and raise any gaps the same day, circulate the lot to the buyers whose markets and categories fit, and come back with a firm offer inside 24 hours. If you are accepted, payment is made before pickup — the goods do not leave your warehouse on a promise.

The better the manifest, the more of that window is spent getting you a higher number instead of establishing what you have.

Manifest ready? Upload it here — spreadsheet, PDF or photos all work.

#Offcos #Offcos.ai #Manifest #InventoryManagement #BeautyLiquidation #ExcessInventory #Overstock #WholesaleCosmetics