888Lots takes an unusual position in the liquidation industry: they manifest every single lot they sell, and they show you the projected resale value of each one via their proprietary profit estimator tool. No unmanifested lots, no “mystery box” pricing — just full transparency on what you’re buying.
That positioning is either exactly what you want or completely unnecessary depending on your buying style. This review explains who benefits from the model and where the trade-offs show up.
Company History
888Lots was founded in 2014 and has steadily built reputation in the mid-tier reseller community over the past decade. The company is private and significantly smaller than the giant marketplaces — they don’t disclose precise volume but operations are clearly several orders of magnitude below B-Stock or Liquidation.com.
Their differentiation has been consistent from launch: every lot is manifested at SKU level, photographed thoroughly, and accompanied by a calculated “recoverable value” estimate based on Amazon, eBay, and broader marketplace sales data for the specific items in the lot. Other companies do this informally; 888Lots built their entire pricing model around it.
What They Sell
Mostly Amazon return pallets in the consumer electronics, home goods, and general merchandise categories. Lot sizes are mid-range — typically 50-200 units per pallet, in the $500-3000 price band. They don’t do case packs and they don’t typically do massive truckloads; their sweet spot is single pallets that an established reseller can move through in 4-8 weeks.
Categories skew toward higher-value items per unit. Less apparel, more electronics. Less beauty, more home goods. This matches their pricing model — items with established Amazon/eBay comp data are easier to price-estimate.
Pricing
Pricing is fixed (no auctions) and typically sits at 18–28% of stated retail value. That’s higher than auction marketplaces in raw percentage terms, but the comparison is misleading because 888Lots’ “retail value” calculations are generally more conservative than competitors. When you adjust for that, effective pricing is competitive.
The profit estimator tool — which projects what each lot’s items should sell for on Amazon and eBay — is genuinely useful. We’ve found it tends to underestimate by 10-20%, which is the right direction for a tool you’d want to rely on. Better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.
The Good
- Manifests on everything. No unmanifested lots, ever. You always know what you’re buying.
- Profit estimator is legitimately useful. Removes most of the guesswork from lot evaluation.
- Photography is excellent. Multiple angles, close-ups of major items, generally the best in the industry.
- Support is responsive. Email replies typically within a business day, often faster.
- Inventory is curated. They turn away lots that don’t fit their model, which helps quality control.
The Not-So-Good
- Higher headline pricing than auctions. If you’re comparing percentage-of-retail without adjusting for their conservative estimates, they look expensive.
- Smaller selection. Maybe a few hundred active lots at most times, vs. tens of thousands at larger marketplaces.
- Limited category variety. Strong in consumer electronics and home goods; weak in apparel, beauty, tools.
- No truckload tier. If you want to scale to multi-pallet purchases, you’ll be doing them one pallet at a time.
Who It’s Best For
888Lots is best for analytical buyers who want full information before committing. If you’re the type who runs spreadsheets on every potential lot, who doesn’t want to gamble on unmanifested mystery contents, and who likes having a baseline profit estimate to work from, this is your platform.
It’s also strong for resellers focused on Amazon resale — the comp data underlying their profit estimator is heavily Amazon-weighted, which matches that resale channel well.
Verdict
888Lots delivers exactly what they promise. The manifested-everything model is genuinely valuable for buyers who want to plan their inventory rather than gamble on it. The profit estimator removes a significant amount of guesswork.
Where they fall short is scale and variety. If you need full truckloads, broad category access, or rock-bottom pricing, this isn’t your platform. For thoughtful, analytical pallet-at-a-time buyers in their core categories, it’s one of the best options in the industry.
Compared to PalletKings
888Lots and PalletKings overlap closely on the transparency-and-manifested-pricing philosophy. The main differences: their profit estimator is unique (we don’t offer that), and their photography is consistently better than ours. We offer broader category coverage (more apparel, more general merchandise, more tools) and a slightly faster dispatch window. Different strengths, similar values.
We’d be happy to lose a customer to 888Lots if their profit estimator is the deciding factor — it’s a legitimately useful tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the profit estimator accurate?
Generally yes, with a slight conservative bias. We’ve found it underestimates actual realized resale value by 10-20% in most categories — which is the right direction for a planning tool.
Do they sell truckloads?
No. Single pallets is their model. For larger volumes, you’d buy multiple pallets individually.
Can I get a refund if the manifest is wrong?
Yes, within their standard return window. We haven’t tested this personally but their reputation for honoring manifest disputes is solid.
Is 888Lots related to any larger company?
Independently owned and operated. Not a subsidiary of a larger marketplace.
Comparing pallet sources?
Check our full review hub for honest takes on every major liquidation reseller — or browse our own inventory.