Conclusion
Well like I stated earlier, I attempted to thoroughly cover the unclaimed freight world. Hopefully I managed to do so in a manner that was informative and a little entertaining. There is just so much information can one could cover on this topic. The hard part is screening through it all.
Because in the USA there are so regulatory agencies that oversee everything from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Commerce, it can get frustrating sorting through it all. Because not only do we have the federal agencies we have state and local, not to mention international as well. The last one of course would depend on the nature of your business.
It also depends on what the unclaimed freight actually is. If it was a container full of exotic flowers the US Department of Agriculture might need to be involved. Then you have all the other associated fees and permits that might be involved.
That is why it has become an industry all of its own from the lawyers and governmental regulators to the brokers to the buyers. Everyone has to get a piece of the pie before it finally ends up at the unclaimed freight store.
But there too are a lot of added costs. The initial purchasing, transporting, warehousing, inventorying, stocking, and all the staff a store might need. Not to mention all the added cost of operating a physical store. It is no wonder that most shipping companies don’t want the hassle of trying to sell that stuff.
But, at the same time it is a goldmine, as you can clearly see. If you are able to absorb all those cost and still sell below retail price you can make a good income. After all look at all the stores that are doing it now. There are literally hundreds across the nation. Many of which don’t sell to the general public, instead they are supplier to the many discount retailers.
Have you ever bought unclaimed freight? Does the shipping company you work with have an issue with this? How do they handle it? Where do they sell it or do they simple dispose of it? Share your thoughts, experiences, and comments.
