Direct Liquidation Fees Explained + Alternative (2026)
Direct Liquidation's July 2025 relaunch added buyer deposits and restocking fees. Here's what changed and an alternative for listing surplus inventory.
Hylke Reitsma is co-founder of Forthsuite and a supply chain specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience at Shell, Verisure, and Stryker. He holds an MSc in Supply Chain Management from the University of Groningen and writes practical guides to help e-commerce teams run leaner, faster supply chains. Selected by Replit as 1 of 20 founders for the inaugural Race to Revenue Cohort #1 (2026) and certified as a Replit Platform Builder.
On July 23, 2025, ReturnPro relaunched Direct Liquidation as an offer-based marketplace — adding mandatory buyer deposits on offers and restocking fees on canceled orders. If you sell or clear surplus and returned inventory, here's exactly what changed, and how Forthclear compares as a free-to-list way to clear surplus.
Disclosure: Forthclear publishes this comparison and is one of the products compared.
Last updated: July 2026
What Changed at Direct Liquidation
- Offer-based buying. The site previously used an auction-only format; buyers can now make offers directly with sellers instead of bidding.
- Mandatory buyer deposits. Buyers are now required to put a deposit on pallets to show they truly intend to purchase — meant to cut abandoned offers.
- Restocking fees on cancellations. Newly imposed fees on canceled orders help protect seller revenue and reduce abandoned carts.
- Multi-pallet checkout and delivery deals. Buyers can purchase multiple pallets from different retailers in one transaction and consolidate shipping.
These changes are largely pro-seller — but they also change the economics for both sides, which makes it a good moment to compare where you list and clear surplus. The full change list is in ReturnPro's official relaunch announcement.
What This Means If You Sell Surplus
For a Shopify merchant offloading excess or returned stock, deposits and restocking fees are designed to protect your revenue and reduce abandoned orders. Every marketplace still sets its own economics, though — so it's worth knowing the trade-offs before you list. If you want to price surplus stock for a quick sale or weigh surplus buying against dropshipping, those decisions shape which channel clears inventory fastest. Before committing pallets to any channel, check three numbers: the deposit you must post, the restocking fee you'd owe if a deal falls through, and the payout timing once a pallet ships. Those three — more than any headline commission — decide the real cost of clearing a pallet.
Forthclear — a Place to Clear Surplus
Forthclear is a liquidation marketplace built around a simple job: helping merchants list and clear surplus and dead stock rather than letting it sit. It's free to list, and you pay only when your inventory sells — no broker haircut on the way through. If you're re-evaluating where to move excess inventory after the Direct Liquidation changes, it's a straightforward option for getting surplus in front of bulk buyers.
Direct Liquidation and Forthclear at a glance
| Factor | Direct Liquidation | Forthclear |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction model | Offer-based marketplace after its relaunch. | Free-to-list marketplace without an auction dynamic. |
| Fee signals to verify | Buyer deposits, cancellation restocking fees and payout timing. | A fee applies when a lot sells; sellers arrange shipping and cover applicable duties. |
| Logistics | Multi-pallet checkout and consolidated delivery options. | Seller-arranged shipping. |
| Best fit | Categories that benefit from its buyer base and relaunch features. | Sellers who want to test a parallel listing with more direct price control and accept a smaller buyer pool. |
How to List Surplus on Forthclear
- Go to Forthclear and start a surplus listing.
- Add your surplus or dead-stock inventory with quantities and condition.
- Publish the listing so bulk buyers can find and purchase your surplus.
Where Each One Fits - and Where It Doesn't
The relaunch changes described above are, on balance, pro-seller: buyer deposits and restocking fees exist to cut abandoned offers, and multi-pallet checkout helps buyers consolidate. This is not a page arguing you should leave over them.
Forthclear's pitch is narrower - free to list, a fee only when a lot sells, and no auction dynamic to work around. Its limits are equally plain: it is a younger, smaller marketplace, so expect a smaller buyer pool per lot, and sellers arrange their own shipping and cover any duties.
If Direct Liquidation's buyer base is where your category moves, the new fee structure is probably worth absorbing. If you want to test a free listing alongside it, that costs nothing but the time to upload.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed at Direct Liquidation in 2025?
On July 23, 2025, ReturnPro relaunched Direct Liquidation as an offer-based marketplace with mandatory buyer deposits on offers and restocking fees on canceled orders, alongside multi-pallet checkout and consolidated delivery.
Why does Direct Liquidation charge buyer deposits and restocking fees now?
ReturnPro says the deposits and restocking fees exist to prove buyer intent, reduce abandoned offers and orders, and protect seller revenue.
What is an alternative for clearing surplus inventory?
Forthclear is a free-to-list liquidation marketplace for listing and clearing surplus and dead-stock inventory, where sellers pay only when stock sells.
About the Author
Hylke Reitsma is co-founder of Forthsuite and a supply chain specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience at Shell, Verisure, and Stryker. He holds an MSc in Supply Chain Management from the University of Groningen and writes practical guides to help e-commerce teams run leaner, faster supply chains. Selected by Replit as 1 of 20 founders for the inaugural Race to Revenue Cohort #1 (2026) and certified as a Replit Platform Builder.
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