What is a bin store?
Quick answer: A bin store is a shop that sells customer returns and overstock from big retailers out of large bins. Every item in the bins costs the same flat price. The price is highest on restock day and drops every day after, often ending at $1 or less.
What do bin stores sell?
Almost anything that gets returned to a big online store: phone cases, kitchen gadgets, toys, tools, clothing, cables, home decor, pet supplies, car parts, and the odd expensive surprise like a tablet or a power tool. Stores buy this stock by the pallet or truckload from liquidation companies that handle returns for Amazon, Target, Walmart and others. The store usually does not know exactly what is in each pallet until it opens it.
How does the pricing work?
Each store runs on a cycle of a few days to a week. A typical schedule looks like this:
- Restock day (often Friday or Saturday): bins are full, everything is $7 to $15 per item. Lines form before opening.
- Day two and three: price drops to around $5, then $3.
- Last days: $1, 50 cents, or "fill a bag" deals. Then the store closes for a day or two to restock.
Big-ticket items like TVs, bikes or furniture are usually priced separately and sit on a shelf, not in the bins. Read our pricing guide for the details and the math on when it pays to go.
What is a visit like?
Picture a warehouse or strip-mall unit with rows of waist-high bins. Shoppers dig through them by hand, drop finds in a bag or cart, then pay the flat price per item at the register. On restock day it can be crowded and competitive. By midweek it is calm and cheap but picked over. Most stores have a station to test electronics before you pay, because all sales are final.
Who shops at bin stores?
Bargain hunters, parents stocking up on toys and clothes, and resellers who flip finds on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Amazon. Resellers often come on restock day for the best items; families come later in the week for the lowest prices.
How do I find one near me?
Bin stores open and close quickly, and many exist only on Facebook, so Google Maps often misses them. We track 594 stores and check each one against its own posts. Start with your state.
Frequently asked questions
Are bin store items new?
Most items are new or like-new returns and overstock. Some are open-box, missing parts, or broken. Check every item before you buy, because bin stores do not take returns.
Where do bin stores get their stuff?
They buy pallets or truckloads of customer returns and unsold stock from liquidation marketplaces that work with Amazon, Target, Walmart and other big retailers.
Why does the price change every day?
The store charges one flat price per item. It starts high on restock day when the bins are full and drops each day until the bins are nearly empty. Then the store closes to restock and the cycle starts again.
Can I return something from a bin store?
Almost never. Bin stores sell everything as-is. Many have a test station where you can plug in electronics before paying.