There's definitely a strategy to it. You want to avoid generally appealing things (like TVs and common electronics) for the reason you described, but the opposi

There's definitely a strategy to it. You want to avoid generally appealing things (like TVs and common electronics) for the reason you described, but the opposite end of the spectrum (niche ones) are often great. We got two of the highest-end Toto bidet toilet seats for 60% off retail, still sealed in the packaging. Baby-related items were also pretty heavily discounted and still good. It is taking a chance, but the chances seem to be pretty good. So far the worst we've seen is a baby swing that needed a little elbow grease to solve a minor assembly issue. It was something like 80% off retail. We moved away from their closest warehouse so we haven't bought a lot recently, but IMO anything that reduces waste and implicitly reduces the cost of returns to retailers (by increasing the price these auctioneers pay for the goods) is good.