This review was written without any compensation from B&G Trading. All items were paid in full at time of purchase.

As a reseller, I’m always looking for creative ways to build my inventory. My closet is a mixture; it contains things that I personally owned, items that were donated to me, and items that were thrifted or purchased via retail arbitrage.

Some months ago, I came across B&G Trading and was interested in their business model. You did not have to have a wholesale license (I do), they offered smaller lots and competitive pricing. Their inventory consists of liquidation lots from not so secretly disguised stores and retail websites. I figured that since I had never purchased anything from liquidation before, why not try?

I finally decided to place my first order in October. It was for a “Nordstrom Standard Assorted Bundle”, 10 pieces. I took advantage of their online promotion and after some emails with them, was able to utilize my reseller permit to waive taxes.

This first box took some time to arrive. When I received it, I wasn’t too excited. It was, however, as advertised. These were items that were mainly Nordstrom Rack or Nordstrom BP type of clothing. I may not have been a fan of the styles myself, but it was as advertised.

B&G Trading had already sold to much of the Poshmark community at this point. Some people were in the same boat as I was, while some received inventory gold in theirs. It was a mixed bag all around, but the possibility of getting good was always intriguing.

A friend of my decided to buy a much larger box (50 pcs) and she had quite few good pieces. Another friend that I had referred seemed disappointed with her first box, but satisfied with her last two. They inspired me to try once again. I waited for a while but eventually purchased the “Nordstrom Premiere Box”, 10 items. This box was supposed to contain Nordstrom (always a possibility of Rack) items of at least MSRP 60, with higher end brands such as Tory Burch, Eileen Fisher, Veronica Beard as a possibility.

I ordered the box and it took time to arrive. I am in the same city as they are, but it still took a few days to actually receive a box once they notify you that a label has been assigned.

Before I get into content, I will say this: B&G Trading accurately advises that this is liquidation, shelf-pull and close-out product. One has to keep an open mind when ordering. They do say seasonal clothing can be limited. I ordered knowing this, but still had hope that a higher priced box may bring me at least a couple of good labels.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t happy with my purchase. There are few specific reasons why. However, I think it’s important to note that I did receive 10 pieces of clothing, all appeared to be of 2018 or newer styles as advertised. My dissatisfaction was primarily around the following:

– Most items were for the summer season. I did not receive a single fall or winter item. I was displeased with that, but it is something they advertised.

– 7 out of the 10 items were of a lesser known brand, “Sage the Label”. SEVEN. What happened to variety or any of the labels they advertised on their website? I wasn’t expecting to purchase just one brand in mixed box.

To be fair, the pieces were fashionable, boho styles. However, they consisted of only crop and short mini styles. One has a very minor stain in the back, but they were all with manufacturer (not store) tags.

Sadly, these pieces indicated a problem to me. I felt that lack of brand variety or style meant that they could not or did not curate these boxes well. Despite my purchase being touted as a Nordstrom box, this brand is not sold at Nordstrom’s. The MSRP is higher than $60, but it’s not quite what one expected. I was hoping for more variety than this.

– 1 item, a CeCe dress (sold at Nordstrom) still had the security tag attached. What was I supposed to do with that ? Aside from a Sage the Label jacket marked as “one size”, this was the only larger size item in the box.

– 1 item was a sample dress from Adelyn Rae, (sold at Nordstrom). No issues with this item item.

– 1 item was a Free people item. No issues with this item.

I wrote B&G Trading an email, detailing my concerns about the lack of variety and the security tag on one item. They responded promptly and were ready to remedy the issues.

In regards to the 7 Sage pieces, they mentioned it was inventory related and they had a large amount of orders to fulfill. To me, that still points to their inability to properly curate or fulfill the product they advertise. They offered to discount a future purchase or allow me to return this order in full for a refund (minus shipping, after they accounted for all pieces). They offered to hear any alternate remedies that I was interested in proposing.

For the security tag, they mentioned that it could be removed with a strong or industrial magnet. They went into detail about how to do it. I wasn’t quite happy about this, because how many of us own a strong or industrial magnet ? I don’t want to purchase one just for this one dress. Luckily, when I mentioned that to B&G, they offered one more potential remedy – receive a one-time refund for the CeCe dress (keep all other items in the box and no other refunds).

In the end, I decided to receive the refund on the one dress. I’m not confident that a future purchase will provide a better variety. I know that others have struck gold, but I really didn’t have a positive feeling about it. Perhaps that may change as their business grows, but for now, it’s too soon. I didn’t opt to return the items, because I was interested in seeing how they sell. They aren’t all terrible items – it will just be a challenge to sell a lesser known brand and a limited style / small demographic. I’m willing at least to see where the investment takes me.

In conclusion, I’m not likely to purchase a box from them in the near future. I know there are others who enjoy their services and have come across great items. I have advertised them in my social media, and promoted them in the past to local Poshers. I’m not opposed to what they do, but I feel that their current model doesn’t work for me. I am small, a hobby seller and have limited time and space. I can’t risk buying inventory that doesn’t fit in my model. Perhaps if they sold manifest boxes, I’d come back. Perhaps with time, their ability to curate will improve. For the time being, I’ll wait and see what happens with my 10 items. As of now, they’re still waiting for new homes!