IN THE PRESS
Excess Inventory Belongs Online, Not in the Bargain Bin
The story of Max Retail in Retail Brew starts on the sales floor of a Palm Beach Gardens boutique, with racks of branded merchandise that would not sell. Reporter Alex Vuocolo walks through how Co-Founder & CEO Melodie van der Baan built a better home for excess inventory in the resale market, and what it means for off-price.
Retail Brew · October 28, 2026
OUR POINT OF VIEW
“The more brands come onto third-party marketplaces, Max Retail, or the like, absolutely there will be less for the off-price world, ultimately.”
Melodie van der Baan, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Max Retail, in Retail Brew
The excess inventory problem every boutique knows
Before Max Retail, Melodie owned a fashion boutique in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Her biggest expense was unsold inventory. Her options were the same ones every independent retailer has today:
- Sell it to a jobber for about 10 cents on the dollar.
- Take it to a consignment store.
- Keep marking it down and wait six to 12 months to get $30 to $50 back on a $100 item.
None of those options pay the retailer what the merchandise is worth. Max Retail launched in 2020 to change that.
How Max Retail found the resale market
The first version let boutiques swap excess inventory with each other at cost. Retailers waited until the end of the season to list, and by then the same goods were marked down everywhere.
A flash-sale partnership cleared Covid-era stock, but retailers told Melodie the prices were too low. Then Poshmark asked about Max Retail’s access to brand-name inventory. When those listings sold, the current model took shape. Between 2022 and 2024, 30 marketplaces started listing products from the Max Retail network of independent boutiques.
What it means for off-price
Off-price retailers buy much of their merchandise through liquidations and auctions. As more brands and retailers sell excess inventory on third-party marketplaces, Melodie expects less of it to reach the off-price world. The largest chains will feel it least. Independent retailers get a better price for the same goods in the resale market.
Why timing matters for excess inventory
The lesson from the swap exchange still holds. Merchandise is worth the most while it is still in season. The longer it sits on the floor, the more stores across the country are marking down the same styles. Listing aged inventory online early gives it a chance to sell at a fair price to shoppers in other climates and on other calendars, before it ends up with a jobber or in a consignment store.
That is the gap Max Retail fills for independent retailers. A boutique keeps selling new arrivals to its local customers in the store, while its excess inventory sells to online shoppers through resale marketplaces and other channel partners. Store owners still have to run a great store. Max Retail gives the merchandise that did not sell there a second chance to sell, at a better price than the bargain bin.
Read the full Max Retail feature on Retail Brew, or see how to get your excess inventory listed in 15 minutes.
PROOF IN PRACTICE
“It’s an amazing outlet for us.”
Elizabeth LeGore, Owner, Vagabond Apparel, on working with Max Retail
Vagabond Apparel is down the street from Melodie’s old store. Even after running its own warehouse sales, the store still ends up with racks of unsold goods. Max Retail puts that excess inventory in front of buyers through its marketplace partners. Read more retailer reviews.
California Apparel News asked fashion-sustainability leaders what’s giving them hope right now, one response named Max Retail directly.
“They’re making that process both accessible and effective.”
— Yoonho Cha, Marketing Director, Like Dreams, on working with Max Retail
