The question we get most from live sellers is not "how do I grow my stream" but "where do I get stock that sells at my price points". Here we cover the realistic sourcing routes for a UK live-selling business on Whatnot, TikTok Shop or Tilt, and how to do it without buying counterfeits.
Who are we?
We are a small clearance team with 40+ years of experience in the trade. We buy excess and clearance stock from brands and retailers and sell it on to trade buyers, and a good share of those buyers now sell live.
We sell to many live sellers via sportswholesale.co.uk and a mixed pallet site, mixedpallets.com (launching 15th September 2026).
Buying authentic
Sourcing clearance stock for live-selling you need to be careful to buy authentic.
1. Inspect your first order
This can be in person or by a video. Firms selling authentic stock will be OK with you collecting a first order in person.
2. Is it too good to be true?
Clearance is clearance for a reason. If someone has an unlimited supply of Nike branded socks on clearance, or P90s, this is unlikely to be authentic. Nike does not supply random wholesalers an unlimited supply of core lines below the retail price.
Some items which are easier to counterfeit (e.g., socks) you need to be particularly careful in how you source product.
3. Are there 'tells' that it is genuine clearance?
There are normally tells an item is from a genuine clearance route:
- For shoes, this is often a broken size curve (e.g., too many of size 8 but not enough size 9), or it's last year's model.
- Customer returns.
- Short dated food.
- A less well known brand which maybe overproduced.
- A change in regulations.
Know your audience...
In streaming you might only have 100 people on a stream, so if no-one wants the item you are selling it can go VERY cheap. You need items which work for your customer base.
... but don't be afraid to experiment
To grow your streaming business you will need to attract new customers. If you work with a wholesaler with low MOVs or mixed pallets, this gives some room to experiment. We often see a customer place a test order of £200 or £400, and then ramp to £5,000 orders once they are confident in the sell price and volume.
How to get a wholesaler to take you seriously
You do not need a warehouse, a VAT number or a big following. You need to make it easy to quote you. Send:
- Your platform and handle, so we can watch a show and see what your audience pays.
- The categories you sell and the price points that work (for example "men's trainers, £20 to £40 hammer; women's bags, £40 to £120").
- How much you can spend per order and how often.
- Whether you can take size runs, and which sizes are hardest for you.
- A request for a small first order or a sample. Any decent wholesaler will do this, and it costs you nothing to ask.
That message gets you a shortlist from us within a day. "Send me your best deals" gets you a link to the website.
If your first message is you want AF1s only, or Hoka at 25% of retail then we know that this is unlikely to be a productive partnership. Core lines from the best brands don't end up in clearance often for exactly that reason.
Speak to us
Our live stock is on sportswholesale.co.uk and more coming soon on mixedpallets.com: branded sportswear and footwear in size runs, 8 units minimum, reserve without paying, VAT invoices on every order. If you would rather talk first, use our contact form, WhatsApp me directly on +44 7348 950 325, or email me at ethan.horsfall@diracgroup.com. Tell us what sells on your stream and we will tell you honestly whether we have it.