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Overstock.com launches online store

Overstock.com, a liquidation and e-commerce company, is expected to launch a new online store Tuesday, one that the company says will allow small businesses to access the liquidation market. Privately held Overstock is launching OverstockB2B.com, a Web store that will sell products obtained from manufacturers that are going out of business or are trying to rid themselves of excess inventory. Salt Lake City, Utah-based Overstock said that because manufacturers usually prefer selling this kind of merchandise to companies that buy large volumes, small businesses have been "squeezed out." Overstock plans to bridge the gap by buying liquidation merchandise and then reselling smaller volumes to "mom-and-pop operations" at prices up to 40 percent less than wholesale, Overstock said. Overstock is among the liquidation specialists that attracted attention for buying up the inventories of distressed tech companies for pennies on the dollar and reselling them at discounted prices.

Greg Sandoval Former Staff writer
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. Based in New York, Sandoval is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at @sandoCNET.
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Greg Sandoval
Overstock.com, a liquidation and e-commerce company, is expected to launch a new online store Tuesday, one that the company says will allow small businesses to access the liquidation market. Privately held Overstock is launching OverstockB2B.com, a Web store that will sell products obtained from manufacturers that are going out of business or are trying to rid themselves of excess inventory. Salt Lake City, Utah-based Overstock said that because manufacturers usually prefer selling this kind of merchandise to companies that buy large volumes, small businesses have been "squeezed out."

Overstock plans to bridge the gap by buying liquidation merchandise and then reselling smaller volumes to "mom-and-pop operations" at prices up to 40 percent less than wholesale, Overstock said. Overstock is among the liquidation specialists that attracted attention for buying up the inventories of distressed tech companies for pennies on the dollar and reselling them at discounted prices.