Selling a Consumer Goods Retail business
Based on hundreds of real buyer-seller diligence conversations we’ve helped happen on Rejigg, these are the questions that actually move price in consumer goods retail: … These are the questions that actually move price in consumer goods retail: what you really make per SKU after ads, fees, and returns, how risky your inventory is, how fragile your channels are, and whether the brand runs without you making daily operator calls.
What's your consumer goods retail business worth?
Sign up to learn more about selling your business. Free valuation included.
What buyers evaluate, and how to prepare
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Build a per-SKU margin waterfall for top SKUs by channel: price, discounts, fees, landed cost, fulfillment/storage, ad spend, returns allowance.
- Reconcile the SKU roll-up to monthly financials so totals tie out without assumptions.
- Standardize your categories for ads, fulfillment, shipping, and refunds, and keep them consistent for several months.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Produce inventory by location and age: FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) age buckets, 3PL on-hand, in-transit POs, and any distributor inventory.
- Write a simple playbook for discounting, bundling, liquidation, and scrapping by age bucket.
- Document how you value inventory at landed cost and how you handle obsolete or unsellable units.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Document reorder points and weeks-of-cover targets by SKU, including seasonality.
- Summarize supplier lead times door-to-door, MOQs (Minimum Order Quantities), and your purchase order calendar.
- Show one recent example where forecast, PO, and receipt matched plan, plus what you changed after misses.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Break out revenue and contribution margin by channel and top SKUs.
- Write a realistic plan for a 30-day disruption to your top channel or top ASIN, including where inventory would go.
- Document the key relationships by channel and how the handoff would work.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Write a clear account health timeline with dates, issues, and proof of resolution.
- Confirm Brand Registry status, trademark ownership, and who has admin access to seller and ad accounts.
- Organize claim support, quality documentation, and your process for handling copycats or listing hijacks.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Report returns and refunds by SKU and channel with top reasons and defect-related rates.
- Show what you changed in packaging, instructions, imagery, or QC, and whether returns improved.
- Track how returns connect to reviews, ad performance, and customer service tickets.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Show door count, reorder cadence, and expected sell-through by key account, not just launch POs.
- Quantify deductions and trade spend as a percentage of wholesale revenue, and list the top reasons.
- Document the fixes you made and your dispute process, including any 3PL or process changes.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Summarize suppliers by SKU with lead times, MOQs, pricing history, and payment terms.
- Document your quality control steps and what triggers a hold or rework.
- Outline realistic backup options and the expected timeline to qualify them.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- Map the weekly work to people or vendors: forecasting, POs, 3PL, customer service escalations, paid media, listing updates.
- List relationship handoffs and schedule the intro and handoff meetings.
- Propose a transition schedule with hours per week and clear boundaries.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
What buyers determine
How to prepare
- List 3 to 5 growth initiatives with numbers: MOQ, timeline, expected margin, ad budget, reorder cadence.
- Share proof from tests already run, like small purchase orders, conversion data, or creative experiments.
- Name the bottlenecks and what you have done to manage them, such as cash planning or 3PL capacity.
Great answer
Good answer
Red flag
Straight from buyer evaluations
How buyers value this type of business
Where you fall in that range depends on whether you sell through multiple channels (Amazon, your own site, retail), how strong your brand and reviews are, and whether someone else could run the business tomorrow.
What drives a premium
- Selling through more than one channelBuyers pay more when your revenue comes from a mix of places — Amazon, your own website, retail stores — because it means the business isn't at risk if any one platform changes its rules.
- Products with strong reviews and repeat buyersHigh ratings, happy customers who come back, and low return rates tell buyers the product works and will keep selling after they take over.
- Supplier relationships that are documentedIf your factory contacts, pricing, and reorder process are written down somewhere (not just in your head), that's a real asset buyers are paying for.
- A brand people recognizeA strong product reputation, loyal following, or recognizable name commands a premium because the buyer doesn't have to build trust from scratch.
Common add-backs
What the process looks like
- 1ListingThe day your business goes live on Rejigg.
- 2First messageMedian: 4 days laterA buyer requests a conversation by sending a first pitch.
- 3First callMedian: 7 days laterYour first completed call with a buyer to answer questions about your business.
- 4Letter of intentMedian: 59 days laterA buyer submits an LOI and you choose to accept, decline, or negotiate.
- 5Deal closeMedian: 89 days laterAssuming all is well in due diligence, you close the deal.
Common questions about selling a Consumer Goods Retail business
Ready to see what your business is worth?
Share a few details and get an honest valuation. No pressure, no commitment.