Winning Big at ASD Convention 2025
Winning Big at ASD 2025 Vegas: Liquidation Sourcing, Whatnot Growth, and Bin Store Playbook
World’s largest wholesale circus is back in Vegas—twice a year like clockwork—and if you’re serious about the liquidation game, you do not miss ASD. Guys, it’s not just a trade show; it’s the watering hole where the whole herd comes to drink. The bins get fuller, the pallets get cheaper, and the contacts get real. We’re talking 2.5 million square feet of vendors, 1,800+ booths, and 30,000 buyers walking the floor ready to spend. If you’re hunting loads for your bin store, your auction, or your e-com hustle, this is where you shake hands, make deals, and—say it with me—make some money.
Let’s hit it with speed and heat.
Rapid Riffs: What You Can Score (and the Math)
Target GM & Case Packs (properly curated):
Mix these into your weekly bin cycle and you’re cooking. Example: 24-pallet Target GM truck at $9,600 all-in ($400/pallet landed). If you pull 2,000 BINNABLE pieces at an average sell-through $3.50, you’re at $7,000 revenue on just the “bin line”—without counting higher-ticket pulls for auction or marketplace. Stack two trucks a month? You see the volume play.
Amazon LPN/FC Mix:
This is still our bread-and-butter for bins. You don’t chase “perfect,” you chase piece count. If your average piece cost stays under $1.20 and your weekly cadence hits $12 → $1 drops, the margin lives in the middle of the week. Remember the mantra: we don’t care about value, we care about volume.
Whatnot Fuel:
We run daily streams, and it didn’t turn profitable overnight. It’s a grind. But those who start now will own the platform in 5–10 years. Pull 200 lots/day at an average hammer of $9.50 with $5 average cost, net after fees ~$3.50 per lot. That’s $700/day net on stream days, and you’re recycling leftovers into bins or next week’s auctions. Multi-channel is how you stop bleeding and start scaling.
HiBid Weekly (Local Pickup):
Great for bulky GM, home goods, returns, “open box” tools. 400 lots at $12 average hammer with $5 average cost → $2,800 net after fees. Do it weekly and now you’ve created a pressure relief valve for your warehouse.
In-House Live Auction:
The showmanship matters. 250 lots, better curation, higher urgency → $18 average hammer with $6 cost. You can double your net vs. a “random Saturday sale” if you hype properly and seat a crowd.
ASD is where you source consistent streams for all four lanes—bin store, Whatnot, HiBid, and live auctions—so you’re not married to any single outlet. Avoid the scramble game.
Tom’s Vegas Playbook (So You Don’t Waste Time or Money)
Stay at Westgate—there’s a reason
I park at Westgate because it’s connected to the Convention Center. No taxis. No tram. No nonsense. Rooms are reasonable, lobby isn’t a madhouse, and if you like history: it’s Elvis central. The guy did 636 consecutive shows right there and lived in the top-floor penthouse. Cool trivia, sure—but the real win is logistics. You will walk miles at ASD; don’t add an hour of transport to your day.
Use the Tesla Loop like a pro
Right outside Westgate’s front doors sits the Tesla Loop (Boring Company). Jump in, you’re at LVCC in about three minutes. When your feet are barking after Day 1, that three minutes will feel like a miracle. Remember: your energy is part of your ROI. Protect it.
Walk the floor with a plan
2.5 million sq ft will eat you alive if you “wander.” Hit liquidation-first (that’s where your relationships live), then pass 2–3 times to firm pricing and terms. Schedule your “A-list” meetings early Day 1, then shop add-ons Day 2, and tie bows on Day 3. Don’t leave without at least two new primary suppliers and one backup.
Who You Need to Meet (and Why)
This show’s about people, not just pallets. Faces, names, handshakes. Here are a few must-knows from the floor:
Whatnot (the booth with momentum)
We’ve run daily Whatnot for a long time. It’s a marathon. But the compound effect is brutal—in your favor. The platform team’s been at ASD for years. Stop by, learn the new features, and ask how to structure shows for faster follower growth. Your goal next six months: build repeatable show formats (tools hour, small appliances hour, “$3 chaos cart,” etc.) and train your team.
Liquidation.com (LSI)
Big dog in the industry—Amazon, Walmart, Lowe’s, and more. Look, a lot of you DM me “Tom, where do I get real loads?” You need a consistent source that can fill trucks every week, not “once in a while when my cousin’s friend has a deal.” That’s why I shake hands with the senior folks. It’s about repeatability.
FNB Wholesale (Bert & team)
If you don’t know Bert, you’re sleeping. The man is honest and transparent—and that’s currency. They’re even building their own auction software stack (barcode scanning, storage locations, customizable buyer’s premium, email/text automation). Translation: they’re solving the everyday operator problems that steal your profit after you buy the load. Tech that tightens ops is like free margin.
Jackpot Palace (Target GM, case packs, and apparel logic that makes sense)
Here’s what I like: they separated apparel from GM so you can buy exactly what fits your model. Apparel lovers get dedicated pallets; GM buyers don’t get blindsided by clothing. Seasonal and Bullseye filtered for case packs? That’s operator-friendly curation. They’re positioned in Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Orlando, FL—so you can regionalize freight and save your damn money on transport.
Operator Truths (Tattoo These on Your Forklifts)
Fill your freaking bins. Full bins equal fat lines and fast cash. Sparse bins trigger “there’s nothing good” psychology. Overflow them on restock day. Make the bargains obvious.
Volume over value. I’ll take 3,000 pieces at $2.75 average any day over “mystery gold” that takes five staff hours to sell. Your payroll is part of your cost of goods. Think pieces, not trophies.
Avoid the scramble game. The scramble game is what you play when you have no reliable suppliers. Solve it at ASD. Lock in weekly cadence: truck on Tuesday, unbox Wednesday, $12 Thursday, slide to $1 by Wednesday, cleanout, repeat.
Processed vs. unprocessed. I’m fine with processed—if labeled and priced accordingly. Don’t let “Amazon-tape cosplay” fool you. Ask for photos, manifests (when available), and consistency. One good truck isn’t a program. Ten good trucks is a program.
Multi-channel or bust. Bins pay the bills. Whatnot builds reach. HiBid clears bulky. Live auction creates hype and moves one-offs. The four lanes work together. When one lane softens, another lane spikes. That’s stability.
Marketing is inventory’s twin. No one cares that your back room is stacked to the ceiling. Post daily. Short verticals. Price drops. Restock teasers. Cross-promote live shows inside the bin store and vice versa.
Field Notes: How I Work ASD (Step-by-Step)
Day 0 (Arrival):
Check into Westgate. Walk the connector to LVCC to scout entries/exits, cafes, bathrooms—yes, this matters. Mark the liquidation hall in your map app.
Day 1 (Hunting A-Suppliers):
Hit Liquidation.com/LSI early. Learn freight options. Get real on weekly capacity.
Swing by Whatnot booth. Confirm partner perks, ask for category specialists, get a channel audit if they’ll do it.
Meet 2–3 GM sources (like Jackpot Palace). Ask specific: apparel-in/out options? seasonal filtering? case-pack policies? regional yards?
Day 2 (Programming Your Mix):
Lock two weekly programs (e.g., 1 Amazon FC + 1 Target GM).
Price transport and decide which destinations: bin store vs. auction warehouse.
Shop add-ons: tool pallets for live auction; smalls for Whatnot; furniture scratch-n-dent for local pickup.
Day 3 (Paper & Proof):
Put POs on paper. Exchange cell + email with the actual rep who will answer you on Tuesdays.
Book your first two deliveries before you leave Vegas.
Celebrate with a cheap steak, not a $400 nightclub tab. Save your damn money.
Shout-Outs & Community
ASD is where I bump into friends I met “last show” who are now opening store number two. It’s where I meet a viewer who grabbed a Coach bag in our bin line for $12 then flipped it for $85—shout-out to you, Bella-style wins all day. It’s where guys like Bert from FNB Wholesale remind me the best vendors are the ones who answer the phone when a truck’s late and make it right without three weeks of email tag.
If you saw us on the floor, fist bump. If you didn’t, catch me at the next one. I’m the guy pointing at overflowing bins yelling, “Fill your freaking bins!”
Travel Hacks So You Don’t Come Home Broke
Westgate + Loop = less Uber, more walking. That’s savings and sanity.
Eat off-strip, buy water by the case. Vegas taxes slow thinkers.
Ship samples, not suitcases. Use your hotel’s business center.
Coupons & show specials. Some vendors run ASD-only deals—ask.
Your Post-ASD 30-Day Execution Plan
Week 1: Two trucks land. Build unboxing stations, document quality with quick phone clips, and drip those videos on socials. Launch Whatnot “New in the Warehouse” theme shows.
Week 2: First HiBid of the month (bulky GM, mixed tools, furniture). Restock bins at $12, slam to $7/$5/$3/$1 cadence. Overfill the first 48 hours.
Week 3: Live in-house auction. Push premium lots you curated from the two trucks. Use “auction preview” reels on Facebook/TikTok/YouTube Shorts.
Week 4: Audit your turns. If your $3 day is slow, add a mystery cart hour or a power-hour $2 table to juice traffic. Reorder from your two ASD suppliers. Rinse and repeat.
That’s a system—not a hope. Systems pay rent. Hope eats ramen.
Guys, ASD isn’t about walking 10 miles to collect business cards. It’s where you lock supply, plan your four-lane sales machine, and stop playing the weekly panic game. Meet the reps. Ask the hard questions. Book the trucks. Then come home and do what we do:
Now go out there and make some money.
Want help setting up your weekly mix or structuring a four-lane sales plan (Bins, Whatnot, HiBid, Live)? Text me (315) 778-8744 —let’s get you a consistent truck cadence and real margins.
home | blog
