Near-expiry stock is piling up. What now?
Short answer: Work out the "days to sell out" for each area: stock on hand divided by daily sales. Compare it with the remaining shelf life. If days to sell out are longer, stock will be left over, so push sales in that area before the store starts pulling short-dated goods. Run videos and ads only where stock is stuck, and don't ship a new lot on top. If you wait until the final month, the only options left are taking it back or destroying it.
Imported products carry more risk, because production, shipping and customs clearance eat shelf life before the goods even reach a Thai warehouse.
One number to check every week
Hypothetical example: warehouse and stores in one area hold 6,000 units, selling 50 a day. Days to sell out: 120. If 150 days of shelf life remain, it looks fine. But if the store won't accept or keeps pulling goods below a minimum remaining life, the real selling window is shorter. All figures here are illustrative; use your own numbers and the thresholds in your agreement.
Three alert levels
| Level | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Days to sell out clearly shorter than the real selling window | Ship as planned |
| Amber | Days to sell out close to the selling window | Hold the next lot; start reminder videos in that area |
| Red | Days to sell out longer than the selling window | Stop shipping; talk to the distributor about a promotion or moving stock to faster areas |
How TikTok can help clear stock
- Target ads only at amber and red areas, not the whole country.
- Use videos that say it's available at the store nearby, rather than launch-style videos.
- If you discount, do it with the store under its promotion rules, and don't release single-unit online codes in the same area at the same time.
Agree these in the contract up front
- The minimum remaining shelf life the store accepts.
- Who takes near-expiry and expired goods, counted from when.
- Who pays return freight and destruction.
- How often the distributor reports stock by expiry date.
Limits
- The example figures are hypothetical. Minimum shelf-life rules vary by store and category; check your actual agreement.
- In-store discounts follow the store's rules; the brand can't set them alone.
FAQ
Can stock move from slow areas to fast ones? It depends on the distributor's and store's distribution systems. Ask at the planning stage.
Can returned stock be sold online? If there is enough life left and it is in good condition, as a TikTok Shop bundle with the expiry date stated clearly.
How do we see it coming? Ask the distributor to include stock by lot and expiry date in the weekly report.
Sources
- Consignment or outright: who carries unsold stock: https://www.flowupth.com/en/insights/consignment-or-outright
- Out of stock in store: https://www.flowupth.com/en/insights/out-of-stock-in-store
- Run TikTok ads only where the stock is: https://www.flowupth.com/en/insights/tiktok-ads-where-stock-is
Related guide: Listed in 7-Eleven Thailand but Not Selling?
Next step: Not sure where your product should start? Send the Flowup team your product and where it sells today, on LINE or by email.
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