Retail Arbitrage – Home Bargains

Welcome back to the Retail Arbitrage Series! This will be one of many blogs where we explore different types of Retailers over the UK, giving you tips and advice that you can action to supercharge your Amazon journey. In this blog, we’re diving into Home Bargains, one of the most beginner friendly and profitable stores for retail arbitrage in the UK. If you’re just getting started, this is a store you need in your sourcing route.

About Home Bargains & How It Works

Home Bargains is a fantastic place to start your retail arbitrage journey. Known for its huge variety of discounted products, you’ll find everything from toys and beauty to supplements and homeware, often at prices well below Amazon’s.

There are stores in nearly every major city, and most are located in retail parks where parking is free and easy. It’s rare to find one on its own, they’re usually surrounded by other RA worthy stores, making it efficient to hit several spots in one go.

One of the best parts about Home Bargains is that deals are scattered throughout the shop, not just in the clearance section. Many profitable items aren’t even discounted, Home Bargains just price their products cheaply. This means scanning shelves is always worth your time, especially in the categories of toys, vitamins, skincare, beauty, and supplements. Many of these are replenishable too, giving you repeat buys with good ROI.

Where to Find Profitable Items

Some of the most consistently profitable sections include:

• Gym & Wellbeing Supplements: Always check anything that you have never seen before and looking new, constantly be checking for well known health brands.
• Skincare & Beauty: Follow the same ethos as above be checking constantly, Especially big brands or trendy items, an example of this is The Inkey List had a profitable range earlier this year.
• Toys: From September to January, this section becomes a goldmine for Q4. Check for brands such as Barbie, Playmobil, Star Wars toys (no Lego here though).

Even if something isn’t labelled as clearance, scan it, Home Bargains often sells mainstream brands at a discount compared to Amazon. Clearance in Home Bargains isn’t in one section, it’s all over the shop. Look out for yellow tags marked “Star Buys.” These are often promotional or feature products. With that being said, don’t just stop at the Star Buys. Big name branded products might not have clearance tags but still sell for significantly more on Amazon.

Once you get used to the store, you’ll start noticing when new ranges arrive or prices change and that’s your chance to clear up the new stock.

Times of Year for Home Bargains

• January – December: The health, beauty, and supplements section delivers year round profits. Focus on branded items and regular restocks.
• September – January: The toys section shines here (Q4). You’ll often find popular toys and games/board games that sell really well.

Home Bargains Hacks

• Don’t just scan Star Buys scan full-price items too: Many profitable products aren’t flagged with yellow tags.
• Watch for branded ranges that come and go: If a range performs well and you’ve got the capital, stock up before it disappears.
• Check expiry dates on anything consumable: Make sure there’s at least 6 months of shelf life on the product.
• Barcode not scanning? Try typing the name into Amazon manually—some listings won’t register with a scan. Always confirm that correct brand has created the listing (this can be found on the Amazon listing). Slight packaging differences are okay, but the brand must be a match.
• Look for subtle packaging change: Sometimes a different variant can still be listed safely if the product itself is identical.
• Built up a relationship with the store manager: This will help from being informed on new stock to dealing with returns, this is such a hack!

Pros & Cons of Home Bargains

Pros

• Year-round profitable finds
• Higher ROI and cheap buy-ins
• Great for replenishable stock
• Easy access and frequent restocks
• Clear and detailed receipts for Amazon claims
• It’s rare to find one on its own, they’re usually surrounded by other RA worthy stores.

Cons

• Listings can become saturated quickly
• Limited to receipt-only (no invoices)
• Can be heavily sourced by other sellers
• A lot of listings can get “bricked”, requiring patience or holding