Affiliate links are used in this post, giving us a commission if you purchase items through the links, at no additional cost to you.
You’re probably reading this for one of two reasons: You’ve stumbled across FastTrack IT and are wondering what the heck it is and if it’s legit, or we know each other in real life and I’ve told you about the site with enthusiasm plus an abundance of caution.
For anyone just starting to dive in, there are two things you need to know before bidding on a FastTrackIT auction:
- The items listed are on this website for a reason. They could be brand new, or they could have been opened, used, stuffed back into the box and returned. Or possibly damaged beyond repair. I’ve purchased both new and open box sight-unseen and consider myself lucky we’ve only had a few complete duds. Use their descriptions, check the items in-person if you can before buying, and cross your fingers if you can’t.
- The warehouse pick up sucks. It’s a bit of a ridiculous hassle. After locating and wrangling a trolly, you locate your area (A-E) and your row. And then best of luck as you pick through a jumbled load of boxes to try to find your purchase. (Granted, there was only been one time I couldn’t locate what I purchased. After finding an elusive warehouse worker to sign off on my invoice, the customer service ladies gave me a refund.) ALSO know there are certain pick-up dates for each auction. This is why we batch buy — once we win an item, we only bid on other items with the same pick up dates. That way we can go once, pick up them all together, and then don’t go to the warehouse again until we find something else to buy (usually like two months later). It’s that much of an annoying thing.
Most importantly, just read how the auctions work on FastTrackIT’s website. They have FAQs and also post super detailed descriptions on each auction lot they list. This post gives my own experience, which started with *reading through their website*. Regarding the item sources, they explain: “We auction secondary market items via our online platform. Secondary market means, these could come from customer returns, overstock, shelf pulls or display/floor models. We have no way of knowing if a customer used the item prior to returning the item or if the supplier simply had too many and sold them to us as overstock.”
I was going to write a lot more about the nuances of the site and pick-up, but Emily over at Go Haus Go has you covered with some great insights. (She’s focused on the Cincy locations and doesn’t reflect the changes FastTrackIT has recently made to the product descriptions).
Tips for Beginners to Keep in Mind Before Bidding
- Always filter by auction site. Each warehouse lists their own auctions and since you have to pick everything up in person, you don’t want to buy something that’s sitting in Texas when you’re in Ohio.
- In figuring your bidding budget, remember the internet premium (and taxes).
- Read the fine print before you buy. Don’t take my word for it — read the fine print on the auction to discover additional costs (like the internet premium), anything special about the lot, when the pick up dates are, etc.
My personal rules to keep purchases in check include:
- Don’t buy anything that could go drastically wrong. I actually stay away from all electronics, though I may change my tune for a KitchenAid Mixer. My husband wanted to buy a grill/smoker from FastTrackIT and I said absolutely not. Too much risk. Similarly, I’d never buy a car seat or anything that has rigorous safety standards.
- Not bidding on anything worth less than $50. It’s just enough hassle to get to the warehouse and pick up the item that I want it to be worth it. You also have a better chance on getting a better deal with this method. I’m not going to bid $1 on an item worth $10, that’s not worth it. But I will bid $10 on an item worth $100.
- Not buying food or toiletries. I’m sure I’m missing out on great deals. I’m sure the “Brand New” categorization is accurate. I just…can’t.
- Only buying things we need or have considered as wants. So much random (and cool!) stuff pops up that I would have never considered buying had it not been enticingly listed for such a deal. While I love that these items are getting a second chance and avoiding landfills, I also need to protect my home from becoming overfilled. I don’t bid if the item isn’t something we’ve talked about buying or I can see us using within a couple months for a realistic purpose.
- Use the watchlist. Before actually bidding on anything, I discuss items and bid amounts with my husband as an extra gut check and a chance to set budget/max bids.
- Check all photos in the listing. After I click an item to read the description, I make sure to look at additional photos. They typically use a stock photo to introduce the item, but also include photos of the actual item in the warehouse. We’ve rejected bidding on items if the box looks too beaten up. If I still want it at this point, I put it on my Watch List.
Pick Up
The warehouse is indeed a cluster. The checkout line definitely gets long if you’re in the after work crowd, but we’ve never experienced an hour wait like some people complained about. It looks like some locations are run much better than others.
To note, we are always there during the after work rush because I don’t feel safe enough with two kids in tow by myself. It’s not dangerous, but juuuuuust sketchy and cumbersome enough to necessitate meeting my husband after work to pick up together.
And now, presenting our top FastTrackIT purchases:
(Affiliate links used below for new, comparable versions of our warehouse finds. Purchases through the affiliate links will give us a commission, at no additional cost to you.)
A sampling of items that we were pleased to find were not complete trash.
WINS!
Buffet (paid $63, 84% off new listing price)
Though the packaging upon pick-up was iffy (precarious box with way too much extra tape required) and we got tiny broken pieces of styrofoam allllll over our house and garage, we were pleasantly surprised this piece came out well with NO broken glass.
The only issue is a small crack in the wood on the top, but we used a furniture repair pen to darken it up. You can barely tell (that, or we don’t have incredibly high standards for our furniture, hence why we buy on FastTrackIT. Heyo!).
(You can get a new version of this on Amazon).
Coleman tent (paid $121, 48% off new list price)
Bought before we went on a camping trip with a 2-year-old and needed something big enough for a two inflatable mattresses. When we first opened it we discovered small holes in the wall and the floor tarp, which we were able to patch with duct tape. It was hard to tell if the tent had been delivered with the flaws, or if someone had already taken it out, created holes in it, and then returned it.
For as expensive as this item was originally, we were pleased the damage was as reasonable and fixable as it was. Fully satisfied.
(You can get a new version of this on Amazon)
Baby pod (paid $23, 65% off new list price)
Officially called an On-the-Go Baby Dome, we affectionately call this “the pod.” The box was beat up, but we couldn’t find anything wrong with the item itself.
(You can get a new version of this on Amazon)
Regalo foldable playard (paid $11, 82% off new list price)
Some of the canvas seemed a little worn and the bag was missing the drawstring, but otherwise this playyard came from the auction warehouse in great shape.
(You can get a new version of this on Amazon)
Kitchen pendant light (paid $26, 83% off new list price)
Nothing wrong with this that we could find; no complaints. Love it.
(You can get a new version of this on Amazon)
Hayneedle outdoor curved bench (paid $31, 72% off new list price)
Looks new, had all parts and hardware. Love it.
(You can get a new version of this on Hayneedle).
Play kitchen (paid $11, 91% off new list price)
Miraculously had all major pieces. We think it was missing a few food accessories. Sometimes the wifi has trouble staying connect to the app, but that’s the only complaint.
(You can get a new version of this on Amazon)
Fails
Water table
I purchased this in my early FastTrackIT days, before I really understood the product descriptions and knew about the preview times or checking items before leaving the warehouse.
This water table should have three legs. It only came with two, rendering it basically unusable. It was missing half the attachments and toys. And worst of all, everything was covered in pet hair. I was super grossed out and absolutely livid. Who takes something out of the box, uses it, but then returns it dirty and with half the pieces missing? Ugggghhh. I hosed it down, cleaned everything with soap, and now we try to use it propped up on blocks. Not great.
Large planter
As soon as we took the pieces out of the box we could tell why it was returned. There should be two types of slanted sides that fit snugly and screw into each other. But this box had four of the same panels that didn’t fit together at all.
This looks great *now*, but only after it sat in our shed for a *year and a half* needing serious work. Thankfully I have a handy husband who re-figured the attachments and somehow fit everything together.
BONUS if you’re super interested in reading more about Fast Track IT…
- For additional insights, (and if you don’t mind some strong language), this is a hilarious thread on Reddit about people’s experiences with FastTrackIT.
- Reading the BBB complaints, it looks like some people fundamentally don’t understand the purpose of the site or aren’t reading the site disclaimers. (I.e. bidding on out-of-state items, expecting working products as though they’re new)
- I found their origin story on their Facebook page (click “Our Story”). I didn’t realize it was founded in Cincy, which now makes sense why the BBB complaints, Reddit feed and blog post all we’re from Cincy. It’s certainly an interesting business model.
