Charlotte’s best kept secret for savvy shoppers is Vista Auction! Ever wonder what happens to the overstocks and returns at Amazon, Target, Home Depot, Kohl’s, and other big retailers?
Are you looking for an Amazon overstock store in Charlotte, NC? Vista Auction is better than you imagined, because you can shop from home!
This local, family-owned company buys the items and then offers them in online auctions. The items are seemingly endless. (Warning: you might find yourself spending hours browsing the auctions!) You’ll find air fryers, car seats, 3D printers, coffee makers, and much more.
Items are either overstocks, new with damaged packaging, or returns. Make sure to read the description before bidding, so that you know which it is. Sales are final.
Read on to learn all about Vista Auction, or jump to the Hints and Tips section!
Every single auction starts at $1, with no reserve.
Items often end up going for way under retail prices. On average, customers save 75% on retail prices.
Vista Auction regularly shares the finds and final prices on Instagram and it’s a pretty addictive watch!
Vista Auction sells around 20,000 items every week. Auctions are usually posted at least a day in advance, and there are generally 6 to 8 auctions a day (with many items in each auction.) There are a lot of duplicates, so if you miss out on an item, keep looking. It may pop up again.
Items are overstocks from big retailers, or returns. Someone from Vista Auction inspects each item, and the condition is noted in the auction, so make sure to read carefully.
The “won” prices do not include taxes or fees. There’s a $2 lot fee per item and 15% Buyers Premium. When you look at the auction item, the fee will be listed, so there will be no surprises.
Shop for Holiday Gifts
Shopping for gifts? Try Vista Auction! Make sure to look for only new items, and preferably if it says “sealed,” because that means it’s never been opened. Also, make sure to look at the photos of the actual item, because the item can be in new condition, but the packaging might not be in great condition.
There are a lot of great option for gifts like fishing supplies, kitchen supplies, electronics, toys, shoes and vacuums.
Shop for shoes and clothes
Lately, lots of shoes and clothes have been showing up in the auctions. It’s like thrifting online! Lots of ON Cloud sneakers, Hoka sneakers, Birkenstocks, UGGs, Free People clothing, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Coach purses and jewelry and tons more designer brands.
The clothing, shoes and accessories will go for anywhere between 50% – 90% off retail price.
There is a “Clothing, Shoes and Accessories” category to make finding these pieces easier, and if you are looking for high end and brand names, try using the “Sort by price highest” feature which is located by the search bar!
Pickup Location
Vista Auction’s pickup location is 2500 Sardis Road North, Charlotte, North Carolina.
How to Shop with Vista Auction
Register: Register here to get started. The registration link is on the top of VistaAuction.com. You’ll receive an email with a verification link, which you need to click on.
Check out the auctions: On Vista Auction’s home page you’ll see all the auctions. The ones on top are ending soon.
Select an auction: Choose the auction you’re interested in by clicking on “View all lots.” You can also search for specific items, or browse categories of items.
Bid on an item: Click on the “Quick bid” button for the item you’re interested in. Make sure to read the description. You can also use proxy bidding, where you set a maximum amount, and Vista Auction will automatically enter bids, at the lowest increments, up to your maximum amount.
You’ve won!: Once you win, an invoice will be mailed to you. Make an appointment online to pick up your items. Appointments are available Monday to Saturday.
Bring ID and the invoice. There’s a QR code on the invoice that will be scanned. You MUST pick it up within five days, or it will be recycled or resold and you will not get a refund. The location is in East Charlotte.
Check your items carefully during pick-up.
Customer service: Vista Auction does inspect the items and notes their condition. But if you win an auction and find that there was mistake in how it was described (for instance, it said it was new, but it was used) please contact customer service at support@vistaauction.com and they will take care of you.
Hints and Tips
Most people browse using the auction number and start from page 1, scrolling down, but browsing other ways could land you better deals.
- Browse using categories
- Pay attention to the 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. auctions! Since most people are at work during that time, items go for less since there are less people bidding on them. If there’s the same item on a 4 p.m. auction and on a 8 p.m. auction, most likely the item on the 4 p.m. auction will be won for less
- Set alarms to not forget about your item. Many times people miss out on a good deal because they forget about their item that was playing. A good trick is to set an alarm on your phone a few minutes before the item ends
- Sort by price. If you click on the search button, it automatically sorts by “Ending soon.” if you click “Ending soon”, you can filter by “Price Highest” to find the highest value items.
- For those who like to resell items: The items that you can get the best deals on are the miscellaneous items that the average person has no use for. For example t-shirt heat presses, wheelchairs, collectables, bounce houses, instruments, industrial parts and car parts. All of these items get sold for way below retail price and could easily get resold on Ebay or Facebook Marketplace to make a profit.
Stay up to date with Vista Auction on their Facebook group and Instagram.
Vista Bins and Deals
In addition to the auctions, Vista now has a bins & deals store at its location at 2500 Sardis Road North, Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s called Vista Bins and Deals.
There are blue bins full of items, and they’re all at the same price, according to the day:
- Monday – $8
- Tuesday – $6
- Wednesday – $4
- Thursday – $3
- Friday – $2
- Saturday – $1
The bins are restocked every Monday. There are items from Target, Walmart and more. You can sometimes find expensive items like JBL speakers, Sony headphones and more.
in addition, there are products on shelves that are a fixed discounted price, usually around 50% of retail price. There are pet products, dining chairs, coffee tables, toys, video games and more.
All sales are final at the Bins and Deals store. Not all of the bin items are new, but all the shelf items are new.
You do not need to be picking anything up from the auction in order to shop at the Bins and Deals store. You can walk right in.
Check out VistaAuction.com!
Charlotte on the Cheap is a member of 
