The Seasonal Dead Stock Playbook: How to Price Spring Jackets in January Without Holding Them Until Next Year

If a spring jacket has been sitting since March, the right move is almost always to price it to move now, not store it until next season. Holding cost — bin space, cash tied up, opportunity cost on inventory that could turn over 2-3 times in the same period — usually exceeds the markdown you'd need to sell it this month. The break-even math tells you exactly when to cut and when it's actually fine to wait.

Every reseller has a bin (or three) of seasonal dead stock. The 40 spring jackets from a February thrift haul that didn't sell by June. The linen shorts from a lot buy still sitting in October. The instinct is to wait it out —