distress merchandise

American  

Or distressed merchandise

noun

Commerce.

1. goods sold below the prevailing price in order to raise cash quickly or to meet some other financial emergency.

2. damaged goods sold below fair-trade prices.

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distress merchandise British  

noun

1. goods sold at reduced prices in order to pay overdue debts, etc

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Example Sentences

The rest is distress merchandise that has not moved on the store shelves and is dumped at large discounts to middlemen, who field it out to street hawkers.

From Time Magazine Archive

They pointed out that the discounters' stores were messy, that the goods they sold were often distress merchandise, and that the clerks were few and were usually order takers who did not know their stock.

From Time Magazine Archive

When Depression hit, he waved ready cash under publishers' long faces, cornered the market in publishing's distress merchandise.

From Time Magazine Archive

However, he buys up distress merchandise of other dealers at bargain prices, then turns it in at full credit on his 5% allowance.

From Time Magazine Archive