The Liquidator is a Canadian reality television series that aired on the Canadian specialty channel OLN. The series was filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia and was produced by Anaid Productions. It was cancelled in 2016.
The Liquidator originally premiered on July 5, 2012 on OLN. For its third season, the series expanded to 26 episodes, up from 13 episodes in each of the two previous seasons, and also featured additional cities across Canada. The series has since been extended to a total of 39 episodes for season 4. Production on the 39-episode season completed and premiered on OLN in fall 2015.
Summary The Liquidator follows the daily life of Jeff Schwarz, the star of the series, as he buys and sells discarded or unwanted merchandise. The series focuses on Jeff's negotiating (or "haggling") skills as he hunts for bargains and tries to get the lowest possible price on merchandise. Jeff follows leads and negotiates deals for the merchandise which is then sold by him and his staff at Direct Liquidation, a 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Burnaby, British Columbia which is owned and operated by Jeff and his wife, or in some cases through an auction.
International broadcast
The Liquidator was acquired by Discovery International for its DMAX channels in Europe. The series is now available via the Discovery channel in various countries across Europe, including the United Kingdom Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Italy, France, Russia, and in Israel.
The show was acquired by PPI Releasing for broadcast syndication in the United States in 2021 and has been airing on select Fox, MyNetworkTV, The CW, and various independent stations since then.
Episode list
Season Episodes Season premiere Season finale 1 13 July 5, 2012 September 27, 2012 2 13 November 8, 2012 February 21, 2013 3 26 June 27, 2013 March 6, 2014 4 39 January 8, 2015 November 30, 2015
Season 1: 2012
No. inSeries No. inSeason Title Original Air Date 1 1 "Bricks And Mortals" July 5, 2012 Jeff hosts an auction after walking into a potentially lucrative deal. 2 2 "Heads… Or Tail Between Legs" July 12, 2012 Jeff falls in love with a monster statue made of motorbike parts. 3 3 "Everything Must Go" July 19, 2012 Jeff surprises his staff with unannounced shipments and frantically tries to sell off the merchandise once it arrives. 4 4 "The Flip" July 26, 2012 Jeff starts flipping merchandise before taking possession. 5 5 "Of Mensch And Men" August 2, 2012 Jeff goes crazy when he comes out on the losing end of a pricey electronics deal. 6 6 "Turn Over" August 9, 2012 A pretty young librarian-in-training gets initiated at Direct Liquidation. 7 7 "Up In Smoke" August 16, 2012 Jeff scoops up a shipment of furniture that might have been used to sell drugs and searches to find a buyer. 8 8 "No Way, Jose" August 23, 2012 Jeff has a major shipment on the way with no more room left in his warehouse and must convince Jose to share his warehouse space. 9 9 "Storage Locker Roulette" August 30, 2012 Jeff gambles on a series of storage lockers. 10 10 "Dealmakers Anonymous" September 6, 2012 Jeff buys a shipment of Asian noodles that are about to expire. 11 11 "A Chip Off The Old Block" September 13, 2012 Jeff's son Nick convinces his dad to partner on a new T-shirt line. Daniel takes on the management of a Pop-Up store. 12 12 "Settling The Score" September 20, 2012 Jeff races to get top dollar for a warehouse full of dollar store junk. Jose plots to get even for the pallets Jeff snuck into his warehouse. 13 13 "On The Block" September 27, 2012 Jeff decides to hold the mother-of-all auctions but a visit from local by-law officers puts his whole plan in jeopardy.
Season 2: 2012-2013
No. InSeries No. InSeason Title Original Air Date 14 1 "Risky Business" November 8, 2012 Jeff makes the biggest gamble of his career bidding for a truckload of high-end electronics that have been damaged in transit. 15 2 "Has The Master Lost His Mojo?" November 15, 2012 Jeff takes delivery of a massive load of dubious merchandise and his staff starts to worry. Meanwhile, a planned auction of high-end goods teeters on the brink of disaster. 16 3 "No Rest For The Wicked" November 22, 2012 Jeff is stressed out from making deals non-stop. After reaching a breaking point, he reluctantly lets his family take him on a vacation but struggles to relax. 17 4 "A Matter Of Trust" November 29, 2012 Jeff negotiates for goods at an Italian gelato café that appears to have something brewing on the side. Jeff makes other deals for dodgy Chinese mattresses and wicker furniture. 18 5 "Collecting Cash" December 6, 2012 Jeff finally decides to part with his beloved Motorcycle Monster statue and a fellow-collector tempts him with even more novelty attractions. 19 6 "Man In The Middle" December 13, 2012 Jeff is approached by a man with a batch of tuxedos to sell and plays middleman to bring together a series of buyers and sellers. 20 7 "Tough Sell" January 10, 2013 A big deal gives Jeff more trouble than he bargained for. 21 8 "A Hand Up" January 17, 2013 After Jose faces the loss of his business, Jeff helps him find a way back into the game. Jose learns that there's always a price to pay for a hand up from Jeff. 22 9 "The Floor" January 24, 2013 Jeff pressures his staff to fit his recent impulse purchases into an already overcrowded warehouse. Meanwhile, a friend talks Jeff into buying weird merchandise. 23 10 "You Get What You Pay For" January 31, 2013 Jeff jumps on tempting deals and tries to sell fine art, antique musical instruments and brand-name fashion. 24 11 "Eye Candy" February 7, 2013 Jeff gets talked into buying a mangy stuffed polar bear that could prove difficult to sell. 25 12 "Good Buys And Good-Byes" February 14, 2013 Jeff learns a bitter lesson when an old "friend" steals a lucrative deal right out from under him. Meanwhile, much-loved employee Christine departs Direct Liquidation. 26 13 "Man Toys" February 21, 2013 Jeff's makes a big promise and decides to host an auction to sell used karts when a local go-kart track goes out of business.
Season 3: 2013-2014
No. InSeries No. InSeason Title Original Air Date 27 1 "Bailiff Booty" June 27, 2013 Jeff has one day to clear out a Chinese grocery store full of exotic and vile stock. 28 2 "Armed To The Rafters" July 4, 2013 Jeff spends thousands on a military warehouse package deal that includes a decommissioned .50 caliber machine gun. 29 3 "Size Matters" July 11, 2013 Jeff makes an impulse buy. Meanwhile, Daniel ends up with a truckload of shoes that are all the same size. 30 4 "Tongue Twisted" July 19, 2013 Jeff takes a gamble in trying to sell some broken pianos, an assortment of pickled peppers, and a collection of ornamental seashells. 31 5 "The Irregulars" July 25, 2013 Deals with some regulars leave Jeff looking to sell a baby grand, used staging furniture, and a collection of ugly jeans. 32 6 "Belly Up" August 1, 2013 The purchase of a warehouse full of electronics has Jeff working against a tight deadline. 33 7 "Friends With Benefits" August 8, 2013 Jeff has a face-off with regular customer Jose and contends with several regulars looking for deals. 34 8 "The More, The Barrier" August 15, 2013 Jeff gets involved in a bidding war against his own customers. 35 9 "Brief Encounters" August 22, 2013 Jeff dons a suit and tie in an effort to close a deal for underwear. 36 10 "I’d Bet The Pot" August 29, 2013 A deal for a large inventory of hydroponics equipment brings Jeff some unusual customers. 37 11 “He Works Hard For The Money” September 5, 2013 Jeff's sales skills are put to the test when he's faced with moving a live goat and a truckload of broken guitars. 38 12 “What’s Your Beef?” September 13, 2013 Jeff pursues a store full of frozen meat. Then, a heated round with an art dealer gets Jeff riled up. 39 13 “Phone A Friend” September 19, 2013 Jeff looks to his go-to guys when he finds himself stuck with a truckload of B-grade lumber and other assorted items. 40 14 “California Dealin” November 21, 2013 A collector's warehouse full of mystery antiques tempts Jeff, but he has to drive to California to see if it is the real deal. 41 15 “Coffin Up Cash” November 28, 2013 Jeff fills the warehouse with handicap scooters and a coffin. 42 16 “The Smell Of Money” December 5, 2013 Jeff commits to a high-stakes storage locker auction and a risky plan to sell off a down-and-out restaurant. 43 17 “What Women Want” December 12, 2013 Jeff's tries to move women's merchandise. 44 18 “Operation: Liquidate” January 9, 2014 Jeff buys four truckloads of TV-set props and, with nowhere to put the goods, the staff tries to pull off the biggest outdoor sale in Liquidator history. 45 19 “Down... But Not Out” January 16, 2014 Jeff tries to profit from an exhausting string of deals with Wayne. Meanwhile, a woodworking auction does not go as planned. 46 20 “Crossing The Line” January 23, 2014 Jeff scoops a deal from Wayne, has a strange encounter in a sex shop, and then tries to sell an aging accordion to his own mother. 47 21 “Bail Out” January 30, 2014 Jeff buys a load of cheap crafting supplies. 48 22 “Taken For A Ride” February 6, 2014 Jeff falls hard for a vintage motorbike. Then when things go wrong with a mechanic, he has to turn to Sheldon the Bailiff to get it back. 49 23 “Treasure Or Trash?” February 13, 2014 Jeff wears down sellers by trash-talking their merchandise, then tries to convince buyers that industrial pressure gauges and cheap pink T-shirts are treasures. 50 24 “Rotten Timing” February 20, 2014 Jeff gambles on a series of end-of-the-line deals in hopes of a big payday. 51 25 “Hairy Situation” February 27, 2014 Jeff makes a deal for fur coats and risks his reputation on a Hollywood memorabilia auction. 52 26 “Redneck Round-Up” March 6, 2014 Jeff and Daniel travel to the California desert to visit an abandoned town, meet slot machine collectors, and make a deal on 30,000 wine corks.
Season 4: 2015