How To Make $125 A Day Recycling Wood Pallets

48 replies
This post is concise, but will walk you step-by-step into the the profitable business of wood pallet recycling. After your finished reading this article you'll be ready and able to start your own wood pallet recycling business.

Anyone can run a wood pallet recycling business and it's easy to get started. You can easily make $125 a day and there is virtually no expensive equipment to buy and you can get started with little to no money.

SUPPLIES NEEDED: There is only a few things you'll need to get started in your own wood pallet recycling business. A pick-up truck, a pair of work gloves, an electric drill, a hammer and some nails.

You might want to build up the sides of your pick-up truck, so you can haul more wood pallets per load. Keep in mind when your out collecting wood pallets you'll want to make as few trips as possible, which will help keep your gas expenses low and it save you time and that puts more money in your pocket.

FINDING WOOD PALLETS: Finding wood pallets to recycle in your area is much easier than you might think. Everywhere you go like department stores, malls, factories and any business that produces or sells large volumes of products you'll find wood pallets lying around.

When you find wood pallets simply go into the business and talk to the manager or owner and tell them that you will remove their wood pallets for free. They should be happy to give them to you, as most companies have to pay to have their wood pallets hauled off.

Explain to the manager or owner that you will stop by and pick up their wood pallets on a regular basis and by doing this you'll be establishing a route and a relationship with each company that you pick up wood pallets for and this way they won't give them away to anyone else.

Once you have collected all your wood pallets you'll need to sort them by size, because your customers buy wood pallets by size. For example a common size is 36"x48", so place all your wood pallets this size in one stack and by doing this it will make it easier for you to deliver the size your customers want.

REPAIRING WOOD PALLETS: Any broken wood pallets can be quickly repaired by simply taking the worse of your broken wood pallets apart and using the stock to repair the others. Most wood pallets are made from oak and oak that has been seasoned is very hard to nail through, so to get around this problem simply drill a small pilot hole for the nail. All broken planks on a wood pallet must be replaced before selling it.

SELLING YOUR WOOD PALLETS: Manufacturing companies in your area will buy your wood pallets. Simply call or visit each company and let them know you have wood pallets for sale. You can usually sell your used wood pallets to them for $2.50 to $3.50 each depending upon their condition and size. A busy company will order 50-100 pallets every week, so if you can get just 5 companies buying 50 wood pallets from you at $2.50 each, 5 days a week then you would earn $625 a week or $125 a day.

The wood pallets you can't sell to manufacturing companies can be sold to a local pallet company. You can find pallet companies listed in the phone book. Most wood pallet recyclers simply sell to a pallet company, because it's easier, but your profits will be less.

Once a company buys pallets from you there is no waiting to get paid. You'll get paid upon delivery. This is one of the great benefits of the wood pallet recycling business. Another benefit of the wood pallet business is that you are the boss and you choose your own work hours.

CLOSING COMMENTS: As you can see by reading this post the wood pallet recycling business is pretty easy to start and that anyone can do it that's willing to do a little work. You don't need a large investment like other business start-ups require and you can start making money right away.

I wish you much success in your new wood pallet recycling business!

Martin
#$125 #day #make #pallets #recycling #wood
  • Profile picture of the author Chuck Avants
    Thanks for the good information.

    I see ads for free pallets all the time on Craigslist. You could pick up some this way also. Just check out the free section.
    Signature
    Do the right thing---
    Because it is the right thing to do
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5691610].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Dawn Wise
    I drove by a construction site yesterday where there were about a half dozen empty pallets stacked by the side of the road.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5691838].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author eva dora
    $125 gross. You have to factor in the cost of gas, depreciation of your car, insurance etc...
    Signature

    Live healthy and ethical! Shop for vegan products here: http://www.eco3p.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5696030].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    A mention that a truck and trailer is required to make decent money at this as well.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5696047].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ihearttaters
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5696699].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author fouzie
      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      A mention that a truck and trailer is required to make decent money at this as well.
      Originally Posted by Ihearttaters View Post

      Seems a little contradictory.
      I think, you could rent or maybe borrow from someone you know and trust you
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5707057].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SalinaJohnson
    This is the business of sorting, refurbishing,and re manufacturing. and when ever you will research on such kinda business the you will find good chances . This type of business are always accented and easy to set up
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5698902].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Seantrepreneur
    Martin, you never cease to amazing me with your nontraditional ways to make money. Although they might seem a bit off the wall sometimes there is no auguring that if someone were to do this you can make some good money.

    If anything you provide people with hope knowing that they are never "stuck" and there will be SOMETHING they can do to make some cash.

    Keep it up!

    Sean
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5700701].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Sean,

      Thank you very much for the kind words.

      I really enjoy helping others learn ways to make extra money, which is why I share my ideas on this forum.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by Seantrepreneur View Post

      Martin, you never cease to amazing me with your nontraditional ways to make money. Although they might seem a bit off the wall sometimes there is no auguring that if someone were to do this you can make some good money.

      If anything you provide people with hope knowing that they are never "stuck" and there will be SOMETHING they can do to make some cash.

      Keep it up!

      Sean
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5706998].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ryanmckinney
      Originally Posted by Seantrepreneur View Post

      Martin, you never cease to amazing me with your nontraditional ways to make money. Although they might seem a bit off the wall sometimes there is no auguring that if someone were to do this you can make some good money.

      If anything you provide people with hope knowing that they are never "stuck" and there will be SOMETHING they can do to make some cash.

      Keep it up!

      Sean

      To piggy-back off of Sean:

      This guy is like the Jack of All trades when it comes of ways to make money!

      If you already have the "supplies" (LOL at listing the truck), then you would be good to go! (Seemingly)

      Ryan
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5736536].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BillBert
    I love this forum for the postings such as this one... I probably will not pursue this opportunity, but none the less, I enjoyed hearing the idea and I may pass it on to some locals who are always looking for ideas.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Signature
    Do You Need a Cost Effective way of reaching out to your offline clients or prospects?

    Feel free to contact me directly and I will give you the details!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5702488].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
    I would like to add that besides selling pallets, that if you are handy and creative minded you can use the pallets for the wood and turn them into furnture, such as a friend of mine used to make a killing turning pallets into futon frames and selling them to college kids cheap and he had a commission deal set up with a local bedding store to offer the futon mattress to college students at a discounted price if they bought from him.

    I just wanted to share this idea as another way to make money with pallets.

    To your success,

    Martin
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5736102].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dre332
    Martin, this post is awesome! This has to be one of the easiest offline businesses to start.. Apart from a lemonade stand lol
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5736693].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      Lol, I remeber my first lemonade stand, I was my best customer

      I'm happy you like my idea and I hope you can make use of it and profit from it.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by dre332 View Post

      Martin, this post is awesome! This has to be one of the easiest offline businesses to start.. Apart from a lemonade stand lol
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5807232].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author b5willi
    What about renting a U-Haul trailer or a truck?? so you wouldnt have to deal with messing up your vehicle.. what you guys think?
    Signature

    Have You Been Hit By An Unnatural Links Or Google Penguin Over Optimization Penalty?http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=41...43761&urllink=

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5774291].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      b5willi,

      Yes, you could rent a U-Haul or a truck, but you have to figure out the cost of renting the truck and find out the price per pallet you can get in your area and determine if it worth the time and money to even rent a truck or u-haul.

      All the best,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by b5willi View Post

      What about renting a U-Haul trailer or a truck?? so you wouldnt have to deal with messing up your vehicle.. what you guys think?
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6536438].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Zooky
        Just to confirm the viability of this idea. A few years ago a friend of mine was in desperate need to start earning some money. (The lady he'd lived off for the previous decade finally had enough!) I work in the transport industry knew about used pallets being a source of cash for drivers and had a chat with him about doing this. After overcoming his doubts about having to get his hands dirty and go out and work, I took him to a pallet yard where they confirmed the prices they would pay for pallets.

        The OP suggests a truck but here in the UK a small trailer can carry sufficient pallets to get you going, and it is a lot less to buy. In my friend's case I just happened to have a trailer he could use.... In the UK the used pallet market centres around two sizes of pallet; standards and euro's. Standards are 48"x40" (120x100cms) and euro's are 48"x39" (120x80cms). Within those two brief designations are then dozens of specifications, particularly for the standards. If anyone looks into this seriously they will quickly pick up the main ones. It does help to understand completely when talking to a prospective customer just what specification he means, you don't want to hot foot it down to him with a full load of Stds only to find out you got completely the wrong spec.

        This is why I would suggest in the first instance you concentrate on selling to the pallet yards, for the following reasons. Instant cash! They advertise with road side signs that they pay cash for pallets! No going looking for customers, then looking for your pallets. Just go find some pallets, take them into the pallet yard, get paid cash on the spot. Additionally, you learn as you go along, a euro is stamped "EURO" on the corner blocks as well as having the SNCF or DB (usually) stamped on for the French and German rail networks. Any other 120x80 pallets will be referred to as either euro nonstamped or euro lightweights and be paid less for accordingly. At the time of writing stamped euro's are worth between £1.00 and £2.50 each at the pallet yards; non-stamped between .50p and a pound. Standards are worth between .50p and £1.75 depending on spec and availability. A further advantage of the pallet yards is you can call in with a small quantity, eg 5 or 10 and get paid. Go fuel up and go get some more. (The fuel can be diesel or a breakfast!) Real subsistence work if needs must. A further point if you are in a large city or conurbation, there will be several yards to choose from, and prices will vary. So do your homework, some yards will do a quick count and payout purely for the pallets counted, others will take them off and check each one and pay you on a sliding scale according to spec and condition. You then learn which one to go to according to the load.

        So on day 1 you can go out and start to earn cash. In respect of sourcing your stock, a few words of advice. Try to identify companies who receive stock on pallets but don't then re-use them for onward shipment to their clients. So retailers in all environments; the high street, the suburbs and the shopping centres. Often it is not a management decision on how to dispose of these surplus pallets; the warehouseman, the fork lift driver etc. Be aware that these guys often have a pretty good idea of the value of the pallets.... so be prepared to go 50/50 with them. After all if you can be made aware of when they will have pallets available, kept inside dry and clean, loaded by the fork lift, no brainer. (Obviously you only pay for undamaged pallets, the damaged ones you will "reluctantly" take away as a favour ;-) Also you can quote the prices the nearest pallet yard pays, if it is to your advantage....

        For some companies empty pallets are a PITA, for them you are a godsend. Be aware that many will expect you to remove all their pallets, including the non standard ones. It is a judgement call depending on how many saleable pallets they have, but, don't let them use you as a waste disposal company for all their broken and unrepairable pallets. Politely point out that you can't accept what should go in a recycling skip, but that you will take all their good or repairable pallets. Those non standards can be used as a source of a firewood sideline or, as mentioned above, turn them into something else - furniture, fencing, compost bins, w.h.y?

        My friend did this for 12 years as his only regular source of income. He would pipe dream with me of getting his own pallet yard, and direct customers, and having artics coming in with 500 pallets on which he could instantly resell without touching them, oh what a life. In reality as soon as he'd earned £50-60 in a day he'd head home. That was usually within 2-4 hours. I never knew him to start before 10:30am. In the end he wooed back his lady friend, and married her, well, she had bought 10 buy-to-let houses while they were apart! Oh, and he's still got my trailer!
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7162614].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
          Zooky,

          Thank you very much for sharing your story and the viability of making money with pallets.

          All the best,

          Martin

          Originally Posted by Zooky View Post

          Just to confirm the viability of this idea. A few years ago a friend of mine was in desperate need to start earning some money. (The lady he'd lived off for the previous decade finally had enough!) I work in the transport industry knew about used pallets being a source of cash for drivers and had a chat with him about doing this. After overcoming his doubts about having to get his hands dirty and go out and work, I took him to a pallet yard where they confirmed the prices they would pay for pallets.

          The OP suggests a truck but here in the UK a small trailer can carry sufficient pallets to get you going, and it is a lot less to buy. In my friend's case I just happened to have a trailer he could use.... In the UK the used pallet market centres around two sizes of pallet; standards and euro's. Standards are 48"x40" (120x100cms) and euro's are 48"x39" (120x80cms). Within those two brief designations are then dozens of specifications, particularly for the standards. If anyone looks into this seriously they will quickly pick up the main ones. It does help to understand completely when talking to a prospective customer just what specification he means, you don't want to hot foot it down to him with a full load of Stds only to find out you got completely the wrong spec.

          This is why I would suggest in the first instance you concentrate on selling to the pallet yards, for the following reasons. Instant cash! They advertise with road side signs that they pay cash for pallets! No going looking for customers, then looking for your pallets. Just go find some pallets, take them into the pallet yard, get paid cash on the spot. Additionally, you learn as you go along, a euro is stamped "EURO" on the corner blocks as well as having the SNCF or DB (usually) stamped on for the French and German rail networks. Any other 120x80 pallets will be referred to as either euro nonstamped or euro lightweights and be paid less for accordingly. At the time of writing stamped euro's are worth between £1.00 and £2.50 each at the pallet yards; non-stamped between .50p and a pound. Standards are worth between .50p and £1.75 depending on spec and availability. A further advantage of the pallet yards is you can call in with a small quantity, eg 5 or 10 and get paid. Go fuel up and go get some more. (The fuel can be diesel or a breakfast!) Real subsistence work if needs must. A further point if you are in a large city or conurbation, there will be several yards to choose from, and prices will vary. So do your homework, some yards will do a quick count and payout purely for the pallets counted, others will take them off and check each one and pay you on a sliding scale according to spec and condition. You then learn which one to go to according to the load.

          So on day 1 you can go out and start to earn cash. In respect of sourcing your stock, a few words of advice. Try to identify companies who receive stock on pallets but don't then re-use them for onward shipment to their clients. So retailers in all environments; the high street, the suburbs and the shopping centres. Often it is not a management decision on how to dispose of these surplus pallets; the warehouseman, the fork lift driver etc. Be aware that these guys often have a pretty good idea of the value of the pallets.... so be prepared to go 50/50 with them. After all if you can be made aware of when they will have pallets available, kept inside dry and clean, loaded by the fork lift, no brainer. (Obviously you only pay for undamaged pallets, the damaged ones you will "reluctantly" take away as a favour ;-) Also you can quote the prices the nearest pallet yard pays, if it is to your advantage....

          For some companies empty pallets are a PITA, for them you are a godsend. Be aware that many will expect you to remove all their pallets, including the non standard ones. It is a judgement call depending on how many saleable pallets they have, but, don't let them use you as a waste disposal company for all their broken and unrepairable pallets. Politely point out that you can't accept what should go in a recycling skip, but that you will take all their good or repairable pallets. Those non standards can be used as a source of a firewood sideline or, as mentioned above, turn them into something else - furniture, fencing, compost bins, w.h.y?

          My friend did this for 12 years as his only regular source of income. He would pipe dream with me of getting his own pallet yard, and direct customers, and having artics coming in with 500 pallets on which he could instantly resell without touching them, oh what a life. In reality as soon as he'd earned £50-60 in a day he'd head home. That was usually within 2-4 hours. I never knew him to start before 10:30am. In the end he wooed back his lady friend, and married her, well, she had bought 10 buy-to-let houses while they were apart! Oh, and he's still got my trailer!
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7307239].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Dawn1235
          My husband and i started a pallet recycling business with great success (to our standards) after a few adjustments, but here comes the monkey wrench in the fan, our MAIN sorce of income daily has stopped buying from indivuals. Now the only other place thats with-in ur area low balls the prices tremendously!!! Any sugestions as to other places the buy ike any department chains, grocery, etc. Thank you for your story it inspired.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10842870].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DesertSand
    [DELETED]
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7310009].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
      Banned
      Martin, excellent thread.

      Since I'm heavily into recycling, I've looked at this before though I wouldn't recommend just stopping at repairing pallets since there's bloody loads you can do with the things.

      And who said pallets can't be stylish?

      To give you a few ideas, here are some photos for you to look at for some inspiration. It's amazing what you can do with a little ingenuity, some sandpaper and a lick of paint...

      Pallet Beds







      Pallet Chairs





      Pallet Tables





      Pallet Work Table



      You get the idea. There's loads of spinoffs you can create from using recycled pallets as a resource. And no you don't necessarily need a pickup truck to get started - use your imagination. Stone the crows, if you live near an industrial estate you can go and pick up one or two by hand and oink them back to your home workshop or garage. Or simply hire a U-Haul truck for the day and load it right up, you'll have more wood than you know what to do with for peanuts on the dollar.

      No need to just stop at wood pallet recycling either, why not think about general wood recycling? If you need ideas head over to Youtube, there's more craftswo/men on there than you can shake a stick at offering tutorials and giving ideas away for free.

      More links to give you some more ideas...

      Brighton & Hove Wood Recycling Project gallery

      Rustic Furniture | Driftwood Furniture | Reclaimed Wood Furniture

      Reclaimed Boat Furniture | Indonesian Boat Furniture | Recycled Boat Furniture

      Have fun!

      Smoking hot,


      Mark Andrews

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7310515].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
        WOW, Mark thanks for sharing all the great pictures and idea on things to make with wood pallets.

        All the best,

        Martin
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7318361].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author petemcal
        This is really cool thanks for sharing. I think we all throw things away too easily and don't think about alternative uses as a way of recycling!
        Signature
        Follow Pete on Twitter #SEO #Marketing
        "It's like if Einstein did SEO"
        "Much shorter than Shakespeare"
        "I would follow Pete over Jesus Christ himself"
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7318873].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dave147
    Another excellent idea from Martin. I know a few people who already have a pick up truck lying around. I'll pass it onto them. One of them are bound to run with the idea.
    Signature

    THESE PRODUCTS FREE @ adsense-expert
    When You Get The 300 Logo Templates Here
    $500.00 in FREE Advertising For You Here

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7318565].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Daniel LaRusso
    This is a great idea and definitely WILL work. I'm glad you put this up here, as it's definitely a workable business plan. The problem is, most people don't want to put in the hard work to do it. I know it's on my radar for extra income ideas. Thanks for the share!
    Signature

    It is unwise to trust all you read on the internet.
    - Benjamin Franklin

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7319425].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author george b
    After reading and staying hidden on this forum, Iv decided to pop out and say thank you martin, not only do you post useful and helpful tips and ideas, but the amount you post on this offline section is incredible!

    I always enjoy reading your posts so keep it up!

    Thank you.

    George
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7319569].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MartinBuckley
      George,

      Your welcome and thanks for the kind words.

      If you would like to learn some other free unique
      money making ideas, then check out:

      http://www.nichebizideas.com

      To your success,

      Martin

      Originally Posted by george b View Post

      After reading and staying hidden on this forum, Iv decided to pop out and say thank you martin, not only do you post useful and helpful tips and ideas, but the amount you post on this offline section is incredible!

      I always enjoy reading your posts so keep it up!

      Thank you.

      George
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[7499587].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jking1
    I'm so amazed with the pictures you shared here Mark! There are indeed a lot of ways of recycling pallet woods and we can even sell them in much higher prices. Those pallets are considered junks by some manufacturing companies but they can still be worth thousand of bucks.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8284035].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author silicity
    Please do not do this. As someone who is employed at a very small pallet repair and distribution company, people (possibly as yourself) have destroyed our business and put many people into major debt. Many companies are already in ties with smaller companies to come pick them up, and people go out of there way and ask different store managers and it gets confusing and ends up ruining it for the business already. Everyday, last year we went from over 450k pallets annually, now due to having severe competition with people working out of there home, we barely manage 100k pallets a year and have already downsized majorly. This is a profitable niche, but please, there is quite a few pallets out there already in line for other people, do not ruin it for them because you are scandalous, you can find pallets in other areas and still easily clear your 125$/day. PLEASE, JUST ASK MULTIPLE MANAGERS TO SEE IF THERE ALREADY IS SOMEONE WHO HAS TAKEN THEM BEFORE, DO NOT BE THAT GUY TO RUIN BUSINESSES.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8304123].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author AlexCN
      It's called competition, not someone intentionally 'ruining your business'.

      You seem to have this notion that just because you called 'dibs' on a bunch of pallets, no one else has a right to any at all.

      I guess everyone else who is interested in this business model should just forget about it because you and your team already have word of mouth agreements with every single location in your area that is using pallets...

      What about the fact that there was likely someone in your area at many of the locations you are now collecting pallets at that was doing this before you, and you just elbowed them out of the way to get more for yourself?

      Don't they matter?

      First off, the OP made it clear that before doing a pallet grab in your area, it would be a good idea to check with the manager of the facility that you are getting pallets from.

      Is it the fault of the person asking if the manager says to go ahead and get them any time if they are in the back because they need someone to do it anyway?

      Perhaps he forgot about the word of mouth agreement he made with another person picking up with pallets?

      Perhaps there are multiple managers working at the facility, and designating an 'official' company pallet pickup person isn't the highest priority within the company so the information that you seem to see as an official mandate doesn't necessarily get passed to every single person with authority inside the company?

      More than likely though, the facility you are getting pallets from sees the pallet business for what it is:

      First come first serve.

      If you are there to get the pallets, when they are out, great! If there aren't any when you get there and they have already been removed, too bad.

      Expecting a company rep to 'hold' pallets for you just because you said you would come and pick them up is an absolute joke, especially without a contract of any kind.

      What if you and your team suddenly decide to stop the pallet business for whatever reason, and the facilities and store managers are mistakenly holding onto the pallets for you just because they think you are going to show up and get them, waiting, day after day for you to show up, but you never do.

      Suddenly, there are pallets overflowing the facility and into the alley or whatever perhaps blocking traffic and causing other headaches.

      Now the manager has a real problem on their hands all because they were relying on someone who they had no official contact with to take care of their old pallets and remove them from the premesis.

      What are their options now?

      Perhaps to get a really expensive recycling company over there to get the pallets, and get charged a $5/pallet takeaway fee + other potential issues and paperwork (yes, states like California are ultra anal about documentation, especially when it comes to recycling, and there is a chance that if the facility has never had an official company over to handle the recycling of pallets before, there will be all sorts of hoops to jump through and pre-inspections to be made)... ALL OF WHICH could have been avoided by letting the last group of guys that were over asking about the pallets take them instead..

      I mean really. How absolutely selfish of you to assume that you have some sort of monopoly on pallets.

      Recycling is everyones responsibility and right, not just the few who decide to make a business out of it, and how dare you suggest that other people not go out and pursue this as a valid business model.

      If you are worried about you and your team 'only' getting 200k pallets instead of the usual 500k, you need to make some adjustments in your own business model aside from just telling other people to 'stay away from your pallets', pallets that are in no way legally yours.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8305171].message }}
  • I have noticed when times are booming pallets are everywhere spilling out onto the streets.

    Thank you, Martin, for this enlightening idea. Any business that can be started on a shoe string like this one deserves an applause.

    This is a helpful useful post to me.

    LLS
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8305186].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Moneymaker2012
    It is a good business set up. A good chance to flourish as an industry.
    Don't worry about the trucks!!!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8307838].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dietmtndew
    who are the most likely businesses to be a large source of pallets?

    who are the most likely to buy them?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8309401].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JodyRossDeane
    Mmm this is something that I have never thought of.
    What would the likelyhood be that business are going to pay upfront for pallets?
    I wonder about the cashflow situation.
    Anyone can comment?
    Signature

    Get Hyper-Targeted Instagram Followers and Start Banking Big!:-
    TARGETED INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS SERVICE (Guaranteed Delivery)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8310156].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author dietmtndew
      I really like the idea, the thing that concerns me is the cost of gas and labor if you ever wanted to scale. I just did a quick search for pallets on craigslist and there are tons out there for free, however, only a few in bulk that would be worth the trip. Most of them are 2-5 pallets, only a couple over 20 or 30.

      So to me driving all over the place to pickup 5 pallets at time then deliver them would not be profitable with gas prices the way they are. Then you consider finding places that could constantly give you quantities of 30+ makes it more interesting but then you need a tractor trailer not a pickup truck, which are very expensive and also very hard on gas. I think this is why most businesses charge for the pickup as well as to sell them. There is a pallet yard in my area (small area relatively speaking) which on its website says they recycle over a million pallets a year, which makes me think there is great potential, however, they also have a big rig in their picture which I don't have. I also imagine all the paid pickup routes have been established and have long term contracts in place making the barrier to entry high.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8310197].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author richie311
    Honestly this is a very tough way to make money. My family owns a fairly large recycling plant and we have guys come and pay us $1-2 to take the pallets away. Granted these guys come to us because we produce 1500-2000 pallets a month but you aren't going to get pallets for free anymore. Maybe a while back before people realized pallets were worth money but most business owners know they can get paid for them. And if you do get them for free the volume probably isn't there to cover gas etc. Good luck guys just wouldn't spend the time to do this unless you personally know people throwing away pallets.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8311248].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author arunmarvel5
    Day by day there are billions of pallets are used for recycling. You can create some DIY projects with wooden boxes and Pallets to make more than $125. Some small hand crafts can be sold out for more money.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8774403].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author ScottyM2
    One more use:
    They can also be converted into breathtaking pieces of art, as seen in this classy Mexican Restaurant. http://i.imgur.com/ayYkJPF.jpg
    Sorry, photo begged to be shared.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8774922].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Just because i'm involved in IM I notice these things... this thread has almost 50,000 page views. That is SICK. Pallets are my new niche market for sure! hahaha
      Signature
      Success is an ACT not an idea
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8779477].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        Just because i'm involved in IM I notice these things... this thread has almost 50,000 page views. That is SICK. Pallets are my new niche market for sure! hahaha
        It goes to show that many people need step by step direction rather than figure out everything for themselves. Represents a good opportunity to sell them solid plans. There is also something tangible to a simpler business that doesn't promise millions in a ground floor oppty in a billion dollar industry. Many are burned out and jaded on those type offers.
        Signature

        In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8780675].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TheUser
    If you don't have your own truck you can hire someone off craigslist gigs and pay them by the hour (+gas). Figure 12 bucks an hour for 3 hours of work + gas (maybe $40) subtract that from 125 and you have $85 profit. Still pretty good. I did something similar to this with cardboard. I'll put up the case study on my site.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8780238].message }}
  • Great post Martin! Goes to show that with a little imagination and a lot of elbow grease, you can turn anything into a business =)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8780911].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author joseph andre
    coming from the other side of the pallet issue, here in western,mass., I list on craigslist free pallets (we have about 20 / month and all in clean perfect condition). But very few takers.

    So, I put them in my truck and take them to the river for the fishermen to use for firewood. Such a shame!

    Wish I knew of a site to list them.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8839884].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author BBQman
      Originally Posted by joseph andre View Post

      coming from the other side of the pallet issue, here in western,mass., I list on craigslist free pallets (we have about 20 / month and all in clean perfect condition). But very few takers.

      So, I put them in my truck and take them to the river for the fishermen to use for firewood. Such a shame!

      Wish I knew of a site to list them.
      You can do a search for "we buy pallets" or "cash paid for pallets" in your area. I saw a few companies in Mass that will take them.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[8839949].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author DanSharp
    Reminds me of Joe Karbo's first business, that he talks about in "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches" -- buying and selling cardboard boxes.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9157115].message }}
  • Hello All,

    A quick word of warning. First let me start by saying, as long as you work hard and invest the time and resources to do it right, you will be successful just as with everything else in life. I happen to own and operate a small/medium pallet recycling business myself. We have been in the pallet industry for over 40 years, starting out as a manufacturer and moving into the recycling business because of margins and overhead (and also concentrating on other business ventures).

    Now the pitfalls: Recycling pallets is not a get rich quick scheme!

    1. It will be difficult to scale a pickup truck into something that makes you money (Unless you like making multiple trips, which of course costs more in fuel). By the time you fill the bed up with beat up 48x40s and get them back to your shop, you've spent hours of your time, money on gas, and wear and tear on your vehicle, and you haven't even invested the energy to repair the boards yet!

    2. If you don't own a decent sized piece of property (which costs money), where are you going to store a few hundred (or thousand) pallets a week? In your driveway? I think not. You need a space to operate your business from.

    3. There is a lot of leg work in getting the accounts to buy the pallets you have just recycled.

    4. The "big boys" will undercut your pricing and make you realize relatively quickly that your profits won't be quite as they looked in your business plan.

    In short, I don't want to turn anyone away from giving it a try, it's not my intention to sound so negative. It just isn't quite as simple as picking up some pallets in a pickup truck.

    A.P.
    Expert Recycling LLC
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10636468].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris-
    Thanks for the idea!

    I came across something similar (but less common) some years ago . . . I happened to be helping a friend do some minor building work in a veneer factory, and noticed that they throw away a whole skip full of veneer off-cuts ever DAY. They only work on doors and other big stuff, so just trash any smaller pieces, many of which would be perfectly OK for sale to marquetry and other suitable craft businesses.

    They told us the time they threw out all the waste every day and said we were welcome to come and take it for free.

    All that would have been needed would be sorting, photography and listing on Ebay and/or a website. I could have done the online part, but the guys I knew in that area never got around to the physical actions required.

    I've also heard of people getting things from free from a Freegle type site, (or from skips at night) and re-selling on Ebay. I even knew someone who found part of one of the original sound mixing consoles used in Abbey-Road to mix some of the Beetles albums, in the trash, while driving around at night looking in the best trash areas . . . amazing what you can find if you try

    Chris
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10845258].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author rseigel
    WOW! This is a GREAT IDEA!

    (if you want to make just a little bit more than your neighbor who's on welfare).

    C'mon. This is essentially garbage picking heavy shit for almost no money. $125/day - expenses = broke and miserable.
    Signature

    Cheers,

    Ron

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10858318].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author moneymagneto
    Thanks for the tip, this is pretty far from internet marketing and more like scavenging but I do respect the hustle. I once scrapped metal when I was dirt broke and it was a great money maker especially if you have a friend to help drive you around and pick it up.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[10864141].message }}

Trending Topics