How to Make Money From Used Wood Pallets (2024)

Piles of wooden pallets in the back of manufacturing plants, stores and malls could mean cash in your pocket if you’re willing to do the work involved to pick them up and sell them. The key is offering to take the pallets off of the hands of businesses that don’t want them anymore and finding buyers who need them for shipping products. Not only do you help the pallets stay out of the landfill, but the business is easy to manage as either a full or part-time endeavor.

Getting Started

  1. Your first requirement is a truck or other vehicle with room to transport pallets. You may want to build walls on the side of your vehicle to transport more pallets each time and save on the cost of gas from repeat trips. Fixing broken pallets so they’re resalable requires tools such as a hammer, drill and nails. You also need plenty of space to repair and stack the pallets in preparation for selling them.

Finding Pallets

  1. Ask warehouse managers or business owners at local stores and factories that receive supplies or products on wood pallets if you can remove the old pallets free of charge. In addition, check classified ads in your local paper and on Craigslist to find free pallets businesses want removed. Determine a schedule for removing the pallets based on the needs of the business, such as how often they get shipments of merchandise or supplies.

Prepping to Sell

  1. Organize your pallets according to length and thickness to quickly fill orders based on the size specific business want to buy. Some of the pallets you pick up may have missing or damaged panels of wood, so tear off the old piece and replace it with spares you collect. Another option is to tear down the pallets into single pieces of flat, solid wood to sell as lumber for furniture or construction projects. Or, break damaged pallets into small bundles for use as kindling, as long as the pallets were not used to transport chemicals.

Find Buyers

  1. Contact local manufacturers that need pallets on which to ship their goods. Mention the benefits of buying from you, such as the lower cost of buying used versus new pallets. If you live near a pallet manufacturer, find out if they buy used pallets in good condition. Advertise piles of single pieces of pallet wood to people who want the lumber for home improvement, landscaping or woodworking projects. Sell bundles of kindling to places that sell firewood, such as convenience and grocery stores. If you live near ranches, grind up the pallets that can’t be repaired, and sell it as animal bedding for cattle or horses.

How to Make Money From Used Wood Pallets (2024)

FAQs

How to Make Money From Used Wood Pallets? ›

Your best bet is to search for pallet recycling companies in your area. Do an online search to find a pallet recycler near you. Get an idea of what they will pay you for the different pallets that you bring in. Choose the one that will bring in the most money.

Is selling used pallets profitable? ›

Piles of wooden pallets in the back of manufacturing plants, stores and malls could mean cash in your pocket if you're willing to do the work involved to pick them up and sell them.

What pallets are worth money? ›

Pallet sizes will always play a major role in determining the sellback value of your used pallet supply, and the general rule here is that standard sizes like 48×40 and 48×45 will have higher sellback values as compared to custom sized pallets that are less useful for other businesses.

Is flipping pallets a good business? ›

The allure of liquidation pallets lies in the possibility of uncovering undervalued treasures within the contents. Successful flippers turn these finds into profits on online marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, or even through their own online stores, with margins potentially reaching 30–40% or even higher.

How to turn wood pallets into money? ›

Your best bet is to search for pallet recycling companies in your area. Do an online search to find a pallet recycler near you. Get an idea of what they will pay you for the different pallets that you bring in. Choose the one that will bring in the most money.

What pallets to avoid? ›

The treatment designation that you should be the most cautious of is "MB." This stands for Methyl Bromide. Pallets with an MB stamp have been treated with a highly toxic pesticide which can be necessary in certain regions of the world where there are pests that can't be eliminated by heat treatments.

Why are pallet prices so high? ›

Increasing demand, decreasing supply

The easiest explanation: the demand for wood has increased, but the supply has decreased. The demand for wooden pallets is increasing.

Can buying a pallet make me money? ›

Yes, you can make money pallet flipping. If you have a knack for flipping and have some liquidation pallets lying around, you may be able to turn a profit. However, in order to find a market for your pallets, you'll need to do some research.

How to start a pallet resale business? ›

How to Start a Pallet Selling Business. Most businesses sell their pallets on Repalletize. It is free to signup for Repalletize and sell pallets. You can start by just selling one size pallet or you can start with selling multiple sizes of pallets.

What is a cash pallet? ›

In the simplest terms, pallets of cash refer to large amounts of physical cash that are stacked on pallets for transportation. These pallets can contain millions of dollars in cash and are often used in transactions that involve the transfer of large sums of money.

Is there a demand for pallets? ›

With growing consumption in food and beverage, building and construction, consumer electronics, and pharmaceutical industries, total sales of wood pallets are projected to climb at a 5.4% CAGR between 2022 and 2032, surpassing US$ 4.0 billion by 2033.

Who is the largest producer of pallets? ›

Top 7 wood pallet manufacturers handling loads of all goods type
  • CHEP. CHEP, founded in 1945, is a global leader in pallet and container pooling services, part of the Brambles Group. ...
  • Brambles. ...
  • PalletOne. ...
  • Kamps Pallets. ...
  • Inka-paletten. ...
  • Falkenhahn. ...
  • PECO.
May 21, 2024

What is the pallet industry worth? ›

The global pallets market size was estimated at USD 66 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 110.09 billion by 2032 and is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% from 2023 to 2032.

Are pallets good for building? ›

Pallets can come in handy for outdoor projects, such as a shed for storing firewood. However, think twice before you build a play house with pallets. Not only can the wood be rough on little hands, but tests have found some wood pallets may contain E. coli bacteria, according to the National Consumers League.

Can you make good money selling liquidation pallets? ›

How Much Can You Expect to Make with Liquidation Pallets? Selling liquidation pallets can be quite profitable, especially when you work with big retail brands in the US. Selling products from pallets gives you a profit margin around 30-40% per sale.

Is reselling return pallets worth it? ›

At the very least, you can recoup the cost of the pallet itself. But if your pallet has good items, you might be able to flip them for 100% to 200% more than what you paid for. Even so, don't expect to get rich from pallet flipping.

Are pallets in high demand? ›

In the past five years total the market size for wooden pallets has increased faster than the pace of the general economy in the U.S. The wooden pallet market was projected to continue to grow at a rate of 9.9% during 2022.

Is there money to be made with return pallets? ›

This kind of trade can be a bit of a numbers game; the more volume you can buy, the better chance you have of making money. However, there are plenty of businesses who buy pallets of stock at low prices and make money selling to trade. There's also an opportunity to sell parts, even if you can't sell the whole product.

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