Resources · pricing
What it costs, and what moves the number.
- Standard 5-wall gaylord
- $7.25 – $11.00
- We pay, same box
- $3.75 – $5.50
- Against new
- 45 – 65% less
Get a firm number
Bands are for orientation. Send size, grade, quantity and ZIP and we will quote a firm delivered price.
Answer first
Six factors move every price on this page.
- Quantity. A truckload is a different business from a pallet, and the price reflects it.
- Freight distance. Often the largest single line on a used-box invoice beyond 300 miles.
- Grade. Roughly 30 to 40 per cent between 2A and 3A on the same box.
- Wall construction. Five wall commands a premium over four wall and earns it in reuse cycles.
- Availability that week. Used stock is finite. A footprint that is short runs dearer, and we say so.
- Flattened or assembled. Assembled boxes take roughly four times the trailer space of flattened ones.
Selling to you
What we charge.
| Product | Grade | Price band | New equivalent | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-wall gaylord 48 × 40 × 36 | 2A | $9.00 – $11.00 | ≈ $21.00 | 48 – 57% |
| 5-wall gaylord 48 × 40 × 36 | 3A | $7.25 – $8.75 | ≈ $21.00 | 58 – 65% |
| 4-wall gaylord 48 × 40 × 36 | 2A | $7.50 – $9.25 | ≈ $15.50 | 40 – 52% |
| 4-wall gaylord 48 × 40 × 36 | 3A | $6.25 – $7.40 | ≈ $15.50 | 52 – 60% |
| 5-wall tall 48 × 40 × 48 | 2A – 3A | $10.00 – $13.00 | ≈ $25.00 | 48 – 60% |
| Shallow 48 × 40 × 24 | 2A – 3A | $6.00 – $8.00 | ≈ $13.50 | 41 – 56% |
| Half gaylord 41 × 28 × 25 | 2A – 3A | $5.25 – $6.90 | ≈ $11.00 | 37 – 52% |
| Octabin 44″ × 36 with base and cap | 2A – 3A | $9.50 – $14.00 | ≈ $24.00 | 42 – 60% |
| Used shipping cartons | 1A – 2A | $0.42 – $1.85 each | $0.95 – $3.20 | 40 – 56% |
| GMA pallet, A grade | A | $12.00 – $17.00 | ≈ $23.00 | 26 – 48% |
| GMA pallet, B grade | B | $6.00 – $10.00 | ≈ $23.00 | 57 – 74% |
| Reconditioned bulk bag 6:1 | Reconditioned | $11.00 – $26.00 | $28.00 – $45.00 | 42 – 61% |
| Fabricated pads and dividers | Cut to order | $0.28 – $3.40 | New die-cut equivalent | 40 – 60% |
| 5A mixed load | Mixed | Quoted per truckload | — | Lowest per unit |
Buying from you
What we pay.
| Item | Condition | We pay | Improves with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-wall gaylord 48 × 40 × 36 | Clean, dry, square | $3.75 – $5.50 | Flattening, sorting, truckload volume |
| 4-wall gaylord 48 × 40 × 36 | Clean, dry, square | $2.50 – $3.90 | Flattening, single-size lots |
| Any gaylord, repairable | Needs bench work | $1.75 – $2.60 | Honest description up front |
| Octabin, uncut | Body, base and cap together | $4.00 – $6.25 | Sets kept together, no cut ports |
| GMA pallet | A or B grade | $3.00 – $7.00 | Sorting, no protruding nails |
| Bulk bag 6:1 | Clean, documented history | $2.50 – $6.00 | Documentation of previous contents |
| Baled OCC | Mill spec | Market per ton | Low contamination, consistent bale weight |
| Damaged panels for fabrication | Sound board, failed as a box | $0.90 – $2.20 | Being asked before it is baled |
If a competitor quotes you a flat number for used boxes without asking where you are or how many you want, they are quoting a margin, not a price.
Total cost
The number that actually matters.
Unit price is the small half of the comparison. The full picture is (unit price + freight) ÷ number of trips the box survives.
A 3A four-wall box at $6.25 that makes two trips costs $3.13 a trip. A 2A five-wall at $10.00 that makes five costs $2.00. The cheaper box is the more expensive decision, and it is the one most buyers make because the invoice is the only number anybody looks at.
Add the accessory effect: a $1.80 liner that lets you buy a grade lower and adds two trips is the highest return available anywhere in this catalogue.
Questions
Pricing, answered.
Why do you publish ranges instead of fixed prices?
What is the single biggest factor?
Do prices change through the year?
Is it cheaper to buy new in bulk?
Delivered cost
What the same order costs in ten places.
Ex-yard pricing is the easy half. This is what the freight does to it, which is the number that actually appears on your invoice.
| Destination | Distance | Lane type | Freight / box | Delivered / box |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City metro | Under 30 mi | Own truck | $0.28 | $8.03 |
| Topeka, KS | 65 mi | Own truck | $0.42 | $8.17 |
| Wichita, KS | 195 mi | Own truck | $0.79 | $8.54 |
| Springfield, MO | 215 mi | Regular backhaul | $0.88 | $8.63 |
| Des Moines, IA | 195 mi | Headhaul, no return | $1.55 | $9.30 |
| Tulsa, OK | 250 mi | Regular backhaul | $0.95 | $8.70 |
| St Louis, MO | 250 mi | Own truck | $0.96 | $8.71 |
| Chicago, IL | 510 mi | Brokered truckload | $1.72 | $9.47 |
| Denver, CO | 600 mi | Brokered truckload | $2.10 | $9.85 |
| Atlanta, GA | 800 mi | LTL | $3.40 | $11.15 |
Market
What moves these numbers through a year.
Used packaging prices are less volatile than the fibre market underneath them, because unit price is dominated by grading labour and freight rather than board value.
- 01
The OCC index sets the floor
Baling is always an alternative use for any container. When the index firms, recyclers can afford to pay more for mixed material, so reusable stock gets scarcer and dearer.
- 02
Industrial activity sets supply, with a lag
Used containers are a by-product of somebody else's production. Empties appear roughly six weeks after the activity that generated them — which is why January is always tight.
- 03
Diesel flows straight into delivered pricing
For goods this bulky, freight is between ten and thirty per cent of the delivered price. Fuel moves that directly and quickly.
- 04
Seasonal demand spikes are predictable
Agriculture in spring and autumn, retail and fulfilment from September. All three compete for the same trailers as well as the same boxes.
- 05
Backhaul availability is seasonal too
It collapses during harvest and before Christmas. A lane that is cheap in May can be forty per cent dearer in October with nothing else having changed.
- 06
Our stock position sets the ceiling
If we are deep in a footprint we will still buy, just not at the top of the range. If we are short, the buying price rises and the selling price follows.
Total cost
Nine lines most packaging budgets never include.
Unit price is usually about half of what a container actually costs you over its life. These are the other lines.
- Freight in, which for used stock can exceed the unit price on a bad lane
- Storage — floor space for empties is rented, whether or not anyone bills you for it
- Handling — every double-handle is labour nobody books against packaging
- Damage rate, which is always higher than the assumption
- Trips actually achieved, which is always lower
- Liner and accessory spend, which usually pays for itself twice over
- Disposal or residual at end of life — a cost or a credit, never zero
- Compactor pulls and haulage attributable to packaging
- The carbon line, if your business prices it internally
Bands are orientation. Quotes are numbers.
Send size, grade, quantity and ZIP and you will have a firm delivered price, with photographs of the actual stock, within a business day.