Sell used plastic crates and bulk containers

What we buy

Surplus plastic packaging that still does its job. The core of it is pallet-footprint equipment: collapsible bulk containers retired from parts programs, rigid bulk bins from processing plants, and harvest and macro bins from growers and packers. We also look at hand-held totes and crates, attached-lid containers and euro boxes when there is a useful quantity of one model.

Typical reasons a lot comes up: a vehicle or part program ended, a line moved to a different footprint, a 3PL lost the account the totes served, or a farm changed crops. Whatever the reason, the containers have value to someone running the same size, and our job is to find that buyer.

What to tell us

The worst-unit photo matters more than people expect. It tells a buyer where the floor of the lot sits, and it saves a second round of questions.

• Type and maker if you know it: folding, rigid, nesting, attached-lid. Embossed names and part numbers help.
• Footprint and height, outside, in inches. For folding units, the folded height too.
• Wall, deck and doors: vented or solid, drop doors and how many.
• Count, and whether it is one model or a mix.
• Condition in your words, or a grade: A, B or C. Note cracks, missing doors, broken latches.
• Prior contents: parts, produce, meat, chemicals. This decides who can reuse them.
• Location by city and ZIP, plus dock, forklift and loading hours.
• Photos: one of the whole stack, one close-up of a typical unit, one of the worst unit.

What moves an offer up or down

Freight is often the biggest swing. Empty containers are bulky, so the cost of moving them can eat a large part of their value on a long haul. Folding units help here, since more of them fit on one trailer. A trade column in Logistics Management put the point where return freight becomes a major cost at roughly 500 miles.

Grading your own lot

You do not need to be exact, but a rough grade speeds things up. Grade A means sound and clean, with light scuffing. Grade B means working units with stains, stickers, faded color or small repairs. Grade C means the box carries a load but has cosmetic damage, missing door pins or heavy wear. Big maker loops sort their own returns the same way; ORBIS, for instance, says it grades returned containers A, B or C by condition rather than retiring them by age.

Split the lot if it varies. Forty grade A units and ten grade C units described honestly usually beat fifty units called good, because the buyer prices the doubt.

Getting the lot ready for a truck

Sort by model and height so one stack holds one kind of box. Fold the collapsibles that fold, and nest the totes that nest; it shrinks the trailer count and often the freight deduction. Pull out units with shattered walls or missing panels and set them aside. Empty out rocks, pallet scraps, rags and old dunnage, and drain any standing water. Keep the stacks where a forklift can reach them on pickup day, and have someone on site who can count with the driver.

Ownership comes first

We only buy containers you own. Pooled crates and pallets rented from a pooling company belong to the pooler, and bins molded with another company's name usually belong to that company unless you hold a bill of sale or a written release. If you are unsure, tell us what is embossed on the wall and we will tell you what paperwork a buyer will ask for. It is faster to settle this before the photos than after the truck is booked.

Pickup and payment

When you accept an offer, both sides confirm it in writing: count, grade, price, pickup window and who loads. We arrange the carrier and send you the booking. Most sellers load at their own dock with a forklift; if you have no dock or no lift, say so up front, because it changes the truck we book. The count is checked at loading and the bill of lading is signed by both the driver and your crew.

Terms for payment are set in the written offer. We do not take containers on consignment without saying so, and we do not ask you to ship anything before the deal is agreed. The step-by-step version is on how selling works.