How are pallets graded?
Buyers sort by size (48 × 40 in is the most common US size) and by condition. Repackify's lead records, which this site's bid requests feed, use these grades: grade A (few or no repairs), grade B (repaired, still sound), grade C (heavily repaired), combo (mixed) and cores (broken pallets bought for repair or parts). Ask the buyer to define each grade in the agreement, ideally with photographs.
Where do disputes come from?
Counts and culls. The buyer counts and sorts after pickup, so ask for a count sheet per load, a stated cull rate or cull rules, and what is paid (if anything) for culls. Pallets that are not your property, such as pooled or rental pallets with a pool operator's colour and marking, are not yours to sell; keep them out of the load.
What about index pricing?
There is no widely cited free index for used pallets that contracts link to. Government producer price indexes track new pallet costs, and sites such as PalletPulse explain them. For a buy-back, a fixed price per grade with a review date is the usual shape.
The clauses that matter most here
- § 1Material and specificationWhich grade you are selling, and the quality limits the buyer can hold you to.
- § 7Load minimumsThe minimum weight or count per pickup, and the charge for a light load.
- § 10Weights, tickets and auditWhose scale sets the paid weight, what ticket you get, and your right to check.
- § 14Exclusivity and first refusalWhether all your material must go to this buyer, and whether it can match other bids.
Questions
- Do pallet buyers pay per pallet or per ton?
- Per pallet, by size and grade. Broken pallets may be bought as cores or taken as scrap wood.
- Can I sell pallets with a pool company’s marking?
- No. Pooled or rental pallets belong to the pool operator. Keep them separate.