Sell your surplus boxes — we buy by the load
Those empty Gaylords stacking up behind the dock are not trash — they are inventory someone else needs. We buy them, haul them on our own trucks, and pay you for the privilege.
Tell us what you have to sell
Sizes, wall type, quantity, condition and zip — we'll send a buy price fast.
We buy surplus empties and overstock by the pallet or truckload. Email us the sizes, wall type, quantity, condition and your zip code. You get a fast buy quote, we schedule a pickup on our own trucks, and you get paid. What used to be a disposal line item becomes money back — instead of paying a hauler to landfill it.
If it holds a load, we want it
We are always short on good used inventory, so surplus you consider clutter is exactly what our buyers are looking for.
Gaylord boxes
Triple-, double- and single-wall bulk boxes in any standard footprint. Best value in Grades A–C, but we will look at rougher lots too.
Cartons & corrugated
RSC cartons, telescoping boxes, sleeves, dividers and clean OCC. Overstock, misprints and cancelled-order runs all qualify.
Pallets
GMA 48×40 and off-size wood pallets, block and stringer. Repairable or reusable pallets carry real buy value.
Too worn to reuse or reship? We still take it — it flows into recycling and baling so nothing hits the landfill and you still clear the dock.
What we take, and what it's worth
Condition drives value, but almost nothing is a hard no. Here is how the main categories break down — and where the money is.
| Material | Condition notes | Relative value |
|---|---|---|
| Gaylord boxes | Triple-, double- or single-wall; standard 48″ × 40″ footprint best | Highest for clean triple-wall Grade A/B in truckload volume |
| Cartons & corrugated | RSC cartons, telescoping boxes, sleeves, dividers, clean OCC | Strong for unused overstock; baled OCC priced by the ton |
| Overstock & misprints | Cancelled-order runs, misprints, discontinued packaging | Solid — often unused and reship-ready, just not yours to use |
| Pallets | GMA 48″ × 40″, off-size, block and stringer; repairable counts | Real buy value for reusable and repairable wood |
| Worn / mixed lots | Crushed, wet-damaged or heavily used boxes | Recovered via recycling — clears your dock at zero landfill |
Value is directional, not a quote — the real number depends on your exact specs, volume and distance from a lane we run. Send the list and we will price it.
What moves your number up
We value every lot against live demand and the cost to move it. Five things swing the price more than anything else — and four of them are in your control.
- Wall & size Triple-wall and standard 48″ × 40″ footprints have the deepest demand, so they carry the most value.
- Condition Clean, dry, reusable Grade A/B beats crushed or wet lots — the more trips left in a box, the more it is worth to the next shipper.
- Volume Truckload quantities price better per unit than a few pallets, because the freight math per box improves as the trailer fills.
- Consistency A uniform load of one size and grade is worth more than a mixed jumble we have to sort and split.
- Location The one factor you cannot change — proximity to a lane we already run cuts freight and lifts your net.
Send photos — it pays
A few phone shots of the stacked load tell us wall type, condition and count faster than a paragraph ever could. Better information means a tighter, quicker, and usually higher quote.
From surplus to paid in four steps
No brokers, no runaround. One email and our own trucks do the rest.
Email us the details
Send sizes, wall type, quantity, condition and your zip. A few phone photos of the stacked load speed the quote up more than anything else.
Get a fast buy quote
We value the lot against live demand and lane costs and send you a buy price — plus whether it is a pallet-count or full-truckload deal.
We pick up on our trucks
Approve the price and we schedule a pickup that fits your dock hours. Our own regional fleet handles the freight, so you are not arranging carriers.
You get paid
Boxes are counted and graded at pickup or receipt, and payment is issued on agreed terms. A recurring surplus becomes a standing, scheduled buy-back.
Stop paying to throw away an asset
Landfilling or baling surplus boxes costs you twice: the tipping or hauling fee, plus the value of a box that still has trips left in it. Selling flips both. You erase the disposal cost and add a revenue line — while a shipper down the road skips buying new.
It is the same closed loop that powers our buy service: your outbound surplus becomes someone's inbound supply, often on the same lanes our freight team already runs.
We bring the truck to you
The freight is our problem, not yours. Here is how a pickup actually runs, and the thresholds that make it work.
Minimums that make sense
We work best in pallet-count and truckload volumes, where the freight math pencils out. A rough rule: a full pallet of stackable Gaylords is a comfortable floor, and a full or partial truckload is ideal.
Below that? We consolidate smaller lots into a lane with other nearby pickups — tell us what you have and we will find the trip.
How the pickup runs
Once you approve the buy price, we schedule around your dock hours and receiving windows. Our own regional fleet — and backhaul network for longer lanes — handles the freight, so you are never sourcing carriers.
Boxes should be stacked and reasonably accessible; loose or banded on pallets both work. We count and grade at pickup or on receipt.
- You arrange nothing No carrier hunting, no outbound freight bill, no BOL scramble — we own the logistics both ways.
- One trip clears it all Reusable boxes get bought, worn ones get recycled — the whole pile leaves on a single visit.
- Recurring gets easier A steady surplus becomes a standing, scheduled buy-back on a set cadence.
Disposal cost vs. buy-back revenue
The same load of empties can be a cost or a credit. This illustrative comparison shows the swing — the numbers move with your volume, but the direction never does.
| Line item | Landfill / haul-off | Sell to EcoBoxes Cali |
|---|---|---|
| Hauling & freight | You pay a hauler | We pay — our truck, our cost |
| Tipping / disposal fee | Charged by the ton | None — nothing is landfilled |
| Value of the boxes | Lost entirely | Paid back to you as a buy price |
| Dock labor to stage | Same either way | Same either way |
| Net result | A cost line | A revenue line |
That is three costs erased and one added revenue stream — the whole reason our buy and sell services exist as a single loop. See it end to end on the Reuse Loop.
Where surplus piles up
If empties, overstock or worn packaging accumulate faster than you can deal with them, you are exactly who we buy from.
Distribution centers & 3PLs
High inbound volume means Gaylords and pallets stack up fast on the returns and cross-dock side.
Importers & receivers
Overseas freight arrives in bulk boxes you have no use for once the product is unloaded.
Manufacturers & plants
Inbound parts and materials leave a steady stream of empties and repairable pallets behind the line.
Packaging & print shops
Cancelled runs, misprints and discontinued overstock that are unused and reship-ready — just not yours to use.
Retail & grocery warehouses
Bulk intake and reverse logistics generate tons of OCC and reusable corrugated every week.
Ag & food processors
Seasonal receiving leaves piles of triple-wall bulk boxes once the pack is done.
What sellers ask first
Straight answers before you send the load list.
How much are my boxes worth?
Do you buy small quantities?
What if some boxes are damaged?
Who arranges the freight?
How and when do I get paid?
Do you buy overstock and misprints we never used?
Can a one-time surplus become a recurring buy-back?
What speeds up my quote the most?
Got a dock full of empties?
Send sizes, quantity and a zip — we'll turn that pile into a check.