So, you have access to wood pallets, and you want to make money from them. Some of you reading this right now might be surprised to learn that you can make money selling recycled wood pallets. You can, and that’s what we’re going to talk about.
How much do wooden pallets cost? Wood pallets typically cost $9 to $12. However, nowadays, you’re looking at more like $15 per wood pallet.
There’s a market for everything, and pallets are no different. You either need to find someone who wants to buy the pallets as they are, or you need to learn how to make things out of them. No matter what, if you have pallets, you should be able to put some money in your pocket.
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9 places to make money selling recycled wood pallets
1. Craigslist
There’s always someone looking for pallets on Craigslist. You can list your pallets and specify that they’re in good condition, or you can state that they need some work. You could hand-deliver them to the buyer and make more money.
Have some pictures ready of your pallets in case the customers want to see them. People are more likely to buy your pallets if they can see them first.
2. North American Pallet Recycling Network
NAPR is a recycling network that buys wood pallets. It’s the best option if you have many pallets that you want to get rid of. You can call them directly, or you can visit their website to get more information. To sell your pallets to NAPR, you must go through a broker or a recycler.
3. Kamps Pallets
Kamps Pallets is located in just about every major city. It’s another great option if you have many pallets that you need to get rid of. Kamps will come to your location and pick up your pallets, and they’ll take care of getting rid of them. If you’re going to use Kamps, be sure you call them directly.
4. Recycle.net
Recycle.net is another excellent option for selling your pallets. They have an entire section for selling pallets. The site is easy to navigate, and they take care of finding the buyers. If you’re serious about selling your pallets, you can do it there.
5. National Wooden Pallet Container and Association
The National Wooden Pallet Container and Association has a list of all the companies that buy and sell pallets on their website. You can search through the companies that you’re interested in and find out more.
If you have a steady supply of pallets coming in, you might be better off going to the National Wooden Pallet Container and Association website and trying to find a steady buyer. That way, you won’t have to go through the hassle of dealing with new customers.
6. Classified ads in your local newspaper
The classified ads might be your best option if you have a small supply of pallets. Put an ad in the local newspaper and see if anyone replies to you. You might be better off selling a few pallets one at a time instead of selling them in bulk.
7. Local manufacturers
If you can find a local manufacturing company, have them come and look at your pallets. They might be willing to buy them if they think they can use them for their own projects.
Companies can save money by buying your pallets instead of buying them from a supplier. Similarly, you can find local carpenters who can buy your pallets. Or, if you know people who are doing projects where old wood could be useful, have them come take a look at your pallets.
8. Pallet brokers
There are also pallet brokers who specialize in buying wood pallets. Pallet brokers will come to look at the pallets and then give you a price. They’ll pay you for the entire lot of pallets, no matter how many, and they’ll remove them from your property.
Pallet brokers are a good option if you need a quick way to get rid of your pallets. Also, pallet brokers are great repeat customers who you can sell to for years to come. If you have a steady supply of pallets, use a broker to sell them.
9. Recycling facilities
If you have a recycling facility nearby, they might be willing to take the pallets off your hands. They’ll pay you for the entire pallet and then sell the wood for lumber or furniture.
If you don’t have a recycling facility nearby, you can always look around to see if you can find one. You can contact them to see if they want your pallets and then have them come check them out.
7 ways to make money repurposing wood pallets
Rather than selling your recycled wood pallets, you could repurpose them and sell the finished product.
Curious to learn more? Here are several items you can build using used wooden pallets.
If you have pallets lying around, it’s better to give them a new use than just letting them sit there. Your pallets can be made into something useful to sell.
1. Firewood
Firewood is one of the simplest ways to make money from your pallets. You’ll have to take out all the nails before selling them as firewood. Some people might buy your pallets just to burn them.
Since pallets are very dry, you can turn them into kindlin. This is something people can use to get their fire started. Some people don’t like the smell of paper and want something they can get a fire started with that won’t stink up their house.
2. Dressers
An excellent use for pallets is making durable, handmade dressers and chests of drawers. You can build your own dressers from scratch and make them heavy enough to last a long time.
Dressers are things that aren’t exactly focal points of a room. Being a little rustic is a good thing, and using pallets will help you achieve that look.
3. Tables
Another thing that you can make with pallets is tables. You can make a long, rectangular table out of your pallet wood. Only use one level of the boards and then put them together to make one table. If you’re building a table, be sure to use the same type of boards all the way across.
4. Lawn furniture
You can use your pallet wood to make rustic furniture for your backyard. You can make a patio table, chairs, benches, and more. The possibilities are endless when it comes to making things for a garden or yard.
5. Birdhouses
You can make a fun, rustic birdhouse out of your pallet wood. Birdhouses are easy to sell since everyone loves seeing birds visit their backyard. You can start a business by making people birdhouses for their gardens.
6. Nicknack shelves
A fun, small project that you can do with pallet wood is making a shelf. A lot of people will put a little nick nack shelf above their bed for decoration. A bookshelf is another option, too. All you have to do is build shelves out of your pallet wood and put them somewhere.
7. Turn pallets into fences
You can use pallets to make fences that are strong enough for dogs but not tall enough for horses. You’ll need sturdy boards for the sides and bottom of your fence, but you can also use fence posts.
Where to sell your repurposed items?
Craigslist, flea markets, and yard sales are all great places to sell your things made with pallet wood. You can even sell your creations on eBay. As soon as you get a few sales, you’ll get some word-of-mouth advertising, and from there, your business will take off.
You need to get your woodworking products in front of people. Do anything you can to get eyeballs on your stuff, and you’ll eventually make sales if your prices are right. If you build something really cool, people will be willing to pay a premium price for it.
The trick is to make things that people want or need (like a playhouse?).
Selling used wood pallets: The bottom line
There are many ways you can make money from your pallets. You can sell them to a manufacturing company to turn into things or sell them for firewood.
There are many uses for pallet wood that you might not have considered. Making furniture, tables, fence panels, and even birdhouses.
You can even make a few things for your own home with pallets and then sell it on Craigslist, eBay, Facebook marketplace, or wherever else you want to sell it. There are a plethora of places online to sell these items.
The main thing to consider is how do you want to sell your pallets. Do you want to sell them outright or turn them into something that will bring in more money?
Many of you reading this will want to sell the pallets as they are, and it’s understandable because that’s the easiest route to make money. However, if you have woodworking skills, you might want to process the pallets into something that will give you an even larger profit margin.
