Written by M. Alvarez, Operations
About a third of inbound buy-back inquiries come in with so little information that we have to ask three or four follow-up questions before we can quote. The other two-thirds give us enough to reply with a number on the same day. Here is the difference.
1. Quantity, in pallets or units.
Tell us roughly how many gaylords or how many pallets of folded boxes you have. Even a rough estimate ("about 200 gaylords, give or take 30") is much better than no number at all. We can quote a range with a rough number; we cannot quote anything without one.
2. Footprint and wall type, if you know them.
A 40x48 doublewall is worth more to us than a 48x48 singlewall, and the price spread is bigger than you might think. If you do not know the spec, snap a photo of one box flat-folded with a tape measure next to it.
3. Approximate condition.
You do not need to grade the boxes for us — that is our job — but tell us if they have all flaps, if they are clean, and roughly how many trips they have been on. "Once-used grocery distribution" is a great description. "Some are okay, some are pretty rough" is also fine and useful.
4. Pickup zip code.
Freight is the biggest variable in any quote. A pickup three miles from our yard pays a very different rate than one in Wyoming. The more accurate the zip, the tighter our quote can be.
5. Available pickup window.
If you need them gone by Thursday, say so. If you have a flexible window, say that too. Flexible pickups get cheaper rates because we can route them onto our weekly milk runs.
6. A few photos.
Three or four phone photos showing the stack from different angles will get you a quote in hours instead of days. We do not need professional photography; we just need to see what you have.