What's the cheapest way to get liquidation pallets?

Buy as close to the source and as close to home as you can. Bidding directly on the marketplace auctions usually beats buying from a middleman who won the same lot and marked it up, and freight is often the deciding line — a cheap pallet three states away can land costing more than a pricier one you can pick up yourself.

The sticker price is the smallest part of the picture. The number that makes lots comparable is landed cost per unit — (bid + buyer's premium + freight) ÷ units — and on heavy or oversized lots the freight quote routinely rivals the winning bid.

Lots offering local pickup are the biggest lever most buyers have, because skipping freight entirely changes the math more than winning an auction slightly cheaper. The costs guide walks through every line item between the winning bid and the pallet on your floor.

Liquidation pallet costs, explained line by line →