Cost per unit falls as load size rises. That is the whole economic argument for buying a truckload, and it is a real one. But a truckload is only cheaper if you can receive it, store it and work through it — and the cost of getting any of those wrong wipes out the saving quickly.
Here is the honest comparison.
A single pallet
One pallet is the right first order for almost everybody. It is enough volume to learn how a category behaves — what share is sellable, how long sorting takes, what your real cost per sellable unit is — without betting much to find out.
- Delivery: LTL freight, curbside, with liftgate and residential delivery included at no extra charge.
- What you need: somewhere to put it and a way to move it a short distance. A pallet jack on a flat surface is enough; many buyers break the pallet down at the kerb and carry it in.
- Risk: contained. If the category is wrong for you, you have learned that cheaply.
Several pallets
The middle option, and often the smartest second order. Per-unit cost improves, freight is still included, and you can spread across more than one category to see which one actually sells for you before you go deep on it.
A full truckload
A full trailer bought as one lot. This is where cost per unit is lowest. It is also a different physical operation.
- Unloading is yours. You need a dock or a loading bay and a forklift, or a crew and a plan. Carriers usually allow about 2 hours of free unloading time and charge for delay after that, so “we will figure it out when it arrives” is an expensive approach.
- Storage is yours. A trailer holds a lot of pallets. Work out where they are going before you buy, not after.
- Throughput matters. Merchandise sitting in your unit is capital not working. A truckload only pays if you can process and sell it at a reasonable pace.
- Freight is still free to any address in the 50 states, the same as a single pallet.
Three questions before you buy a truckload
- Can I get it off the truck in two hours? If the answer involves hope, buy pallets.
- Do I know this category’s sell-through from my own numbers? Not from a manifest’s retail column — from what you have actually sold.
- Can I absorb it if a third of it moves slowly? Volume magnifies a bad category as efficiently as a good one.
The pickup alternative
If you are near San Antonio, local pickup from our warehouse at 7402 Reindeer Trail is free by appointment, and it takes freight scheduling out of the equation entirely. Two things to know: we hold a pickup order free for the first week after the ready notice, from day 8 we charge storage of 10 dollars per pallet per day, and an order still uncollected 21 calendar days after the ready notice may be cancelled, with a refund of the lot price less the storage that has built up. The full terms are in the Shipping Policy.
Whichever you choose
The terms are the same. Prices are on every listing with no membership and no minimum order. Handling is 1 to 2 business days after payment clears and total delivery is 3 to 7 business days. You have 7 calendar days to report damage or a shortage, and 30 calendar days to return any lot for a refund of the lot price with no restocking fee.
Start with one pallet. Buy the truckload when your own numbers tell you to.
