What a used tote is worth, and why
Five things move what a used tote is worth: its grade, the retest date on the plate, what it last held, its size and how many there are. The desk lists no prices; the ticket asks for the five and the match comes from them.
01The five levers
| Lever | Pushes value up | Pushes value down |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Rebottled, reconditioned, new | Dirty, damaged |
| Retest date | A recent test, most of 30 months left | A date that has passed |
| Last contents | Food or water, documented | Unknown or a hard-to-clean chemical |
| Size | The size the buyer needs | The wrong size for the job |
| Count | A full trailer of one grade | A mixed pad of odd lots |
A seventh point sits outside the ticket: how far the tote has to travel. The desk keeps trades near, and distance is a cost either side feels.
02Grade first
A rebottled tote has a brand new bottle, so a buyer for a repeat chemical fill values it. A reconditioned tote is cleaned, inspected and tested. A rinsed tote is cheaper to the buyer who needs only water. A dirty or damaged tote is worth its parts and its plastic and steel. The grade ladder draws all eight, and each grade’s page says who usually buys it.
03Date, contents and count
A tote for hazmat liquids needs a test every 2.5 years. A recent date matters to the blender who refills often and hardly at all to the gardener. Last contents decide how many buyers there are: a tote with a clean food-ingredient history has a long list, and one with an unknown past has almost none.
Count matters because handling a trailer of one grade costs less per tote than handling ten odd lots. A pad with a mix is still worth posting, and the desk matches it by lot.
04Asking for a quote
A ticket is a request for a match, and the desk replies with what it can arrange. It does not publish a price list, because it does not hold stock. Post the five levers and ask.
?Questions on this page
How much is an IBC tote?
It depends on grade, retest date, last contents, size and count. The desk lists no prices.
Does the retest date change the price?
For a buyer who refills with hazmat liquids, yes. For a buyer who wants water storage, rarely.