Many kinds of businesses buy wooden pallets for storing goods, loading and unloading trucks, or moving products around in a busy industrial environment. Wood pallets are simply constructed, but the strength of these industrial tools is in their standardization: standard pallet shapes and sizes mean companies buying pallets can be equipped to deal with products that come in from another business on pallets. These tools have become the default storage medium for anything from boxed or bottled food and beverage items to large vats or industrial parts.

Buyers of hardwood pallets can find some good additional purchases online that will help to better use the wood pallets that collect over time in a warehouse environment. Managers who buy pallets can make easy purchases online to equip a shop for dealing with standard wood pallets, including:

1. Simple manual pallet jacks for easily getting wood pallets where they need to go.

2. Shrink wrap and shrink wrap machines for making sure products are safely and securely packaged on a wood pallet.

3. Repair tools for wood pallets including crowbars, hammers and nails.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get pallet jacks for transporting wood pallets

When you're taking wood pallets on or off of trucks, across floors, or into shelving areas, pallet jacks help your employees not only move the pallets, but also to better navigate where they'll be placed for storage or transport. Simple manual pallet jacks give access to floor areas, while high-rise hydraulic jacks help get pallets stacked or shelved.

I recommend: Get manual pallet jacks from Norlift of Oregon for easily moving wood pallets around. Look for more manual pallet jacks online at Mighty Lift to buy pallets gear you can use every day.

Buy shrink wrap systems for securing goods on wood pallets

Another critical aspect of using wood pallets is to center and secure a stack of products that are sitting on a pallet. The goods may be stacked very solidly, but they can still shift if not bound together by quality shrink wrap or binding materials.

I recommend: Get shrink wrap machines, equipment, and wrap at ABC Office for a quick online buy for securing palletized goods. Find more shrink wrap equipment and supplies online from Stevenson Industries.

Get tools for repairing and rebuilding wood pallets

Because the wood pallets construction is so simple, with a selection of lateral wood shims on a lumber frame, you can do most wood pallets repair easily with a hammer and nails. In other situations, a crowbar may be helpful for tearing off parts that have come loose and are in the way.

I recommend: Get all of the hardwood pallet hand tools you need for business online at top seller Northern Tool. For more hand tools at discounted prices, try My Discount Tools.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Along with getting supplies for hardwood or pressed wood pallets, consider a pallet buyback program or recycling option for getting used pallets off of your floor when you no longer need them or when they are no longer reparable. Dealing with used wholesale pallets is part of keeping an industrial space running smoothly.

The hardwood pallets or "skids" you use for warehousing and shipping still have to be brought to you on a truck, but you don't have to go anywhere to order them. With industrial solutions booming, you can analyze the market, talk to other business managers about where to buy pallets, and place your order for wood pallets all from your corner of the office. Online ordering is a great way to get moving on supplying your operation with these durable materials.

When buying pallets, always consider:

1. Whether you are ordering from a supplier or second-hand from another shop.
2. How much time it will take to get your order shipped to you.
3. How long your order will last on your floor.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose a size for your wood pallets

Look at your pallet lift equipment and your inventory to figure out what size you need. You'll find 48x40 is the standard for grocery and other industries, while the slightly larger 48x48 square is commonly used for drums. A 36x36 square is another standard for beverages. A variety of other sizes are also popular for specialized types of products.

I recommend: John W. Clarke's Pallets101 where the author talks about specific pallet needs. Get all types of wood pallets at Pallet Express, or call their hotline for sizing info.

Check out wooden pallet 'Trade Forums'

Look at online 'industry forums' to compare what other buyers are choosing, and to look for possible deals. You can sometimes do an irregular sale through one of these user-driven 'marketplace' sites, where sellers with unusual lots of wood pallets are advertising them for bargain prices.

I recommend: Find used pallets at Pallet Orphans in the Pallet Forum, where business owners list wood pallet stacks they want to get rid of. Also try the domestic used wood pallet listings at the Global Recycling Network, where mixed lots are advertised.

Buy pallets for sale online

Armed with the size you need and your target volume, you can use the websites of wholesale pallets suppliers to make a convenient buy.

I recommend: Soderstrom Pallet's Inc. has an easy-to-use order form page that represents the best of what convenient online ordering has to offer. Enter identity, pricing and other information and click your order in. Buy pallets from U-Line's Catalog Quick Order for those who already know what wood pallets they want.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Look at wood pallet buyback programs. Some sellers will arrange for pickup; this way, you can get rid of your pallets when they've been used so much they're splintering, or when they've been left out in the yard for too long.

Find out the tricks to purchasing wood pallets at the best cost savings. Pallets will help your business ship heavy boxes and crates and more easily be moved with a forklift. They are used in a large number of industries such as food, steel and metal, paper and chemical. Supermarkets are one of the largest users of wood pallets.

When you buy pallets, you should consider if you will always be putting the same materials on it, or if your materials will vary from crate to crate. Think about your interest in using recycled materials, and find out if your budget will allow you buy in bulk.

To find out more about saving money on wood pallets:

1. Learn the tricks to on where to buy pallets cheaply.

2. Consider buying pallets from dealers who offer recycled pallets.

3. Custom design your wood pallets to fit your pallet to your specific need.

4. Buy wholesale pallets for sale to save over retail costs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find out the tricks to buy wooden pallets cheaply

Discover some of the industry tricks to purchasing wood pallets at a discount.

I recommend: Learn from Answers.com how wood pallets and skids are used in the industry and how, as needs changed for shippers, cost effectiveness became a key in the transaction of pallets for sale. Check out "Saving Money on Wood Pallets" tips from indinf.com. Consider used pallet options and cheaper pallet materials for short term use.

Purchase recycled wood pallets

Buy pallets that are recycled as a low-cost option as opposed to non-wood alternatives.

I recommend: Atlas Wood Products offers reconditioned and recycled used pallets for sale. They also offer free pallet disposal. IFCO Systems can help you with many pallet management solutions. They offer reverse logistics, backdock management, pallet recycling, pallet retrieval and recovery, pallet sorting and repair, pallet design, wood waste management as well as their pallet exchange program.

Custom design your wood pallets for greater cost savings

When you have your wood pallets custom designed, you can save money by having them created to the specifications of the material that you are moving. Lighter materials will require lighter woods, and will thus save you money.

I recommend: The Pallet Design System can help you analyze the weight needs of your pallet and tailor your pallet to that product. That way if you are shipping a lighter item, you can potentially go with a less expensive wood. Consider custom pallets from Martin Pallet. They have an onsite mill that has some of the latest semi-automated production equipment.

Buy wholesale pallets for greater cost savings

Purchase wholesale pallets to give you greater discounted price over paying retail.

I recommend: Sa-Be sells hardwood pallets at wholesale prices instead of retail. Purchase them in hardwood or softwood, take advantage of their price guarantee, rebates, consignment and more. Consider purchasing your wholesale wood pallets from Wood Ridge Pallet.