The streams

Eight streams. Eight separate businesses.

Each one has its own suppliers, its own customers and its own margins. Nobody has to run more than one, and most operators start with exactly one.

Stream 01

Computers & IT

Desktops, laptops, servers, networking gear, monitors and phones coming off business refresh cycles.

What it is

The oldest stream in the book, and the one this whole model came out of. A business replaces a floor of machines every three or four years and needs them gone with the data handled properly. Most units still work.

Watch out for

Data handling is the whole ballgame. An operator who can document a wipe gets the corporate accounts; one who cannot gets the household castoffs.

Stream 02

Appliances & Scrap Metal

Refrigerators, washers, dryers, HVAC units, water heaters, and mixed ferrous and non-ferrous metal.

What it is

Cleanouts, remodels and property turnovers produce this constantly. Some of it resells whole, the rest is weight, and weight has a published price.

Watch out for

Refrigerant recovery is regulated. Check your state before you take the first unit.

Stream 03

Office Furniture & Fixtures

Desks, chairs, cubicles, conference tables and shelving from downsizings, relocations and closed offices.

What it is

Bulky, low value per piece, high value per truckload, and almost nobody wants to handle it. That is exactly why the margin is there.

Watch out for

Storage is the constraint, not supply. Do not take a load you have nowhere to put.

Stream 04

Building Materials

Cabinets, doors, windows, fixtures, lumber and tile recovered by careful deconstruction instead of demolition.

What it is

A kitchen four years old comes out whole if somebody takes the time. Contractors will often let it go free rather than pay to dump it.

Watch out for

This one is labour, not logistics. Price the hours honestly before you quote a job.

Stream 05

Textiles & Clothing

Clothing, shoes, linens and fabric, sorted into wearable, resale-grade and mill-grade rag stock.

What it is

Volume business with three exit routes and a sorting step that decides which one each piece takes.

Watch out for

Sorting labour eats the margin if you let it. Decide your grades before the first bale.

Stream 06

Restaurant & Kitchen

Commercial ranges, coolers, prep tables, smallwares and dish machines from closures and remodels.

What it is

Restaurants close on short notice and the equipment has to be out by a date. Speed is worth more than price in this stream.

Watch out for

Know what needs certification before resale in your state.

Stream 07

Medical & Mobility

Wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, shower chairs and durable medical equipment.

What it is

Steady supply from estates and facility turnover, and steady demand from people who cannot buy new.

Watch out for

Cleaning and inspection standards matter here more than anywhere else on this page.

Stream 08

Pallets & Packaging

Wooden pallets, crates, totes, drums and gaylords repaired and put back into circulation.

What it is

The least glamorous stream and one of the most predictable. Repair and resell, over and over, to the same buyers.

Watch out for

It is a route business. Build the route, not the inventory.

Ready to look at one seriously?

The package for any stream covers startup costs, margins, licensing and how to land the first account.

See the packages