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| Heavy-duty work gloves | $15–$30 | Protect your hands from sharp/dirty items |
|---|---|---|
| Moving blankets (6-pack) | $30–$50 | Protect your truck bed and items worth reselling |
| Tie-down straps (4-pack) | $20–$35 | Secure loads safely — non-negotiable |
| Appliance dolly | $50–$100 | Save your back on heavy items |
| Broom and dustpan | $15 | Leave the job site cleaner than you found it |
| Tarp (heavy duty) | $20–$40 | Cover loads and contain debris |
| PPE (dust mask, safety glasses) | $15–$25 | For dirty or dusty cleanouts |
Total basic setup: $165–$315. You can start with even less and add tools as you go.
Don't skip this. A basic general liability policy for a junk removal business runs $30–$80/month and protects you if something goes wrong — you scratch a customer's floor, a load falls off your truck, or someone trips on your equipment.
Some platforms and apartment complexes require proof of insurance before they'll work with you. Get it early.
Requirements vary by state and city, but typically you need:
Many side hustlers start without formal licensing and add it as they grow. Just know the rules in your area so you're not caught off guard.
Pricing is where most beginners either leave money on the table or scare away customers. There are three common models:
The simplest approach. Charge a flat rate based on how much of your truck the load fills:
This is the most common pricing model and the easiest for customers to understand. "It's a half-truck, so that'll be $200" is a much easier conversation than itemizing every piece.
Works well for specific items:
Less common but useful for large cleanouts where scope is hard to estimate upfront. $50–$100/hour per person is the typical range.
Here's the profit killer nobody warns you about. Dump fees vary wildly by location:
If you're charging $200 for a half-truck and your dump fee is $75, your profit before gas and time is just $125. On a one-hour job that's fine. On a three-hour estate cleanout, the math gets thin fast.
This is where the smarter model comes in — but more on that below.
Building a customer pipeline is easier than you think. Here are seven proven channels:
Post a simple service listing with photos of your truck, a brief description, and your pricing. Join local buy/sell/trade groups and neighborhood groups. When someone posts "does anyone know a hauling service?" you want to be the first comment.
Goldmine for local services. Create a business page, post regularly, and respond to recommendations requests. Nextdoor's algorithm favors nearby businesses, so you'll reach exactly the right audience.
Still works. Post in the "services" section with clear pricing and photos. Update your listing weekly to stay at the top. Craigslist customers tend to be price-sensitive, so lead with your competitive rates.
List yourself as a "junk removal" or "heavy lifting" Tasker. TaskRabbit handles payments and provides a stream of customers. You set your rate and availability. The platform takes a fee but eliminates the marketing work.
This is where repeat business lives. Property managers need cleanouts between tenants. Realtors need houses cleared for showings. Drop off business cards, send a brief intro email, and offer a first-job discount. One good relationship can generate 2–5 jobs per month.
After every job, ask: "Do you know anyone else who needs stuff hauled?" Leave a few business cards. Happy customers refer naturally — especially in neighborhood networks.
Set up a free Google Business Profile for local search visibility. "Junk removal near me" gets thousands of searches monthly. It takes time to rank, but it's free and compounds over time.
Here's the pivot that experienced haulers eventually figure out: the money isn't just in hauling — it's in what happens to the items after pickup.
Traditional junk removal math:
Resale-focused model math:
The difference is significant. When you treat every pickup as a potential sourcing opportunity — not just a hauling job — your income doubles. That old dresser someone's throwing away? It's worth $150 on Facebook Marketplace after 30 minutes of cleaning. The "broken" treadmill? Often just needs a new belt ($30 part) and sells for $400.
This is where the model gets really interesting. Sharetown has essentially built what independent junk haulers dream about: a system where the jobs come to you, the items are worth reselling, and you don't pay dump fees because you're not dumping anything.
Here's how it works:
Why this beats traditional junk removal:
For someone who already owns a truck and is considering junk removal, Sharetown is the evolution of the model. Same physical work, dramatically better economics.
Apply to become a Sharetown rep and start with a built-in customer base — no hunting for your first job required.
Once you've proven the model, there's a clear path to growing a junk removal or resale business:
The reps who scale fastest are the ones who combine multiple revenue streams: Sharetown dispatches for consistent inventory, independent junk removal for cash flow, and resale for the biggest margins.
Most part-time junk haulers earn $500–$1,500 per week working evenings and weekends. Income depends on your market, pricing, and how many jobs you can handle. Adding a resale component (like partnering with Sharetown) significantly increases per-job profit.
Requirements vary by state. Most areas require a basic business license ($50–$200). Some require a waste hauler permit for transporting materials to landfills. Check your local regulations before starting. If you work through a platform like Sharetown, you operate as an independent contractor and typically don't need waste hauler permits since items are resold, not dumped.
A full-size pickup (F-150, Ram 1500, Silverado 1500) with a 6.5' or 8' bed is the most versatile starting vehicle. For higher volume, add a utility trailer. Cargo vans and box trucks work for commercial cleanouts but are less flexible for everyday use.
For items that truly can't be resold or donated, you'll need to use a landfill or transfer station. Budget $25–$75 per dump run in your pricing. However, you'd be surprised how much is sellable — even broken furniture has value for parts, and electronics can be recycled for scrap. Sharetown reps rarely need to dump items, since the platform's items come pre-vetted for resale value.
Yes — it's physical work. Mattresses, furniture, and appliances are heavy and awkward. Invest in an appliance dolly, use proper lifting technique, and don't be afraid to bring a helper for large jobs. Most full-time haulers report their body adapting within the first few weeks, but taking care of your back from day one is critical.
Starting your own business means handling marketing, customer acquisition, dump fees, and permits. With Sharetown, you get dispatched jobs, skip dump fees (items are resold, not trashed), and operate as an independent contractor with no startup costs. Many haulers do both — independent jobs for cash flow and Sharetown pickups for consistent, high-margin inventory.
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Ready to try the smarter version of junk removal? Become a Sharetown rep — you'll pick up returned products from top brands, resell them locally, and earn more per job than traditional hauling. No dump fees, no cold calling, no startup costs.
