Gaylord: the bulk box on a pallet
A gaylord is a large corrugated cardboard box built to sit on a pallet and hold loose or bulk goods. In the closeout trade, gaylords are often filled with customer returns, shelf pulls or apparel and sold as a lot, usually without a line-by-line manifest.
Reviewed by Tyler Kober · Updated
Key takeaways
- A gaylord is a pallet-sized bulk box; the contents are usually loose, mixed and unmanifested.
- Gaylords can be very heavy and are hard to inspect without unpacking; ask for weight and photos from the top.
- Apparel and returns are the most common gaylord lots; some are sold by the pound.
What is a gaylord?
A gaylord is a large corrugated box made to sit on a pallet. It holds loose or bulk goods that would be awkward to stack in cartons. Warehouses use gaylords to collect returns, shelf pulls, apparel and small items, and closeout sellers often sell them as a lot, box and contents together.
How gaylords are used in closeouts
Gaylords are common wherever goods arrive loose rather than in retail cases:
- Returns processing, where items are tossed into gaylords by category or just as they come.
- Apparel, often sold by the gaylord or by the pound.
- Shelf pulls from store resets.
- Small parts and accessories that would not stack well.
Because the contents are loose, gaylord lots are usually unmanifested. Buyers judge them by source, category, weight and photos. Heavy items near the bottom of a full gaylord can be crushed, and it is hard to see what is underneath without unloading.
Freight carriers treat a gaylord on a pallet like any other palletized freight, but weight can be high and the box can bulge or collapse. Strapped and wrapped gaylords travel better.
Example
A bin store buys several gaylords of mixed general merchandise returns. Before restock day, staff tip each one onto a sorting table, pull broken items, set aside higher-value pieces for a showcase and send the rest to the bins. The store tracks how many sellable units each gaylord produces so it can compare sources over time.
The common confusion
People treat "gaylord" and "pallet" as the same lot size. A gaylord is a box on a pallet, and how full and how heavy it is varies a lot. Another mix-up: gaylord lots sold by the pound are priced on weight, not on unit count or retail value, so heavy, low-value items can make a pound-priced lot look better than it is. See merchandise by the pound and should you buy unmanifested loads.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called a gaylord?
The name comes from the Gaylord Container Corporation, an early maker of these bulk boxes. The brand name stuck and is now used across the trade for any large corrugated bulk box that sits on a pallet, whoever made it.
What is usually in a gaylord of returns?
Loose items from a returns process, often a mix of categories and conditions: some sealed, some opened, some damaged. They are rarely manifested. Items at the bottom take the weight of everything above, so fragile goods can be crushed. Ask how the gaylord was filled and from which source.
How do I compare gaylord lots?
By weight, category mix and source, not by the box. Two gaylords can look the same and hold very different value. Ask for the gross weight, photos of the top layer and sides, and a description of the source. For apparel, ask whether it is sorted by type or season.
Related
Send a list or manifest and we'll come back with an offer. Approved buyers see live loads, prices and manifests. Or call +1 215 278 4122.