Start
Tote rental startup costs
The big cost is the totes. Then a vehicle, a place to wash, insurance, and software. Start with 100–300 bins. Add more when you are selling out — not on day one.
Takes about 2 minutes · No credit card
Totes
Price per bin depends on brand and size. Multiply your cost by 100, 200, or 300. That line is most of the cash. Do not buy a warehouse of bins before you have paid jobs.
Vehicle
Many shops start with a van or truck they already have. If you rent one, count that in the first 90 days. You do not need a branded fleet on week one.
Wash and storage
A hose, a pad, and a dry stack. Garage, lot, or a small unit. Budget time as well as rent. Dirty bins are not rentable.
Insurance and basics
Talk to an insurance person who knows delivery work. Add a phone number people can find, and a way to take cards. On ToteHQ Pro, customers pay you on Stripe.
Software (ToteHQ Pro Core)
- Waitlist and Apply are free
- Pay $99 once to start Core after you are approved
- On Core, ToteHQ takes 10% of each charge until a $99 monthly cap. After the cap, 0% until the 1st. That share is taken on the same payment — not a second checkout.
- No extra website fee on the default path
First 90 days
Sell the packages you published. Watch overlaps and wash time. Buy the next stack when clean-and-ready is the bottleneck — not when ads feel slow. A sheet can hold job one. Switch when job two overlaps. See when to leave Excel.
Starter stack sizes
- 100 totes. Thin start. One small job at a time plus wash. Easy to sell out.
- 200 totes. Common start. A few overlapping jobs if you wash on time.
- 300 totes. Room for a busy weekend and dirty bins still in the wash.
FAQ
- How many totes do I need?
- Most tote rental businesses start with 100–300. That covers a few overlapping jobs and cleaning. Add more when you are selling out.
- Is this a loan calculator?
- No. It is a first-90-days list. Your tote price, rent, and insurance are local. Plug in your numbers.
- What does ToteHQ Pro cost in month one?
- Apply is free. If you turn Core on, the start fee is $99 once. Then 10% of paid bookings until ToteHQ’s $99 monthly cap. The start fee is not the monthly cap.