JunkRabbit vs 1-800-GOT-JUNK in San Jose

The short answer

Both services remove junk in the Bay Area. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? prices full-service jobs by volume, with the estimate given on site, and also offers a curbside tier called Flex. JunkRabbit publishes a flat price for every item and a truck-fill tier for larger loads, shown before you book from a photo or a list: $126 for a sofa, $103 for a queen mattress and $732 for a full truck.

Pricing: on-site estimate vs published flat price

With a volume-based model, a crew arrives, looks at the pile, estimates how much of the truck it will fill and gives a price. That is how 1-800-GOT-JUNK? prices its full-service jobs. You learn the number once the crew is at your door.

With JunkRabbit, the price comes first. Every item on the list has its own flat price, and larger loads use truck-fill tiers from $241 for a quarter truck to $732 for a full truck. You upload a photo or pick items, see the total and then book. The price only changes if you approve a change, such as adding items on the day.

Neither model is wrong. Some people prefer an estimator on site. Others want to know the number before anyone drives over, especially when planning a move or comparing options with family.

Carry-out and curbside

1-800-GOT-JUNK?'s full-service crews remove items from the home. Its Flex tier is a separate curbside option for items you have already moved outside.

JunkRabbit has one model: crews carry items out from anywhere in the home, on any floor. There is no stairs fee and no walk-up fee. A sofa from the third floor of a Santa Clara garden complex is the same $126 as one from a garage in Cambrian.

In San José, curbside collection already has a free option. The City's Junk Pickup takes up to 12 items at the curb on your garbage day, for owners and renters. So the paid question is mostly about carry-out, larger jobs and timing, which is where JunkRabbit's flat prices are built to fit.

Booking and timing

JunkRabbit is booked online in minutes. You get a price, choose a two-hour arrival window and book, with no phone call needed. Crews work seven days a week from 8am to midnight, and booking by 4 PM usually means same-day pickup, with no same-day surcharge.

That evening window helps in a region where many people work long days. A tech worker in North San José can book a move-out cleanout for the evening after the movers leave, and a family in Almaden Valley can schedule a Sunday garage clear-out.

For buildings, JunkRabbit emails a certificate of insurance within one hour of booking. That matters in downtown towers and North San José mid-rises, where a COI and an elevator reservation are needed before any vendor can work.

Sample San Jose jobs at flat prices

Every price includes carry-out from anywhere in the home, loading and disposal. The order minimum is $100, and there is no sales tax added in this area.

Here is how that plays out on a typical relocation. A one-bedroom in North San José leaving behind a sofa, a queen set and a TV with its stand comes to $126 + $143 + $68 + $96 = $433. That number is on the screen before you book, and it is the number you pay unless you add something.

Insurance, crews and disposal

Whichever service you choose, ask about insurance and how special items are handled. California treats electronics as universal waste, runs its own mattress recycling program and requires refrigerant recovery from fridges and AC units before scrapping.

JunkRabbit is fully insured and works with vetted, insured local haulers. Disposal is included in every flat price. We try to donate usable items when local charities accept them, and we recycle whatever we can. Paint is accepted. Other hazardous materials are handled case by case, so ask before booking.

Property managers can set up one JunkRabbit account covering several properties, which helps with turnovers across a portfolio of rentals in San José, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. Each job is priced and booked individually.

Which to choose

• You want an estimator to look at the job in person: a volume-based service like 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.
• You want the total before anyone arrives: JunkRabbit's flat published prices.
• Your items are already at the curb and you can wait: San José's free Junk Pickup.
• You need an evening or same-day slot: JunkRabbit, until midnight, same day when booked by 4 PM.
• Your building needs a COI fast: JunkRabbit emails one within one hour.

See the full San Jose price list, read about other alternatives, or get your own number on the instant quote page.

Frequently asked questions