"Starting at $99" ads meet Chicago's third-floor back staircases, and the receipts tell the rest. Here are the real published numbers — single items $75–$250 flat, multi-item pickups $300–$500, cleanouts $241–$732 by truck fill — with the stairs already inside every price.
One photo — the flat price in seconds
Upload a Photo & Get Quote →| Job | What it actually costs | Anchor prices |
|---|---|---|
| Single small item | $75 (the minimum) | Microwave $40 + minimum → billed $75 |
| Single standard item | $75–$250 | Sofa $126 · queen mattress $103 · fridge $164 · TV $68 |
| A few items together | $300–$500 | Couch + queen mattress + dresser = $355 exactly |
| One-room / basement clear | $241–$431 | Quarter to half truck, loading included |
| Whole-unit cleanout | $431–$732 per truck | Full 16-cu-yd truck $732; big units run multiple trucks at the same rate |
Every anchor is our published 2026 flat rate — the same list your photo quote draws from. Full breakdown on the Chicago price guide.
If your building has black carts and your item qualifies, the 311 bulky route is free and legitimate — we link it on every comparison page because sending eligible-and-patient people there is what makes the rest of our numbers credible. The paid market is for the other half of the city, the banned streams, and every deadline.
With published flat pricing: single items run $75–$250 (the $75 minimum covers small pieces; a sofa is $126, a queen mattress $103, a refrigerator $164), a typical multi-item pickup lands $300–$500 (couch + queen mattress + dresser totals exactly $355), and cleanouts run $241 (quarter truck) to $732 (full 16-cubic-yard truck). Those are booked prices with the stairs included — not estimates that grow in your stairwell.
Stairs are the classic Chicago lever: the 'starting at' ad prices a ground-floor curbside grab, then the third-floor walk-up with the 180-degree back-staircase turns 'adds labor.' With published flat rates the stairs are already in the number — a third-floor sofa is $126 like every other sofa. Any model where the price is discovered on-site will discover your staircase.
Yes — if your building has black carts (four units or fewer), bulky items ride the 311 system free, and eligible-patient-and-able-to-carry situations should use it. The paid market exists for the other half of the city (bigger buildings), the banned streams (electronics under the Illinois landfill ban), and every lease-deadline clock.
Not with flat pricing — May 1 and October 1 weeks carry the same rates as mid-February. What gets scarce in the waves is calendar space, which is why the advice is book a few days ahead of a lease-flip weekend rather than day-of.