Junk King Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Junk King franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Junk King discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it D.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses gross sales only (avg $551K, median $450K for 160 units) plus per-job averages and dumpster revenues. No profitability, owner income, or expense data provided. Excludes 13 closed businesses—significant survivorship bias.
What a Junk King franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $64,734 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 10% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $121,200 – $236,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Total fees can reach 15%+ of gross sales: 8% royalty, 2% MAP, 5% customer care center, plus local marketing obligations.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Junk King system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 171 |
| Ceased operations | 11 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 1 |
| Transferred to new owners | 29 |
| Closure rate | 6.4% of outlets |
11 ceased operations plus 1 termination in 2025; 13 closures excluded from Item 19 revenue data.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Junk King worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 10% of sales | steeper than 72% of home & trade services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $121,200 | about average (median $119,850) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade D | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 6.4% of outlets | worse than 72% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 4 | more litigious than 92% of peers |
Benchmarked against every home & trade services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Junk King
The franchisor's framing: Discloses gross sales only (avg $551K, median $450K for 160 units) plus per-job averages a… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Junk King franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Junk King franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $121,200–$236,000, including a $64,734 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Junk King franchise owners make?
- Discloses gross sales only (avg $551K, median $450K for 160 units) plus per-job averages and dumpster revenues. No profitability, owner income, or expense data provided. Excludes 13 closed businesses—significant survivorship bias. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
- What are the Junk King franchise fees?
- Junk King's FDD discloses a $64,734 initial franchise fee, a 8% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 10% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Total fees can reach 15%+ of gross sales: 8% royalty, 2% MAP, 5% customer care center, plus local marketing obligations.
- What is the Junk King franchise profit margin?
- Junk King does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses gross sales only (avg $551K, median $450K for 160 units) plus per-job averages and dumpster revenues. No profitability, owner income, or expense data provided. Excludes 13 closed businesses—significant survivorship bias. Recurring fees alone take about 10% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Junk King franchise failure rate?
- 11 ceased operations plus 1 termination in 2025; 13 closures excluded from Item 19 revenue data.
- How many Junk King locations are there?
- Junk King's FDD reports 171 total outlets, with 11 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 29 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Junk King have complaints or lawsuits?
- Junk King discloses 4 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Junk King franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Junk King scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 10% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 4 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Junk King to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36171-202604-02 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Junk King or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.