Used plastic pallets on eBay and what to check
Used plastic pallets on eBay are listed by sellers who may or may not know their footprint, their rating or who owns the pallet. Check those three before you bid, and consider asking a desk to write the lot up first.
- Check first
- Footprint, rating, owner
- Photos
- Show corners and runners
- Freight
- Read before you bid
- Alternative
- A written lot
Three things to check before bidding
- Footprint: the title may say 48x40 while the photo shows a different pallet. Ask for a measured length and width.
- Rating: a deck plate or maker's page, not the word "heavy duty".
- Owner: any name, logo or RFID tag. A pallet marked as a pool's may belong to the pool.
What photos should show
| Photo | What to see | Reject if |
|---|---|---|
| Top of the deck | Flat, continuous, even colour | Cracks run to an edge |
| A corner close-up | Surface gouges from fork strikes | A chip has lost a piece |
| Underside | Runners whole along their length | A runner is split or gouged deep |
| Fork pocket end | Open pockets | A pocket has collapsed |
| Side edge | Maker's raised logo or part number | An owner's name, logo or tag appears |
An alternative way in
An auction gives you a photo and a price. A lot match gives you a written walk-around of the pallets you will receive, which is worth more when the pallets are for racking, food or pharma. Both are fair ways to buy. Know which one you are doing.
- Auction: fast, thin on detail
- Written lot: slower, full on detail
- Either way, measure on arrival
What a listing cannot show
A marketplace listing shows a photograph and a headline, and for a used pallet that leaves out the things that matter: how many are really in the lot, whether they are all one maker, what the corners look like once the first stack is lifted, and whether any carry a pool owner's name. A buyer can ask, but not every seller walks around the lot to answer. A desk that sorts by footprint and grade has done that walk before the question is asked.
Questions that separate sellers
Four questions tell sellers apart. Can they state the footprint in inches and millimetres? Can they name the maker? Can they say how many pallets are repaired? Can they say whether any carry another owner's mark? A seller who answers all four has done the walk-around, and one who answers none has a photograph.
Safe handling at the stack
- Lift with the tines fully under the load and tilt back slightly before travelling.
- Never climb a stack, and never stand beside one while it is being moved.
- Take a damaged pallet out of service at once and tag it, so nobody reloads it.
- Keep stack heights even and edges square, since a leaning stack feeds on itself.
- Match tine length to the pallet, because short tines can crack the underside of a deck.
Training the dock crew
- Show new staff three pallets: one acceptable, one marginal, one rejected.
- Agree on words for faults, such as crack, gouge, bow and dish, and use them.
- Tell people to stop and ask when a pallet carries any mark they do not recognise.
- Remind drivers to enter pockets squarely, since angled entry splits the pocket wall.
- Walk the dock together once a month and compare notes.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Top deck photo shows no cracks
- 2Corner photo shows gouges, not chips
- 3Underside photo shows whole runners
- 4Fork pocket photo shows open entry
- Seller states rating or says unknown
- No owner marks in any photo
Words used on this page
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
What the sources say
- That used pallet is listed as pharma and food safe but not approved for direct food contact, in colours that vary. nelsoncompany.com
- Rehrig Pacific's heavy-duty nestable can be made with post-consumer or post-industrial recycled material, up to 30 percent in black and up to 10 percent in colour, and is RFID compatible. rehrigpacific.com
- That Nelson model is under 5 in tall, which the page says suits air freight, and works with automation and most roller conveyors. nelsoncompany.com
- Only pallets designed for unsupported racking carry a racking rating. nelsoncompany.com
How a request works
- Pick the footprint, then the grade you can live with.
- Say what the pallets will carry and how many you need.
- Read the written lot description that comes back.
- Agree the lot before anything moves.
The four grades, in a line each
- Like new. A few trips only. Clean, no cracks, no missing parts, deck and runners flat.
- Used and clean. Many trips, scuffs and colour variation, but whole and usable for general-purpose or closed-loop work.
- Repaired. A cracked or chipped part welded or swapped. Some designs use snap-lock parts for repair.
- Mixed lot. Mixed makers, colours and sizes sold by the truckload, sorted by footprint.
Questions people ask
Is eBay safe for pallets?
It can be, if you check footprint, rating and owner before you bid.
What if the pallets arrive worse than the photos?
That is why the written lot comes first. Compare the arrival against the description and stop use of anything that does not match.
Can I get a quote instead of a bid?
Yes, request a lot and we describe it first.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.