POOLED
Pooled pallets are not yours to sell. Here's what to do
Pooled pallets, the rented and colour-marked kind, are owned by a pool, not by the shipper, so they cannot be sold. If one is in your stack, set it aside and return it to the pool that owns it.
01 How a pooled pallet differs
A pool rents pallets to shippers and collects them again. The shipper pays for the use, not for the pallet. Names such as CHEP are among the best known, and people search for them often. The pallet is marked, often by colour and a stamped or branded name on the stringers or blocks. That mark is the owner's, whether or not the pallet landed on your dock by accident.
02 What to do with one
- Do not sell it or give it away, even if it is on your dock as part of a mixed stack.
- Note the name and mark and set the pallet apart.
- Contact the pool that owns it, using its own site, to arrange return.
- If a pile has many, photograph the pile and note which of its pallets carry a mark before you ask anyone to take the rest.
03 Why it matters to a sale
Whoever buys a mixed stack cannot resell a pooled pallet either, and a stack with several of them in it takes longer to move because every one has to be set apart. A seller who has done that in advance is easier to buy from. Treat it as a first sort: pooled out, unmarked left.
04 If you have already sent them off
If a pooled pallet was sold or given away by mistake, tell the pool. Pools generally track their pallets by the mark, and a pallet that turns up in a recycler's yard is traced back. A shipper who owns up early has an easier conversation than one whose pallet is found by someone else.
05 What is yours and what is not
| Pallet | Whose |
|---|---|
| Unmarked wood pallet from your own purchase | Yours |
| Pallet that arrived under inbound freight with no mark | Probably yours to dispose of, but ask the sender if in doubt |
| Colour-marked rental pallet | The pool's |
| Pallet with another company's brand | Photograph it and ask |
06 Pooling in the wider trade
Pooled pallets are one form of reuse. Hardwood block pallets that lift from four sides often carry a deposit, while the cheapest softwood stringer pallets are often expendable. Plastic pallets made of HDPE or recycled PET can last more than 100 trips. Whatever the material, the owner's mark decides whose pallet it is.
07 Marks other than the pool's
A mark on a pallet is not always a pool's. The ISPM 15 stamp, with its country code, producer number and treatment code, shows how the wood was treated and is not an ownership mark. A EUR stamp identifies an official European pallet, and PHS notes the United States has no official EUR manufacturers or licensed repair facilities.
Q Questions
Can I sell CHEP or other pooled pallets?
No. They belong to the pool that rents them. Return them.
How do I tell if a pallet is pooled?
Look for a colour and a brand or stamped name on the stringers or blocks. If you are unsure, photograph it and ask.
What if a pallet carries a brand I do not recognise?
Photograph it and send the picture with your request. Do not sell it until its owner is known.
Src Sources
Req Ready to ask?
One short form covers buying, selling and clearing. Request a price