Warehouses cannot do without pallet racking to put in and organize their products. It is very easily understood that pallet racking on a large ordering scale can be very expensive. That is why a lot of warehouse owners are considering having second hand pallets and pallet racking. In the UK, there is a promising second hand pallet racking market, although it is not a very big market as of the moment. However, before you finally decide to whether to get a second hand pallet or not, you have to make sure that you have thought about all the avenues about pallet racking. One of your main considerations should be the safety of the pallet that you are going to purchase. Another thing that you have to consider is if the pallet racking has been kept outside for any period of time. If it has the inside of the beams could be rusting thus affecting the load carrying capacity.
Things you ought to consider:
Only buy second hand if you know the history of the racking from the time it was still new. This will give you an idea how the pallets were kept and take care of.
Beware of “refurbished” racking. This could mean that the rust has been painted over and the real condition of the pallet had been hidden by paint or other means of making it look good for possible buyers.
Only buy the racking if it has been kept inside. Pallets which have been exposed to the outside weather may have already compromised the durability of the pallet thereby making it unsafe for use.
Only buy the racking if the supplier will put SEMA load notices on the racks. SEMA stands for Storage Equipment Manufacturers’ Association. This will ensure that what you are buying is still safe to use. SEMA is a British organization committed to promoting and extending the safe design, installation and use of storage equipment manufactured and supplied by its members.
Before checking out second hand pallets, always make sure you’ve already checked out the brand new ones as well. Believe it or not it can sometimes be cheaper.