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Used Boxes...

Miss Tuniwha

Miss Tuniwha

The weird one
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So..

I have seen this a handful of times now. (usually in a bad guy thread) People complain, or say how horrible that the shipment they received was in a used box.

So.. here is my question. If the box is in great shape, not dented, or banged up in any way. Why not re-use it?

My husband would murder me if I just pitched a "perfectly good" box then bought one to use.

I just wanted to ask peoples opinions/views on this.


Thank you ^_^
 
The way I see it, if the box is in great shape, with no dents and no stressed out areas on it, then there's no reason not to reuse the box. As long as it can stand the stresses it was designed to take on its first use. One flaw in the box though, and it's in the trash....
 
I've received a number of shipments in used boxes...and as long as they are in decent shape, I don't think much about it. If they are in very good shape, I do save them...but I don't think I have ever shipped animals in one. I use them for transporting animals, and local sales. Part of it is the tape thing....I like my outgoing boxes to be neat. I dislike layers of tape, and removing the old tape makes a mess of the box.
 
I think if the box is in good shape, reuse it. Otherwise you're just being wasteful! Of course, I wouldn't use a flawed box for any reason.
 
I have a bunch of used boxes here that have just been laying around. Ill toss a few every now and then, only because i have WAY too many of the things.... Ill usually get rid of the crappy boxes or not as nice boxes.

Heck, i dont even mind areas that tape tore off the paper where someone would open it, so long as the box is structurally sound, whatever. ( In case you have one that is kinda like that, i really dont mind!)

What, to me, counts... is that the box is clean * smells clean too! i dont want one that smells like poop! LOL*, the styro inserts and the inner packing materials are all in good USEABLE shape.
 
I tend to shy away from used boxes, and I'm not happy when I receive snakes in used boxes....because I don't know what was in that box PRIOR to my animals. Heck, maybe the previous snake was a WC Texas ratsnake, and now my "clean" CB baby cornsnakes are shoved in the same box overnight! With that said, when I do trades, I send snakes BACK to the other guy in the same box he used (as often as possible) so they can't claim it was the BOX if something goes wrong in return shipping. If I buy/sell with the same person often, I'll often use the same box back and forth with them, too.

Because of all that (except with trades), I tend to avoid using used boxes as much as possible for retail sales. If I use a used box, it is because I was completely out of new ones in that size, but I was unaware of that fact previously or it was a box used solely "in house" and had nobody else's snakes in it. I used to use used boxes a lot, but that was prior to goo, new ones becoming so readily available. I often GIVE used boxes to others, though, if they want them because ido also support "recycling."

KJ
 
Although I haven't had an occasion to do any shipping yet...I do keep all the boxes that my snakes have been shipped in. I've only had one that I wouldn't use again. All the rest have come to me in great shape.
KJ, as for not knowing what may have been in the boxes before, by the time I get around to re-using them, no residual germs will be left!
I believe in recycling as much as possible.
 
Tiger Lilly said:
KJ, as for not knowing what may have been in the boxes before, by the time I get around to re-using them, no residual germs will be left!
Click to expand...

Some infectious pathogens have been found to survive for in excess of 20 years in the environment (not counting eggs of some internal parasites that have remained viable for even longer). With that in mind, I have to ask you, "How well made ARE those boxes to have survived for that long?" LOL......
 
What about boxes that never had snakes, but were used?
I get boxes for free from the vet, that has sealed drugs in there(or food supplemts, whatever). They are molded styofoam boxes inside fitted cardboard boxes. Perfectly clean, never had an animal in them, and all the things shipped in them were sealed up, sealed in a bag, and in some cases, double sealed together in a large bag.
They insist on giving me the frozen packs too, which I give to friends that want them, or throw out(if you have any idea of other uses, please share).
I don't mind used boxes. As long as they are in good shape, and a proper size/consistancy for what's being shipped, recycle.
The snake shipped in would have been exposed in the places it's from if there was mites or patogens, correct? It's not as if the mites or patagens were ONLY in the shipping box. So if you're worried about buggies, you might not want to be buying from that person. Just a thought.
The molded styro boxes, you can disinfect easily, just pull them out of the cardboard, spray the cardboard, wash and spray the insert, then dry and put back together... if you want to be anal about the absolute cleanliness..... not that I'd know anything about freakiness about cleaning around the snakes... not me, really. Using a capful of bleach in the water, or a commercial disinfect rated for hospitals helps though.
 
KJUN said:
Some infectious pathogens have been found to survive for in excess of 20 years in the environment (not counting eggs of some internal parasites that have remained viable for even longer). With that in mind, I have to ask you, "How well made ARE those boxes to have survived for that long?" LOL......
Click to expand...

Yeah, but are these infectious pathogens contagious to reptiles, people or plants? I'm not saying I don't agree with you, because you have brought up a good point. Theresa has also brought up one about disinfection.

As for my boxes lasting for 20 years or so...at the rate my breeding is going, I MAY NOT NEED THEM! :angry:
I think I will disinfect the boxes now, air them out & start storing them in air-tight bags; hopefully I won't find out about the 20 yr lifespan of them...
 
IMO new boxes LOOK professional.. used boxes don't. So when getting a shipment from a business I would expect new boxes. However from an individual I wouldn't. In either case the box had better be clean and in good condition regardless of if it's new or used.
In the past when I have received shipments that were in old, dirty boxes, it spoke volumes to me about how that person cared about what they were shipping and guaranteed that I would never do business with them again.
 
I agree

theherbalfox said:
IMO new boxes LOOK professional.. used boxes don't. So when getting a shipment from a business I would expect new boxes. However from an individual I wouldn't. In either case the box had better be clean and in good condition regardless of if it's new or used.
In the past when I have received shipments that were in old, dirty boxes, it spoke volumes to me about how that person cared about what they were shipping and guaranteed that I would never do business with them again.
Click to expand...

I'm with ya there. It's bad enough to get something that's packed crappy to begin with, but adding insult to injury by using crappy packing speaks volumes of the seller's commitment to the $$ rather than the animals, IMHO.
 
I agree with wolfy lightly disinfect with lysol and reuse recycle and let a tree live another day ,and I am not a tree hugger either but I am 40 and realize we are running out of resources plus recycling makes everything in the long run cheaper as long as it is a respectable box because it is your reputation after all and in this life all we have is are honor and integrity to up hold for our planet and children
 
tinmantribe5 said:
I agree with wolfy lightly disinfect with lysol and reuse recycle and let a tree live another day ,and I am not a tree hugger either but I am 40 and realize we are running out of resources plus recycling makes everything in the long run cheaper as long as it is a respectable box because it is your reputation after all and in this life all we have is are honor and integrity to up hold for our planet and children
Click to expand...

Trees are a renewable resource last time I checked. ;) Plus, the styrofoam is what you need to be concerned with from an environmental standpoint - not the cardboard from the tree. Obviously, your sentiments are great ones that are hard to disagree with.

As far as cheaper, Lysol doesn't kill everything nor does it penetrate very efficiently. Saving a portion of the box cost at the (potential) expense of the animal's health isn't the way I choose to save money. Not having snakes get sick is also a good way to save money....lol.
 
I've reused boxes on occasion--they must be in good condition, the animals that arrived in them must not be suspect, they must be clean and odorless, and not have urine or feces soaked through to the styrofoam anywhere, free of dents and holes beyond the deliberate air holes, etc.

On the few occasions I've done it, it's because I needed to ship out larger animals and I only have smaller boxes in stock. Rather than spending 15 or more bucks to purchase a single box, I would re-use one I received. The longer I've had the animals that arrived in it, the better--I would toss any box if the animal that arrived in it developed or had a problem. I hang onto the big boxes that are in good shape, just in case I need one later. I rarely sell larger animals, so it seems the best choice to me.

It doesn't bother me to receive animals in used boxes, provided they're in good shape and are marked correctly. New animals go into quarantine anyhow. I don't think the risk is any greater from their box than it is from their collection.
 
Ok Ok KJUNE you are probably right I am just looking at this perfectly new looking used box and find it just hard to throw out,but for the record most of the snakes I sell are local so you would probably have greater Insight to the Question. The Tinman
 
I only send out NEW boxes to my customers. Like someone else that responded... I try to make my tape job look neet and professional. I also have my company name stamped on all 4 sides... along with the normal.... "this side up and arrow".

I spent alot of time and care to get my babies to where they could be sold. As such I take great pride and care in the packaging they go out in. I also use a full 1 inch think styrofoam in all my boxes and all boxes I get in only have 1/2 inch.... those just dont meet the standards I have set for my company.
 
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