I sell more animals than I buy, so 95% of the time I only have new boxes anyways, but I see no issue with using a clean, undamaged box. Once the integrity is destroyed (holes, damaged corners, peeled layers, etc) the box is trash. If Joe sends me a snake in a brand new box, and the box is mint when it arrives and the box is clean (no waste), I will wipe it out with a disinfectant and store it away for future re-use. It's not because I can't afford a new box. It's not because am too cheap to buy a new box. I do order new from superior enterprises. I re-use because I try to recycle when I can.
To 'blacklist' someone because of their moral compass is pretty shameful.
No snake or lizard I have shipped was lost, damaged or killed due to using a good, clean re-used box.
As far as mites, I would not buy a snake from someone who has mites. If I did get a box with mites I would be all over the seller and the box would be destroyed. As I stated though, I only purchase from people with a good rep. If someone is re-using dirty old mite infested boxes, I am sure they do not have a good rep.
Rick
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