How the exchange works
In an open pool no single company owns the pallets in circulation. A haulier who delivers 30 EPAL pallets of goods expects 30 exchangeable EPAL pallets back. EPAL's Terms of Exchange say new and used Euro pallets of classes A, B and C can be exchanged without restriction unless the parties agree otherwise.
Why it matters to an importer
Euro pallets that arrive in the US or Canada have left the pool's practical reach. Nobody on this side is waiting to swap them back, so they pile up. That is why importers end up selling, reusing or recycling them, and why the class of each pallet matters when you do.
Rental pools are different
Pooled pallets from a rental operator are owned by that operator and should be returned to it. Do not confuse them with exchange-pool pallets, which become the property of whoever holds them.