Is that a regional thing? I was under the impression they just popped up every now and then, though I've never heard of any except in stories on Reddit. Don't think I heard anyone mention that it only occurs in a certain climate, and we do have airplanes so it's bound to spread to any place it can.
That said, I would totally buy a second hand mattress. People buy used clothes all the time, isn't that similar? Could contain anything (including bed bugs, the top ddg hits seem to suggest).
If you buy used clothes you would (hopefully) wash and dry them thoroughly not just for bedbugs but for other parasites like head lice, chiggers, crab lice or whatever. Good luck cramming a mattress into the wash though :-P
They thrive in 70F-80F temperatures and they die in freezing temperatures. Obviously they won't instantly die when transported to high latitudes but they won't be nearly as problematic.
Bedbugs are easy to kill. Just steam ‘em long enough. Or some other fumigation method. Or an autoclave. Or ethylene oxide if you want to sterilize it. Or freezer temperatures for enough days.
That’s an easily industrializable problem for mattresses. They’re standard size.
Seal them up in plastic when you’re done.
Getting them out of furniture or behind floorboards is harder.
Yes, and that might work 99% of the time, but if one customer even THINKS he/she got bedbugs at your hotel, the PR hit and reputational risk hit eliminates all benefit.
Lol. Many people buy "new to you" mattresses.