diff --git a/xfer/buffer.go b/xfer/buffer.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 452411e52..000000000
--- a/xfer/buffer.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-package xfer
-
-import (
-	"bytes"
-	"sync"
-	"sync/atomic"
-)
-
-// A Buffer is a reference counted bytes.Buffer, which belongs
-// to a sync.Pool
-type Buffer struct {
-	bytes.Buffer
-	pool *sync.Pool
-	refs int32
-}
-
-// NewBuffer creates a new buffer
-func NewBuffer(pool *sync.Pool) *Buffer {
-	return &Buffer{
-		pool: pool,
-		refs: 0,
-	}
-}
-
-// Get increases the reference count.  It is safe for concurrent calls.
-func (b *Buffer) Get() {
-	atomic.AddInt32(&b.refs, 1)
-}
-
-// Put decreases the reference count, and when it hits zero, puts the
-// buffer back in the pool.
-func (b *Buffer) Put() {
-	if atomic.AddInt32(&b.refs, -1) == 0 {
-		b.Reset()
-		b.pool.Put(b)
-	}
-}
-
-// NewBufferPool creates a new buffer pool.
-func NewBufferPool() *sync.Pool {
-	result := &sync.Pool{}
-	result.New = func() interface{} {
-		return NewBuffer(result)
-	}
-	return result
-}
diff --git a/xfer/publisher.go b/xfer/publisher.go
index d1612e78e..759e48a6e 100644
--- a/xfer/publisher.go
+++ b/xfer/publisher.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package xfer
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"log"
 	"net/http"
@@ -18,7 +19,7 @@ const (
 // Publisher is something which can send a buffered set of data somewhere,
 // probably to a collector.
 type Publisher interface {
-	Publish(*Buffer) error
+	Publish(*bytes.Buffer) error
 	Stop()
 }
 
@@ -59,9 +60,7 @@ func (p HTTPPublisher) String() string {
 }
 
 // Publish publishes the report to the URL.
-func (p HTTPPublisher) Publish(buf *Buffer) error {
-	defer buf.Put()
-
+func (p HTTPPublisher) Publish(buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
 	req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", p.url, buf)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -98,7 +97,7 @@ func AuthorizationHeader(token string) string {
 // concurrent publishes are dropped.
 type BackgroundPublisher struct {
 	publisher Publisher
-	reports   chan *Buffer
+	reports   chan *bytes.Buffer
 	quit      chan struct{}
 }
 
@@ -106,7 +105,7 @@ type BackgroundPublisher struct {
 func NewBackgroundPublisher(p Publisher) *BackgroundPublisher {
 	result := &BackgroundPublisher{
 		publisher: p,
-		reports:   make(chan *Buffer),
+		reports:   make(chan *bytes.Buffer),
 		quit:      make(chan struct{}),
 	}
 	go result.loop()
@@ -136,7 +135,7 @@ func (b *BackgroundPublisher) loop() {
 }
 
 // Publish implements Publisher
-func (b *BackgroundPublisher) Publish(buf *Buffer) error {
+func (b *BackgroundPublisher) Publish(buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
 	select {
 	case b.reports <- buf:
 	default:
@@ -188,18 +187,13 @@ func (p *MultiPublisher) Add(target string) {
 }
 
 // Publish implements Publisher by emitting the report to all publishers.
-func (p *MultiPublisher) Publish(buf *Buffer) error {
+func (p *MultiPublisher) Publish(buf *bytes.Buffer) error {
 	p.mtx.RLock()
 	defer p.mtx.RUnlock()
 
-	// First take a reference for each publisher
-	for range p.m {
-		buf.Get()
-	}
-
 	var errs []string
 	for _, publisher := range p.m {
-		if err := publisher.Publish(buf); err != nil {
+		if err := publisher.Publish(bytes.NewBuffer(buf.Bytes())); err != nil {
 			errs = append(errs, err.Error())
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/xfer/publisher_test.go b/xfer/publisher_test.go
index 195d0b0bf..0bef0861e 100644
--- a/xfer/publisher_test.go
+++ b/xfer/publisher_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package xfer_test
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"compress/gzip"
 	"encoding/gob"
 	"net/http"
@@ -84,7 +85,7 @@ func TestMultiPublisher(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 
 	multiPublisher.Add("first")
-	if err := multiPublisher.Publish(xfer.NewBuffer(nil)); err != nil {
+	if err := multiPublisher.Publish(&bytes.Buffer{}); err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 	}
 	if want, have := 1, p.count; want != have {
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ func TestMultiPublisher(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	multiPublisher.Add("second") // but factory returns same mockPublisher
-	if err := multiPublisher.Publish(xfer.NewBuffer(nil)); err != nil {
+	if err := multiPublisher.Publish(&bytes.Buffer{}); err != nil {
 		t.Error(err)
 	}
 	if want, have := 3, p.count; want != have {
@@ -102,5 +103,5 @@ func TestMultiPublisher(t *testing.T) {
 
 type mockPublisher struct{ count int }
 
-func (p *mockPublisher) Publish(*xfer.Buffer) error { p.count++; return nil }
-func (p *mockPublisher) Stop()                      {}
+func (p *mockPublisher) Publish(*bytes.Buffer) error { p.count++; return nil }
+func (p *mockPublisher) Stop()                       {}
diff --git a/xfer/report_publisher.go b/xfer/report_publisher.go
index cdf5a0101..efde88da4 100644
--- a/xfer/report_publisher.go
+++ b/xfer/report_publisher.go
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 package xfer
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"compress/gzip"
 	"encoding/gob"
-	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/weaveworks/scope/report"
 )
@@ -11,25 +11,21 @@ import (
 // A ReportPublisher uses a buffer pool to serialise reports, which it
 // then passes to a publisher
 type ReportPublisher struct {
-	buffers   *sync.Pool
 	publisher Publisher
 }
 
 // NewReportPublisher creates a new report publisher
 func NewReportPublisher(publisher Publisher) *ReportPublisher {
 	return &ReportPublisher{
-		buffers:   NewBufferPool(),
 		publisher: publisher,
 	}
 }
 
 // Publish serialises and compresses a report, then passes it to a publisher
 func (p *ReportPublisher) Publish(r report.Report) error {
-	buf := p.buffers.Get().(*Buffer)
+	buf := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	gzwriter := gzip.NewWriter(buf)
 	if err := gob.NewEncoder(gzwriter).Encode(r); err != nil {
-		buf.Reset()
-		p.buffers.Put(buf)
 		return err
 	}
 	gzwriter.Close() // otherwise the content won't get flushed to the output stream