Buying used photocopiers? A Must Read

What do I look for when buying used photocopiers?

Here are 6 things to look out for when buying used photocopiers:

1. Buying a used photocopier, first thing is finding out the duty (or the number of life prints the machine can do) the copier has done.

2. Find what the machine has ACTUALLY done. Photocopiers can be clocked and made to look like they have done fewer prints than advertised

3. Get an independent qualified engineer to look over the used photocopier machine. Then you can limit the surprise of big bills (get him to check if it’s been clocked too).

4. Check the print quality before you purchase. If the machine is not printing cleanly, without lines, blotches etc. don’t buy it or get a quote on repair before you do, as this is a sure sign money is needed to be spent and it could prove expensive.

5. Only buy a used copier with a service contract that has a minimum of 1 year and that can’t be cancelled due to lack of parts

6. Ensure it been serviced before buying it and run some prints on it to ensure its working well

Should I consider used photocopier prices (refurbished or second-hand)?

Used photocopier prices or second-hand photocopiers, here are some things to consider to help you reduce costs:

Used Copier Quality

The quality of used machines will never be as good a new one, whether you will be able to tell is another thing.

The other thing to think about though is because it’s cheaper you may look at upgrading to a better machine which may have better DPI or colour reproduction or toner application etc. thus giving you improved print quality.

Used Copier Durability

This is the big drawback to buying a used colour copier or a used mono copier.

It won’t last as long as a new one, so buying used could be a false economy as you’re more likely to pay a higher cost per copy and that could represent significantly more than the difference between a new copier and an old one.

You also run a higher risk of increased breakdowns as parts wear, they can be replaced but as they get rarer the price can rise or become obsolete.

Used Copier Life

The usual life of a photocopier is 5 years (this ties in with the leases) but a used machine may have already used 2 years of its life.

Each machine also has a maximum amount of prints that the manufactures deem through testing the machine will give of its best.

Make sure you know how far through the life it’s at and the maximum due.

Used Copier Call-outs

You run a higher risk of breakdowns buying used. This can mean increased downtime waiting for engineers to turn up and for parts.

Copier Machine Costs

The used prices are significantly lower than new, usually between 20 – 50% of the new price.

It is possible to save money buying used but it’s a lottery and better left for those who know what they’re doing.

Used Copier Parts

Parts can be expensive and have a maximum life. Ensure the parts will be available for the duration you will want to the machine.

It could turn in to a large paperweight.

Used Service Contract

You should be mindful that when you buy used the company will have in the contract it can be cancelled at any time and you run the possibility of you needing to fund a large bill for repair if the company changes its mind.

I often see this artificially done in order to encourage the owner to upgrade the company’s machines so they can sell them a new one.

What are the advantages, new versus pre-owned (used or old) photocopier?

You want to know the advantages of buying new vs old copiers, otherwise called used or pre-owned. The second-hand market is very large and so there is the potential to make savings.

A used photocopier is significantly cheaper versus a new one and you can get a lot of extra facilities thrown in too.

You do need to be careful though as the risks are high! The best life of a photocopier is within its first 2 years, given the machine is mostly mechanical this means for the first two years you are less likely to have paper jams, engineer call-outs and major parts go wrong.

After this, though things can start to wrong, I once spoke to a woman who to save money bought a copier online from eBay.

She said, “I got a really good deal” she was having lines down the page and we sent an engineer to look at it. It was going to cost £2000 to fix and for the parts, the machine had been “clocked” (this is where dealers can turn back the meter on the machine) and had done over a million prints!

It didn’t seem so cheap then! Here are 4 things to consider when buying used or old photocopiers for sale.