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Should You Buy A Pre-Owned Business Equipment?

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You wouldn’t normally buy a pre-owned or handed down equipment for your business, but sometimes the savings you can amass is too hard to refuse.

In truth, purchasing something that’s pre-owned can be a good investment along with the savings. There’s splendour in buying one that still performs like it’s brand new. How’s that for a smart decision?

More than the condition of the equipment, you might still be suspicious and uncomfortable with the idea of buying a pre-own, but through a PPSR search, like with Infotrack, you’ll be able to search the security interests over the personal property, so the risk of purchasing illegitimate tools/facilities is avoided. It also allows individual grantor search, which identify whether an individual has any registrations over their personal property.

PPSR makes it easier not only to track the history of an equipment, facility or any personal property, it also lets you see the owner’s reputation.  Does your business or staff really need the latest multi-function printer, or can an older version office printer does the same printing, scanning and fax functionality? Is it really going to hurt your corporate reputation if your business equipment is pre-owned?

That’s asking the real question.

Pre-owned equipment is generally less expensive. Obviously, even a 1-week old equipment is considered pre-owned and will have a lesser cost, although it is virtually still new, there are a lot of reasonable reasons to buy pre-owned equipment for your business.

The major one is that it’s a lot less expensive than purchasing new. Keep in mind that the secondary market is well-established, and that equipment is normally has a warranty, and that you can save as much as 75% over new equipment. It’s worth remembering that just like a car, new equipment declines in market value as soon as you purchase it. And there’s typically more room to negotiate a better price with pre-owned equipment than new.

Used equipment is environmentally friendly. Looking at a marketing perspective, possibly the only thing better than saving capital is saving our dear environment. As equipment resellers pointed out, purchasing pre-owned or recycled electronics expressively reduces tech waste that comprises potentially hazardous metals and chemicals. A hefty portion of this waste will end up unlawfully dumped in many developing countries, according to The Guardian report. Buying pre-owned equipment automatically gives you green cred by keeping possibly dangerous chemicals or materials out of the waste stream and inspiring the secondary market of pre-owned and recycled equipment. And with the ability to utilise PPSR search, you’ll know that you’re buying good equipment while helping the environment.

So, when is buying a new equipment a better choice? When you can allocate the funds for it, that’s when buying a new equipment is a better choice. New equipment normally includes features that can make you more efficient, or provides a better fit with client systems, or just has the new technology you require for your production. As said, if your budget can handle it, and if your business really needs it, it is a good idea to buy new. Moreover, at some point you can always recover the investment by selling it to another business.