Before buying second-hand lab equipment, you should consider several things. After paying for the equipment and claiming ownership, there might be no going back.
The money invested in that equipment might not even get paid back if you have purchased defective equipment. How can you avoid this? By conducting thorough due diligence. Here are the main factors to consider before buying used lab equipment:
The kind of equipment you will need
First of all, when setting up a lab with second-hand lab equipment, you need to identify what equipment is needed. The kind of equipment you will need should dominantly be based on your lab type.
For example, there are test laboratories and research labs. Both require different kinds of equipment as the setup is not the same. However, whatever resource you need, be it imaging equipment or analytical instruments Excedr can help with leasing the equipment needed for your lab. In that way, you can get all the equipment needed to get started all at once.
Research equipment vendor options
In lab equipment manufacturing, there aren’t many options to consider because of key players that have monopolized the sector. However, when it comes to the resale of lab equipment, competition is very much alive. This is why it is paramount to try and identify the best vendor providing the best value for your money.
You can do this by using online reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations. If you do not like what you’re hearing about a certain vendor, it might not be the one. Keep searching until you find the best one that won’t bring stress and frustration afterward.
Inquire about service options and warranties
Once you have chosen a supplier and started engaging in negotiations about certain pieces of equipment, there are some hot button issues to press. Although you might think this could end up in an unfavorable negotiation, it is important to ask about service options and warranties.
Trying to find out if the equipment comes with a service plan and any warranty can help limit the risk of losing all your money. If the equipment has no service plan and the warranty has run out, it may be up to you whether to continue or not. Perhaps, negotiating a concession from the opposite party can help when you’re going forward with the transaction.
Break down the running costs
After finding the best vendor and getting the piece you’re looking for, you have another crucial piece of information to find out - finding out how much maintaining and using the equipment will be. The information will be highly dependent on how you intend to use the equipment.
For example, if you will use equipment sparingly for personal research purposes, the running costs may not be as expensive. However, if you need to use it commercially, getting peripherals and consumables might be a requirement. If extensive use will be too expensive and the money can’t be recovered, consider getting a budget-friendly piece.
Find out the usage history
One last thing to find out is how often and how intensely has a piece of machinery been used. If it worked really hard, that means it’s highly possible the equipment won’t fire on all cylinders. With that in mind, try to find out when the machinery was first purchased, how many owners it has had, and what it was used for.
The usage history could be quite revealing on how long you can go with the machine you’re considering purchasing. If it has been used a lot but you still want it, try to use the usage history as a bargaining chip during the negotiation process.