Have you recently bought a second-hand appliance? (Could be white goods, electronics or a small household or kitchen appliance) How was your experience?
I’m working on an advice article for people considering buying second-hand appliances and am keen to hear from those who’ve done this recently. Namely why you decided to buy second-hand, your process for finding an appliance to buy and if you’ve had a positive or negative experience with your product.
Does it include biyong from gumtree because i bought second hand oil column heater didn’t work to bad amd cheap buy. Can ne risky since no warranty bit how it is. I had no issues with the product. I was, looking at buying a refurbished mobile but can’t comment on that as, such. Garage sales can be a, bit dodgy depending what your buying. As, i was given a, ironing board from a, garage sale it wasn’t very good as the seller had tried to fix up it themselves and it sharp edges on it. I put it out for clean up. I originally didn’t buy it. Some things might be good second hand as long as it is, safe to use but no one really knows with electrical products second hand if it is faulty. On the other hand new products have issues with faulty. Im not sure if this, article allows me to mention anything else except electronic items i maybe drifted of course.
We have bought a number of second hand small appliances over the years. Our most recent purchase has been bread machines which was outlined here.
Why do we buy second hand ones…well for one they are cheaper and secondly, to reduce eWaste. It is amazing (or disappointing) how many perfectly good appliances are thrown out because they are no longer wanted.
Smaller appliances can be fad type products which are bought with good intentions to use, but after a few uses end up sitting collecting dust. Alternatively, some buyers chose to do a product ‘upgrade’ to get something with more bells and whistles (we have experienced this buying a second and Janome sewing machine).
If you do you homework and buy brands/models known to be reliable and good one - you can score a bargain which will give you many years of use.
We bought a second Sunbeam BM7850 bread maker (virtually new condition for $80) to give it a go. We knew of the reports that they have a common fault over time where the control board fails in a large percentage of machines. We took the punt, but it didn’t pay off. About a year later and possibly 150 loaves, the control panel failed. We got burnt and bought an old Panasonic as a replacement which is still going strong after a few hundred more loaves since bought (it has been well used when we bought it for $20).
The Janome sewing machine we bought, the old owners were great and did a service (worth about $120) on the machine to sell it. It was a current model, about 2 years old, in new condition and about 2/3 of new price. It has also been a great buy.
We are currently looking out for a mix master (our Sunbeam one from the 1970s died - motor smoked) and plan to buy one in the coming months. Patience is needed and also looking on line for feedback from other users is important so that you don’t buy a dud. Getting long term feedback over many years isn’t something you can get from many models available new in store - a bit of advantage when buying second hand.
Hi there i have an older electric stove which isnt great inside and was looking at a, second hand one for the reason you say about reducing waste. I was told by a, repair man to buy one that has coils that are replaceable. I had looked online one time. Some still exist.
I recently bought a secondhand electronic timer on eBay. I bought it because it was made in Japan, great quality, and perfect for the task I had in mind.
With anything secondhand that plugs into the mains, I always use my Portable Appliance Tester ( the small device that Test & Tag people use ) to make sure it’s not going to give me any nasty surprises. ( And yes, before anyone asks, I have done T&T training )
Buying secondhand, there is always a risk that the product may have failed in some dangerous fashion, or has been repaired incorrectly by a previous owner, or both.
Purchased a refrigerator, a stand alone freezer and a washing machine second hand. The condition was as good as new. Each appliance was under three years old.
I haven’t bought one for quite a while so I can’t be specific but factory seconds can be very good value. Often things like fridges that have cosmetic damage, like a ding in the door, can be bought at considerable discount. I recall that these often came with new manufacturer’s warranty.
I have bought two dishwashers secondhand from Gumtree and also Facebook Marketplace. Both were Miele brand, with appeared to have been very lightly used (or carefully handled!) and bother were white models, being replaced as part of an “upgrade” to all stainless fronts…
The first one lasted from 2013 to this year (2023), when it developed a fault. It was a terrific dishwasher, I paid $350 for it and it was marvellous to have a dishwasher that was nearly silent, since this is a small house. Its only fault was a solenoid dead, as far as I could tell(stopped filling) but it was going to be pretty pricey to get quoted: over $300. meanwhile a quick\k search showed LOTS of secondhand Miele dishwashers, so I went to look at one of them: much younger than the first, in apple-pie order & being sold to part-finance a new stainless Westinghouse… so I beat the fellow down from $180 (negotiable) to $160, and carted it home where it fitted neatly into the space of its predecessor.
Had it been expensive to replace, I would have fixed the first one, but it just didn’t make economic sense to do so. I took a but of a chance, but I have discovered in the past that hell knows no fury like a person who is determined upon a stylistic matter! The second cheaper machine is better than its predecessor in the very few variables between them, and I expect it to last me 10 years…
