Buying a Second Hand Photocopier: What to Check Before You Buy

Reading the meter honestly

The meter is a copier's mileage reading. A low total from a light use office is worth much more than the same machine with a high total from a print room, and the machine itself looks identical either way.

Set the count against the rated duty for the model. A mid range copier built for a few thousand pages a month that has produced a very large total has used up much of its life, whatever its paint looks like. Ask how the count splits, because colour pages wear more parts. A very low count on a very old machine can mean it sat unused, which brings its own risks: rollers harden, toner cakes.

Ask to see the machine print its own configuration page. Some machines also report how many times parts have been replaced, which tells you where it is in its life.

Warning signs and what they usually mean

None of these on its own proves the machine is bad. Several together should send you somewhere else.

Cover and servicing: what to ask

A second hand machine bought without cover is a gamble. A reputable seller tests and services the machine and stands behind it, and can tell you in a sentence who will repair it. A seller who is only a name on a listing cannot.

When we sell a second hand machine it is checked, serviced and warranted, and we explain what is covered on the phone. Ask the same of anyone else. Ask where the machine will be serviced, whether the visit is on site, and whether the technician carries the common parts.

Parts, toner and a model you can still support

Some older or obscure copiers are cheap because nobody can get parts or consumables for them any more. Stick to mainstream commercial brands, and Canon, Ricoh, Kyocera, Toshiba and Konica Minolta are the five we see most. Ask for the exact model number and check that toner and parts are still supplied before you commit. A machine without parts is a machine you cannot repair, and a repair that cannot be done is a replacement.

Match the machine to the volume

A smaller desktop multifunction is plenty for a few hundred pages a month. A mid range floor standing machine with duplex and finishing suits a medium office. A departmental machine belongs with high volume. Too big wastes money and floor space. Too small wears out fast.

Be honest about the colour share and whether anyone needs A3. Those two answers narrow the field faster than any brand preference.

Coast conditions the listing will not mention

A second hand copier that spent its life in a ground floor shop near the beach can carry salt on its contacts and dust in its fans. A machine from a sealed office tower will not. Ask where it lived. Humidity also makes paper swell, which causes feed faults that look mechanical and are not, so when you collect the machine, check the paper first and the parts second.

The costs outside the advertised figure

A copier is heavy, and a bad move damages it. Ask who delivers, who sets it up on your network and who shows your staff how to use it. Ask what toner it takes and who supplies it. Ask whether the drive will be wiped and the previous owner's settings cleared. These are the costs that never appear in the listing.

Questions to put to the seller

If the seller squirms, that is also an answer.

• How many pages has it done, split by colour and black and white?
• Who owned it before, and what kind of office was it in?
• Who services it, and what is covered if it fails?
• Does the price include delivery, installation and network setup?
• Are toner and parts still available for this model?

If you want to buy but are not sure what you need

Describe the office and not the machine. How many people print, what they print, whether it goes to clients and whether anyone wants to scan to email. A practice of six people who print referral letters and scan patient forms needs something very different from a trade office that prints variations and plans.

Ring and we say which of used, refurbished, ex demo or new fits, and what to look at in each. If a machine you have found elsewhere is the right one, we say that as well.

How we do it

Every second hand photocopier we sell is checked, serviced and warranted, and we explain what is covered on the phone. If you want more than that, used photocopiers shows how we test them and refurbished photocopiers covers machines rebuilt to a higher standard. Ex demo photocopiers are the choice if you want near new. The lease, buy or refurbished guide compares every route.

Ring (07) 3096 0331 with what the office prints and we say what is worth looking at.

Keep reading

Used photocopiersTested, warranted commercial copiers, set up and serviced locally.→Refurbished photocopiersCommercial copiers opened up, rebuilt, load tested and warranted, then installed on your network.→Lease, buy or refurbishedHow leasing, buying new, finance and a refurbished machine compare for a Gold Coast office.→Photocopier salesNew, rebuilt, ex demo and second hand commercial copiers, chosen around the work.→We buy your copierUsed commercial copiers and office printers bought, collected and wiped, one machine or a whole office.→Ex demo photocopiersDisplay and trial copiers with very light use, checked, reset and warranted.→Reconditioned photocopiersCommercial copiers rebuilt with fresh wear parts and tested, and a straight answer on the cheap photocopier search.→A3 photocopiersColour and mono A3 copiers, matched to the work.→Used office printersTested commercial laser printers and multifunctions, set up, warranted and looked after locally.→