Where an ex demo machine comes from
A model gets shown at a launch, in a showroom, to a prospective customer, or for a short trial in an office that then chooses something else. At the end it comes back. It has made a few thousand pages, not a few hundred thousand, and nobody has spent years leaning on the document feeder.
That history is the whole of the appeal. It is not as new as a machine in the box, and it is not worn like a second hand one. It sits between.
Is it the same as refurbished?
No. A refurbished machine has done a lot of work, then been taken back and rebuilt with fresh wear parts. An ex demo machine has done very little work, so there is little to replace. A plain second hand machine has worked in someone else's office for years and has been tested and serviced, not rebuilt.
If you are weighing all of them, there is a decision guide in our page on lease, buy or refurbished, and a page on each route. Here is the compact version.
| Route | Condition | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| New | Untouched, current model | High volume, long runway, the latest security |
| Ex demo | Very light use, near new | A current model at a lower outlay |
| Refurbished | Worked, then rebuilt with fresh wear parts | Mid range reliability for an office watching its budget |
| Second hand | Worked, tested and serviced | Lighter use, back offices, a second machine |
The sort of office it suits
A practice fitting out a new floor and wanting a current machine without paying full price. A school that needs a second copier for the staff room. A growing building firm that has outgrown a desktop multifunction and wants a floor standing A3. A strata manager replacing a tired machine on a tight budget who does not want to gamble on an old one.
It also suits people who know what they want. Demonstration machines were nearly always the models the maker wanted to be seen, which tends to mean current mid range and upper range commercial copiers. If you need a colour A3 multifunction with a stapling finisher, we ask what you print and tell you whether an ex demo unit fits or whether another route suits better.
What we check before one goes out
A demonstration machine is used by lots of people who do not care about it. Our technicians treat it the way they treat any machine they will have to repair later.
- Read the meter count and split it into black and white and colour.
- Print test pages from every tray, copy from the glass and the feeder, scan to email and to a folder, run duplex, and put stapled sets through the finisher.
- Inspect the rollers, fuser, drum or imaging units and transfer belt for the wear you would expect at that count.
- Reset the address book, user codes and stored jobs, then wipe the drive. A copier that arrives at your office is set up for your office, not for the last place it was shown.
Questions worth asking any seller
How many pages has it done, and how many of those are colour? What was it used for and for how long? Are the toner and drum units in it new or part used? Who services it, and what does the cover include?
A seller who answers those plainly on the phone is a seller worth dealing with. We answer them for every machine we have. We also say when a model is not right for you. A copier that suits a practice printing a few hundred pages a month can be a poor choice for a school that prints in the tens of thousands.
How a Gold Coast office makes the choice
If you print little but want a clean, modern machine at the counter, ex demo is hard to beat. If you print in volume and the machine will never stop, a new one with a full service plan may fit better. If you are watching every dollar, a refurbished or second hand machine may make more sense, and we say so without minding which one you pick.
Stock changes. Phone and ask what is available. If nothing matches yet, we note what you need and look out for it.
What ex demo is not
It is not a promise of a bargain. A model that has just been replaced by a newer one may be discounted, and one still in current production may not be. It is also not a way round the question of whether the machine fits the office. A fast A3 colour unit is the wrong answer for a two person accountancy that prints twenty pages a day, however good the condition.
We would rather talk you out of a machine that does not fit than sell it to you and meet you again in six months.
Delivery, installation and afterwards
We deliver and install the machine at your premises, connect it to the network, set up scan to email and scan to folder, and test it from the desks that will use it. Our installation and setup page describes how an install day runs.
The people who checked the machine are the ones who answer when it needs attention later, and a repeat of the same fault is fixed again at no charge. Every machine we sell is warranted, and we go through what that covers when we talk.
Ring (07) 3096 0331 and give us a monthly page volume, colour or mono, A3 or A4, and the finishing you want. The price is settled by phone before anything is booked, and you are not tied to anything.
The people at the keyboard
The front desk usually knows first
So we ask before we open anything. Ten honest minutes of what the machine has been doing saves an hour of poking around.
Our technicians are trained, experienced and certified, and they are also expected to listen. The best diagnosis tool in the building is the person who prints from it every day.
- Ask first. The people who use it supply the best clues.
- Notes from the call. What you told us on the phone goes with the technician.
- Plain words back. You hear what we found without a lecture.
Keep reading
Photocopier salesNew, rebuilt, ex demo and second hand commercial copiers, chosen around the work.
New photocopiersCurrent multifunction copiers, bought or leased, installed and serviced by one local team.Refurbished photocopiersCommercial copiers opened up, rebuilt, load tested and warranted, then installed on your network.
Used photocopiersTested, warranted commercial copiers, set up and serviced locally.
A3 photocopiersColour and mono A3 copiers, matched to the work.
Lease, buy or refurbishedHow leasing, buying new, finance and a refurbished machine compare for a Gold Coast office.Installation and setupPlaced, connected, set up for scanning and tested from the desks that will use it.Photocopier servicePlanned visits, one off calls and meter reads for office copiers from Coomera to Coolangatta.Buy, sell and lease
Buy, sell and lease commercial copiers on the Gold Coast
We also sell new and refurbished commercial copiers and buy used ones. Same team, same technicians.
Work we have done on the Gold Coast
Common questions from Gold Coast offices
What is an ex demo photocopier?
A commercial copier used for display, training or a short trial and then returned. It has done little work and is close to new in condition.
Is an ex demo copier warranted?
Yes, the machines we sell are warranted, and the details of the cover are explained when you ring.
How does ex demo differ from refurbished?
An ex demo machine has done very little work. A refurbished machine has done plenty and been rebuilt with fresh wear parts.
What meter count should an ex demo machine have?
Low enough that the wear parts are close to their first life. We give you the exact count and split it into colour and black and white before you decide.
Can I get an ex demo A3 colour copier?
Phone with what you print and the features you need. We say what can be arranged and tell you straight if another route suits you better.
Do you install and service ex demo machines?
Yes. Delivery, a network connection and a test from your own desks are part of how we work, and the same team looks after the machine afterwards.
Why reset the settings on an ex demo machine?
Demonstration machines are used by many people and may hold odd settings, stored jobs and addresses. We clear them and wipe the drive so the copier arrives configured for your office.
Do you sell home printers or small inkjets?
No. Our stock is commercial: copiers and laser printers built for offices, clinics and school administration.
