Whether it’s a second-hand car, book, mobile, or lab equipment everybody wants to make optimum use of the resources, as the resources are limited in nature.
So, are you also thinking of buying second-hand or refurbished (repaired or rechecked by technicians) lab equipment for your laboratory? This article summarizes 6 key benefits that you may consider while buying.
- ECONOMICAL –
Saving money is the biggest challenge in this modern, expensive world. Buying used law equipment is a very cost-effective idea. It is assumed that you can save up to 50% if you buy refurbished equipment. It is not always feasible to buy new equipment for every research and development. As new equipment are expensive, and in choosing second hand, you can purchase equipment that you can’t afford otherwise.
Money saved from this can be invested in other areas of the company which will yield more profits.
When searching for second-hand equipment consider the following things-
- Company reputation – Select a well-known company that provides quality products.
- Equipment warranty – Choose a product that is still left with its warranty period.
- Equipment condition – Make sure that the condition of the equipment is up-to-date. All the defects are repaired and quality is maintained.
- Vendor trustworthiness – Choose a product provider that is established in the market.
- Equipment life – As technology changes rapidly, make sure you don’t choose equipment that is more than three years old as it will become obsolete in a matter of years.
- ENVIRONMENT – FRIENDLY –
As the pollution is increasing rapidly. Each individual has their personal responsibility towards the environment, as well as the organizations also need to fulfill their corporate social responsibility. By using pre-owned lab equipment, you are contributing part of your responsibility towards the environment.
Also, the principle of 4R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore) can be practiced by minimizing the use of raw materials for manufacturing new equipment and reusing the equipment that is handy. It’s a fruitful situation for both the environment and you.
- EARLY DELIVERY –
Early delivery means time-effectiveness. Buying second-hand equipment can help to cut down the wait time. This is because we only have to wait for the equipment to be delivered rather than being manufactured and then being shipped. You can get your lab equipment delivered in a short span of time.
On the other hand, waiting for the manufacturers to create new equipment is much time-consuming, you might have to wait for 6 to 8 months before receiving your order. Labs often don’t have this much time to waste, they usually deal with projects where time plays a crucial role and have their own deadlines to meet.
- NEGLIGIBLE DEPRECIATION –
Depreciation is when the monetary value of something that you have purchased for your business goes down. The moment you buy new equipment over second-hand equipment, it is likely to depreciate much more quickly. This is because when the equipment’s price tag is high, depreciation hits your company harder.
On the contrary, when you buy used equipment, your resale value remains constant for at least one year, you can replace it if any problem arises in the near future.
- INVESTMENT IN OTHER AREAS –
By saving money, you are allowing yourself to invest in more opportunities and improve your weaker areas. Buying new equipment will lead to a waste of money on unwanted things.
One of those which allows saving money is purchasing used lab equipment. Saved money can be used to hire more staff, salary evaluation and improvement, offer training and development for lab technicians, and expand your area of research and experiments.
- NOMINAL RISK –
The risk associated with the refurbished equipment is very nominal. The quality and durability offered are the same as the new equipment, no compromise is made.
After resellers purchase unusable equipment from laboratories, these are sent to skilled technicians who, test and recalibrate each piece to make sure it’s almost brand new. The defects found are repaired and hence the quality of the equipment is maintained.
In order to ensure the risk factor associated with these instruments, consider the following –
- Check googles reviews- Google reviews are the best and most reliable way to ensure the quality of the equipment.
- Go through customer testimonials – Customer testimonials show whether the customers are happy with the used equipment sold by the company.
From the above benefits, you can see that buying pre-owned equipment is cost-effective as well as environment-friendly. Hence, there is no harm in buying second-hand equipment for your laboratory. Rather it will be a win-win situation for you. Don’t hesitate and shop for used lab instruments for your laboratory from a reliable source as per your requirements.