If you’re in several different industries, you probably know what a CNC machine is, and some of its potentials uses.
A CNC machine uses an automated process to create things. A computer runs it, and all you need is someone to run and maintain that computer. If you have a CNC machine or a few of them, you don’t need the same workforce to turn out many products in a very short amount of time. You can fill huge orders that you can either sell and ship wholesale, or else you can sell them online using an eCommerce business model. You might even do both of those things.
It also makes sense that you should think about purchasing used CNC machines instead of brand-new ones. It’s similar to buying a used car: you can save some money that way which you can then allocate elsewhere.
We’ve compiled a list of some tips if you’re ready to shop around for used CNC machines. Read through them before you start looking around to see what’s out there.
Buy a Recognized Brand.
In some ways, buying a used CNC machine is just the same as buying anything else that’s used. You can expect to pay either less or more depending on what brand you want. To use the car-buying analogy again, you would not expect to pay the same for a used Chrysler as you would for a used Maserati.
You might already have some brand names in mind if you know a great deal about CNC machines. You’ll look for one or two particular brands while avoiding others that don’t have so good of a reputation.
For instance, Mazak is a well-known and respected industry brand. You can look at the various entities selling used CNC machines to see if they have any used ones. You might also look for Doosan or Haas.
See If You Can Get a Bulk Rate.
Maybe you represent or own a large business entity that needs not one used CNC machine but for several of them. If so, you’ll have to talk to the companies selling them to see if you can get a bulk rate if you buy several.
At a certain point, you can probably get the seller to knock a decent amount off the price if you buy half a dozen machines or a dozen. Maybe you need even more than that. Try to feel out the seller a little to see if they can work with you a bit on this.
You might mention that this could be a long-term partnership if you need more machines in the future. The promise of future collaborations may be enough for the seller to sweeten the deal.
See if You Can Get a Warranty.
If you buy something used, it’s not as likely that you can get the same warranty that you could if you were purchasing the item or items brand new. However, just because you’re getting used CNC machines, that does not mean you should get no warranty with them whatsoever.
Even if you can get only a six-month or one-year warranty, that is definitely better than nothing. If you’re getting no warranty at all for used CNC machines, you don’t want to pay top dollar for them since you don’t know how well they will perform.
If the seller does not give you any warranty, you might want to purchase one machine to start and see how it performs. If it seems to do okay after a while, then you can go back and make a larger purchase.
See if You Can Get Free Shipping.
When you’re buying for your business, you always want to get ahead whenever you can. You need to be shrewd, especially if you are operating with a razor-thin budget.
You should save on operational expenses whenever possible, and that might mean asking the seller if you can get free shipping on your used CNC machines. These are large, cumbersome machines, and it’s going to cost you quite a bit to have them shipped to you, especially from across the country.
If you can get the seller to eat the shipping costs, that might mean a difference of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Getting them to relent on shipping will save you a significant amount of money on this deal.
Now that you understand how to shop for used CNC machines confidently, it’s time to look around and find what you need.
