Pros and Cons of Buying Second-Hand Electrical Devices

One of the things about buying electrical devices is the fact that their price drops drastically just several months after they are purchased for the simple reason of ‘no longer being new’. The thing about this drop in price is that it sometimes doesn’t even come with an actual drop in functionality, making this deal into an even greater no-brainer. 

However, this idea has its downsides, as well. With this in mind and without further ado, here are a couple of pros and cons of buying second-hand electrical devices for your household.

Pro: It’s planet friendly

One of the biggest benefits you gain from buying such a device is the fact that you are doing your planet a gigantic favor. You would be astonished to find out just how many millions of salvageable phones, computers and printers wind up as an electronic waste. Of course, you buying this one device won’t make that huge of a difference but in a situation where this practice actually picks up, the results are bound to follow.

You should also keep in mind that some of this electronic waste has harmful chemicals that it can release into the environment. Once these devices get into your hands, you can ensure they are disposed of properly, when you no longer need ’em.

Con: You don’t know how much time they have left

The fact that the person selling you the appliance has the receipt that states that the item was bought only a year ago, doesn’t actually mean that much. You see, the number of hours of active work that this appliance has undergone is all that really counts. Needless to say, this is something you can never know for sure. Well, almost never, seeing as how you can check for how long has your computer been up and running. As for the other items, the best thing you can do is do a short performance check and hope for the best.

Pro: It’s much more frugal

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You need to keep in mind that buying a second-hand electrical device can save you a small fortune. Sure, not all of them might be in a perfect working order but even if you are forced to invest in a small repair, the purchase might still be worth it. For instance, buying a second-hand electrical stove can be worth the price even if you have to look for someone to perform an oven repair since even when combined, the total cost-to-gain ratio usually tends to lean heavily in your favor.

Con: Why are they selling?

You have no way of knowing what are the motives behind one’s desire to sell an almost brand new device. For instance, it might have a flaw you are not aware of. Because of this, they might have regretted the purchase they’ve made and might even deliberately conceal this flaw, believing that you wouldn’t want to purchase the device either after learning of it.

Sure, you can always try to inspect the device or even take a professional to take a look at it, however, some flaws only reveal themselves after hours and days of work and the only way you can know for sure is by taking the risk.

As you can see, both pros and cons are quite numerous, which means that the final decision on whether you should buy or not depends mostly on the situation and your own judgment. Keep in mind, however, that, when buying, you need to look at the potential of the device, not just the device that you are being offered. Try to make a calculation of how much you can get out of the work invested in the device, as well as how much time you are actually buying. Only by doing this can you get a full picture and make an adequate cost-effectiveness of the purchase.