Looking for a used elliptical machine? A great way to save money on fitness equipment is to purchase second hand.
Maybe your neighbor is moving and will sell you their elliptical at a great price. Perhaps you can find a dirt-cheap elliptical in your local classifieds or on ebay.
But before you buy a used home elliptical, there are some things you should know to avoid buying a lemon. Here are some key advantages and disadvantages to buying a used crosstrainer.
Benefits:
Obviously the main benefit is that you can save quite a bit when you buy fitness equipment second hand. You can often get 20-50% off department store prices.
Price usually depends on the buyer: when they bought it, why they're selling it in the first place and how badly they want to get rid of it.
Plus you can often haggle with them and talk the price down even further.
Tip - Look for moving sales as many people don't often want the hassle of moving a huge, heavy machine. And if you have a truck and are willing to move the elliptical yourself, you can use this as leverage to get an even better deal.
Drawbacks:
While you can save quite a bit buying used, there are some very strong drawbacks that most buyers are not aware of. If you don't know these you can actually end up wasting money instead of saving it.
1) Most brands will not honor a warranty for a second buyer.
Say that the seller tells you 'Don't worry, it's only a year old and still under warranty'. That sounds great in principle.
However did you know that most manufacturers will not honor the warranty if the elliptical changes ownership?
So if it does break, you could be out a considerable amount of money to fix it - or you might just throw in the towel and have to buy a new one.
There are a few commercial brands that will allow you to assign the warranty coverage to a second owner, however it's hard to find a commercial elliptical for sale as most owners, if they spent that much, don't want to sell their machines.
2) When you buy a used home elliptical, there's really no way to tell what kind of wear and tear that machine has seen.
For example, one elliptical could have been used for light workouts by one owner 3 times a week for a year. Another machine could have been used for long workouts by two owners 7 times a week for 3 years. The second elliptical has a lot more wear and tear on it and will probably break down a lot faster than the first.
You could ask the seller how much the elliptical has been used. But if they really want to sell, they may not be completely honest with you. And just trying out the elliptical is not an easy way to gage the wear and tear on it.
3) When you buy a used elliptical, check to see if the model is still being sold. There are several brands that come out with new models every year and discontinue old ones.
If the model has been discontinued, it may be hard to see what the original specs are on that model. Plus finding parts can also be difficult and frustrating.
If the model is still being sold, you can compare prices from the manufacturer to the seller's price to see if it's a fair deal. Plus you can usually find the specs on your elliptical from the manufacturer's website.
So those are several of the advantages and disadvantages of buying a used elliptical. Buying second hand fitness equipment can save you quite a bit - but there are also hazards.
And with many online elliptical wholesalers dropping their prices and giving you free shipping, many buyers prefer the security of buying new.
Regardless of what you choose to do, remember to consider the needs of everyone in your family who will be using the elliptical before you buy.
For a list of manufacturers that sell discount ellipticals check out our Where To Buy section.
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