Buying a Used 3D Printer?

Hey guys, a good friend saw my printer last night and seems to be hooked. He doesn't have a ton of money to buy his own, so he asked me what I thought about buying one used on ebay. Have any of you guys purchased a second hand 3d printer before, and if so what was your experience.

There seems to be some decent deals out there, but I don't know what to suggest to the guy. One printer he is looking at has 320 hours on it? Is that worth paying about 65% of retail for?

Anyway, any feedback on this topic would be great

Larry

I'd say that if you are paying 65% of retail for a printer that started at $750 then you are only saving $262. I'd recommend you buy it new and know it's all good. If the original price was $4500 then you are saving $1,575. So it matters what the original cost was and what parts you are prepared to replace. Most RepRap printers are pretty simple. As long as the mainboard is sound, the most expensive parts are the hot ends and the stepper motors, and stepper motors are surprisingly inexpensive. Also, most RepRap printers are really easy to work on. Most parts are readily available and most anyone with average "tinkering" ability can certainly refit a used one with replacement parts. As with all used equipment there comes a point of diminishing returns should you find that you needed to replace a ton of parts. If that happens you'd have been better off just buying a new one or new kit and knowing that the parts are good or are able to use a warranty for premature failures.

So it's a hard question to answer. Just like cars, there are a lot of extremely excellent used cars out there and if you kick enough tires you'll get a stellar deal. What you can't easily do with a printer for sale online is inspect it. If you buy one I'd make sure the seller allows at least a 15-day trial period so you can check it out and return it if it has too many problems. If they won't agree to that then they are probably trying to unload some junk. That way you only lose on shipping. However, if you wind up losing the shipping on 5 machines before you find a good one, then you are eating into that $262 savings for a simple RepRap printer. Watch out for "As-Is" as it usually equates to "stay-away" so look out for that.

Don't get me wrong, saving money is always good. Just make sure you don't buy something and get stuck with it. Chances are if you ask enough questions of the seller and are careful, you'll find a good used printer. Best part is they are easy to work on and should you have to replace a few parts, you'll likely have a printer that works as well as a brand new one.

See, the thing with a used 3D printer is that you know know how much wear and tear it's been through. Parts do go out on 3D Printers after time. I would say that if you can pay 50% off, go for a used one. You can always get replacement parts. You might want to consider building your own 3D printer as well.

Well I've always told friends and family to NEVER buy a used computer on ebay, because you often end up "getting what you paid for" and get stuck with a computer that is riddled with problems.

I don't have any direct experience when it comes to 3D printers, but I would guess that generally speaking, a used one on ebay is probably going to be similar to a used computer on ebay: sometimes you might get a really awesome deal, but the rest of the time you probably would end up spending more in the long run to fix it or just end up buying a new one later.

Axe, I don't think it's the same with 3D Printers. Parts are usually pretty replaceable. Wear and tear isn't too much of an issue either. With PC's there is a lot more you have to worry about. I would say that if you can save 40-50% it may be worth buying a printer used. Just make sure you can trust the seller.

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Originally Posted by urbanmyth

Axe, I don't think it's the same with 3D Printers. Parts are usually pretty replaceable. Wear and tear isn't too much of an issue either. With PC's there is a lot more you have to worry about. I would say that if you can save 40-50% it may be worth buying a printer used. Just make sure you can trust the seller.

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Actually you might be right. I could see how a PC could get more complicated when you consider all the hardware and software possibilities, plus a lot of 3D printers have open-source designs so the way they work is completely publicly known, which could make repairing it somewhat easy if you know who/where to find out how.

If I were your friend, I would just make sure that the used printer they purchase is one that they sell kits and parts for online, not one of the more "top-of-the-line" desktop printers ($1000-$2000) or ones that are fully enclosed and aren't based on an open-source design. Because the cheaper "hobby kit" printers should, in theory, be easier to service and to find free instructions online to service.

I personally would still not buy a used one, but I could understand why someone would go that route to save some money.