The two big factors to consider before buying a used copier is meter reading and age. An old copier with a low meter may sound like a great deal but there will be connectivity challenges. Copier manufacturers aren’t going to provide Scanning Drivers for older legacy models since their population is dwindling. Since most people are scanning with their copiers this is important. Many of the older copiers are limited to Windows XP.
One work around is to get new computers but keep at least one XP on the network so the old copier will still be able to scan as a shared device. However, it will still be a slow process compared to what the newer used copiers can do.
Another important criteria is the meter reading. What good is it to get a late model used copier if the meter is really high! That’s like buying a two year old rental car from Hertz with 100,000 miles on the odometer. We like to sell used copiers with under 300K on the meter. Most copiers can go to a million pages so people can expect at least five good years.
The one exception to this rule is on faster copiers which are designed for higher volumes. In that case everything is moved up a little since large faster copiers can go to two to three million pages. So we may try to find fast copiers under 500K on the meter or large copiers with under one million. It’s relative.
Finally, make sure everything works. Don’t fall for one of those deceptive ads on Craigs List or Ebay where it says a bank is having an asset sale, etc……… Often those are copiers with issues. You need to have some kind of guarantee that everything works well. Other wise, you will spend more on initial repairs than for the copier.
Also, beware of copiers shipped from out of town. Often the sorters arrived smashed or dysfunctional. Buy a used copier from a local company that guarantees everything will work. Often the price is the same because the out of town guy has to add shipping plus you often incur set up costs to fix the copier.
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