How the you feel about buying second hand machines
By Suggar
@Suggar (3606)
Bulgaria
August 5, 2012 9:46am CST
By using the word machines I mean stove, fridge, laundry machine and so on things we may need in daily life.
I don't like buying second hand of these things, because I am very squeamish and second hand stuff usually doesn't have warranty.
Most of you probably know that we don't have a fridge. Actually we have one at home, but it stays like monument in our kitchen for longer than half an year.
When we moved in the new place we had good and lucky moments to make little bit more money than usual. So I suggested my boyfriend we can buy a brand new fridge, small one, but we are only two people, so we don't need a big one, it's not like we would keep food for a month in our fridge.
His father was having restaurants in the past, he was in this business long ago. So he had all needed to rule a restaurant, including different and many fridges. When he got sick, he gifted all he had to different people - friends, family, everyone who needed this and that. Gave one fridge to one of his friends, who got it back few years ago and this fridge stayed in one very old village house, where the fridge was not used. In the house nobody lived at that moment, so the fridge was not kept on clean place. You can imagine what you can find in one village house - every kind of bugs.
So my bf's dad offered us to go and take this old fridge. It is not a bad fridge, actually is a very good one or at least was a very good one in the past, class A, energy saving. Instead of buying one small and cheap fridge, we paid a person to drive us there and we took this old fridge from the house. When we moved it at home, I cleaned it, but it's seal was not good, so we ordered a new one. My boyfriend put it and now the door for the freezer can't be closed. So the seal we ordered and paid for doesn't work well and we will have to order one more expensive seal which would fit on this brand fridge.
I feel like we spent a way too much for something old. I don't like this fridge at all, because it was so dirty inside and half of it's dirt couldn't be cleaned very well. The fridge has scratches inside and there I may find colored glaze of cakes. I tried to clean it, but it doesn't happen so good. So I really don't put much attention in trying to make the fridge working, as long as we could chance to buy a small one which would be perfect for our needs.
Well I hate taking stocks second hand. It is not like we bought the fridge we have at home, but it may be considered as buying, because we paid like 50$ for driving the fridge to our home, then another amount for ordering seal for inside, now when this seal is not good, we have to order one which has to be more expensive and better. And we don't even know if the fridge will work when we turn it on. My boyfriend's dad said it was working when he gave it to his friend, but one of the reasons the fridge was returned to my boyfriend's dad might be that the fridge stopped working, who knows?
Any feeling about second hand stocks?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
5 Aug 12
I can see your point,you got this fridge for free,but with the time,expense,and effort you had to put into obtaining it,getting parts for it and then fixing at it,only to find it's still not working,that would be very frustrating..
Some people just don't believe in fixing a machine that needs repairs,especially when the cost of repairs and parts is getting close to what a new machine with a fresh guarantee would be..and When some businesses will take away the old machine,and even deliver and install the new one in its place,they'd just say "Why Bother?" and let the old one go..
Me,I have never had a new Fridge..In my first place,I was given what was My Grandparents' Fridge,and it served Me well over 10 years..rust got it in the end,and it was replaced by a used fridge..no problems so far..
You take a chance when buying something,new or old..if you have a guarantee,that's fine..if you don't,it's good or bad luck if it works or not..
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
5 Aug 12
Well we could find a new fridge, small one, for like nearly 150$. And instead of doing so, we got home this big thing staying in our kitchen without even working.
I always prefer buying a new thing, because of the warranty. My boyfriend is like that for everything, he was searching used cell phones, laptops when we were in need for laptop. I am not so much into used things.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
6 Aug 12
May I ask How did your story end up? Do you still have this derelict fridge at home,not working,or did you decide enough was enough and get the new one?
Thanks for best response
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
6 Aug 12
We still have this fridge in our kitchen, actually the story is pretty fresh, because nothing has changed for nearly an year now.
We are not having any cash to buy a fridge right now. Summers are not the best time for us in financial meaning, but the autumn I hope we will be able to buy a new fridge.
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
5 Aug 12
If you know that the appliance is in good shape, buying an appliance secondhand is fine. The only concerns are whether the item is: a) in good shape. and b) doesn't use a lot of electricity or fuel (Older items can be significantly less efficient than new ones).
There are some things that one really shouldn't buy secondhand: adult shoes (kids' tend to be fine, since children generally outgrow shoes quickly), vacuum cleaners, lingerie (ick factor), mattresses and futons (serious ick factor). Most other things, though, are fine secondhand.
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
5 Aug 12
Thank you, I don't like buying anything second hand. Mom was teaching me such kind of taste about things when I was small girl. We lived very poor, but she was buying only new and little more expensive shoes or clothes instead of buying very cheap ones, who were not good for use longer than few months. I still remember a sport outfit I had for like 3-4 years which I was wearing with big pleasure.
@speakeasy (4171)
• United States
5 Aug 12
I buy second hand appliances whenever I need a new one; BUT, I only buy them from a local appliance store that sells and services both new and old appliances. I get free delivery and set up, a 30 day warranty, and an appliance that I know has already been thoroughly checked out and refurbished by professionals.
I save a lot by buying used appliances; but, I would not trust one that came from an individual unless I knew them personally and had seen it working in their home first.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
5 Aug 12
I don't have a problem with it as long as I know the people/company and "where" the unit came from.
In your case, I don't think I would have gone for a second hand fridge from a resturant relation. I mean, they are so used that even in "good" condition they are pretty tattered just from the massive use they get, plus.. you know employees don't "take care" of the machines like that. You said it was so dirty you couldn't get it clean.
For years we have bought second hand washer and dryer and once a fridge...we had a friend that did this for a living.. bought old broken ones, refurbished them and sold them. But he had some great items. He usually only had a couple at a time as he did have a good clientel and all, but the WandD's we bought...lasted a long long time and never a problem. We would move and sell them and then when we needed on again, give him a call. Twice in all those years we had a repair prob and he'd come out and fix it for $50ish. THe fridge...we gave that one to one of our kids and we bought a new one.. (I wanted an ice maker!!!) and they never had any trouble with it. The washer and dry we have now...we've had for prob 10 years...and the washer just went out... our friend had retired years ago so we just called a local repair man here...he said it would cost almost as much to fix it than to buy a new one like it. So we offered it to him but h e didn't want it, e just fixed them,,,not fix and resale. So we had no choice but to buy a new one.
So I'd just say.. do some research on the place and check them out very good, If you just need a small one.. check like places like Lowe's for their smallest unit..probably get one for $200...8 cbfeet or there abouts. We used dto have one..forget why we had it, but it was bigger than those little "bar" units but much smaller than a regular size.
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
5 Aug 12
Here we may find a small one completely new from some store even for 150$. Which is a very good deal, but having this one at home is a tease for my boyfriend to make it working.
I was thinking to put everything inside in plastic boxes or like that, thought about everything, but still something new for me is much better than an old one.
@francis920176 (84)
• Philippines
5 Aug 12
only buy 2nd hand if you know what you are buying. i'm a computer technician and often times i keep on telling my friends not to buy 2nd hand computers. first is the warranty, another thing is the history. you never know what kind of stress the machine has been through. but me i do buy 2nd hand computer as i know the right price for a used machine etc.
@Suggar (3606)
• Bulgaria
5 Aug 12
I was trying to explain the same to my boyfriend, but his dad kept talking he has an old fridge in this house so why spending full price for a new fridge if we can take this paying very small price for gas to drive this old fridge to our home.
Well some day we may turn on this fridge, but I still I am not so willing to use it.
@Fleura (30539)
• United Kingdom
4 Oct 15
If you are not going to keep it, why do you need to buy another seal? Can you just give it away to someone else who is willing to fix it? In the UK people sometimes leave things outside with a note saying 'free' or else they offer them on a group called Freecycle, have you heard of that? It seems to exist in Bulgaria
The Freecycle Network is a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills.
