The sticker price is rarely the real price. These are the costs that decide whether a used purchase saves you money.
Used equipment genuinely can cost substantially less than new. But buyers routinely compare a used purchase price against a new purchase price and conclude they saved far more than they actually did, because the used number is incomplete.
If the equipment is still installed, someone has to take it out properly. Depending on what needs licensed trades involved, this can be a meaningful line item, and it is frequently not included in the asking price. Clarify who is paying for it before you agree on a number. See our guide on disconnecting equipment safely for what this involves.
Small equipment ships normally. Chairs, cabinetry, and imaging equipment usually require freight, which brings its own considerations: crating, liftgate service if there is no dock, and insurance on the shipment. Long distance freight on a large item can represent a significant fraction of the equipment's value.
Equipment has to be connected at the other end, and that means plumbing, electrical, and often a technician to commission it. Budget this alongside removal rather than treating it as a small finishing step.
Used equipment usually needs something. Upholstery, hoses, gaskets, and filters are common. Individually modest, collectively meaningful. Assume some spend here rather than hoping for none.
This is where budgets break. A chair that "works fine" may turn out to have a slow hydraulic lift once it is installed and being used all day. Problems that are invisible in a fifteen-minute inspection surface under real use. This is the strongest argument for a technician inspection before purchase rather than after.
If you are relying on this equipment to open or to keep operating, delay has a cost. Equipment that arrives needing a part on backorder is not just a repair expense, it is lost production days.
New equipment comes with coverage. Used equipment generally does not, which means failures in the first year are entirely on you. That is often still worth it given the price difference, but it should be a conscious trade rather than an unexamined one.
When comparing used against new, build the used number as: purchase price, plus removal, plus transport, plus installation, plus expected immediate repairs, plus a contingency for something you did not find in inspection. Compare that total against the new price including delivery and installation.
Used still frequently wins, sometimes by a lot. But the margin is narrower than the sticker prices suggest, and knowing the real number tells you when a specific deal is worth doing.
Our operatory cost breakdown puts these numbers in context, and the pre-purchase checklist helps you find problems before you own them.