Buying Used Fitness Equipment

Every year millions of people make New Year's Resolutions. One of the most common is to get fit. And to do it, many of them will buy new fitness equipment. With the best of intentions, they lay down their money and maybe they get started all right, but along the way, they get derailed, and then they never get going again, and that fine piece of equipment gathers dust.

Take Someone Else's Regrets Off Their Hands

The worst part of buying a fine piece of fitness equipment and not using it, is that it serves as a constant reminder of failure. Frequently, the person will tell themselves that they will get back to it when they have the time, but eventually, the owner of an unused workout machine begins to loathe it. The waste of money becomes a waste of space. Most people with fitness equipment they never use are happy to move it on to a good home where it will be appreciated.

The Economics of Supply and Demand

The bad thing about trying to get rid of used fitness equipment, is there are a lot of people selling, and a relatively small number of people buying. That's bad for the seller, but great for you if you are the one buying. The problem with finding a buyer is that it can be hard to connect with the right person. When an ad comes on TV showing you all the benefits of some exercise system, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call a toll free number, and next thing you know, UPS is dropping it at your door. Some people don't really understand what they are buying, but it sure looked great on TV. But for someone dropping an ad into the newspaper or internet classified, there is no compelling demo to sell the equipment. It's generally necessary to wait until someone connects with the ad who is already looking for exactly what you are selling.

Know What You Want to Buy

If you are shopping for a used piece of fitness equipment, don't just jump at the first thing you see advertised. Make sure that you want what you are buying. Some equipment is quite large, and can dominate an entire room of your home easily. Other equipment may be sized right, but it may only do one kind of exercise, and it may not be what you want. Unless the equipment you have is the right fit for your needs, you will regret it later if you buy it now. Just look at the person trying to get rid of it, and imagine yourself there. Do your research first and make sure that you know how much room the equipment will take up, and then see if you realy have the space. You need to know what the footprint on the floor will look like, and you need to know how tall the ceiling needs to be when it is in use. This is especially important if you have an older home with lower ceilings, and especially important in the basement where a lot of people put their fitness equipment, because basement ceilings are generally a lot lower. I had a home gym I had to replace because it didn't really fit our home.

Also, research the fitness equipment to find out exactly what it will do for you. Ask yourself the question, "If I could buy whatever I wanted, would this be the one?" If it won't do what you want, it's not the right equipment. Keep looking until you find the right thing.

All of that equipment you see on TV and in the stores can be found used sooner or later, and usually for a lot less money. Not only that, but all of the expensive accessories that are purchased separately may be attached to that used fitness equipment for no extra charge!

Be Patient

If you are patient, it is very likely that you will be able to come up with exactly the right thing. Even equipment that people thought they would never give up can become available because someone is moving and decides they can't take it along. Also, you need to be able to pass up equipment that is so damaged through neglect or abuse that it really won't make you happy. It's one thing to buy free weights that have some paint chipped off, and another to buy equipment that is partially functional, and may not even have parts available any longer. The right deal will come along sooner or later.

Inspect the Goods Carefully

Be aware that there are some things that can go wrong with fitness gear. The most common problems are with cables which can break, and rollers which can be badly worn or cracked. When you are researching a particular piece of equipment, do an internet search on replacement parts. Those parts are usually available, because from time to time they need to be replaced. Some parts are relatively inexpensive, such as cables, though the specific cable setup can be rather expensive on some equipment. When inspecting the equipment, look for cracks or frays in the cables. If the cables are frayed, they will break soon under use. If the vinyl covering the cables is cracked, fraying follows shortly, and then the cable will break shortly after that. The person selling the equipment might tell you truthfully, "It's been that way for a couple of years now, and it's been fine!" But remember, they might not be using it all that much. If they were, they probably would not be selling it. If rollers appear to bind, they are probably damaged. Look for flat spots or worn spots on the rollers, damage to the rails, and cracks or repairs to the rollers themselves. I recently bought a piece of fitness gear that had a bad cable and bad rollers. I knew what I was going to pay to replace the parts, and it was still a good deal, and it was what I wanted. But the replacement parts added over $100 to the original price of the equipment, so I needed to consider that when I weighed the cost. The seller actually insisted quite sincerely that both the cable and the rollers were fine, but the roller guides had obviously been glued back onto the rollers, and one of them actually broke when I tested it at the seller's home. And the cable broke about three months after I bought the equipment. But because I made the purchase with the understanding that I would need to spend that extra money, and the price I paid for what I got was an excellent value, I was happy with the purchase. Also look for missing hardware like pins and other fasteners. If someone has a screwdriver stuck in a hole to make it work, something is missing!

Ask if the seller can show you how it works. If they can't get it to work right, there is probably something wrong. And if it is in pieces, or only partially assembled, watch out. Unless you know exactly what you are looking at, you could be buying something that is missing some major parts, and could end up being unusable. On the other hand, if they can show you how it works, and it works well for you, you can have a lot more confidence in your purchase. Remember to dress appropriately to try it out. Don't arrive in a suit and tie or a short skirt if you want to try out the equipment before buying.

Don't Be Afraid to Negotiate

Most people feel awkward asking for a better price, but it doesn't usually hurt to ask politely if the price is firm. Sometimes people already had in mind that they would sell it for less, and tell you so when you ask. If the price is firm, so be it. Only rarely will someone be put off if you phrase the question tactfully and politely. Chances are though, they are already offering at far less than they paid for it, unless they bought it used themselves, so it's wise to be tactful and considerate when negotiating.

Know a Good Deal When You See It

When you come across the right deal, if you have the money, get it! And if the deal is phenomenal, don't play games with the seller, because someone else will come along and see the value and buy it. It may be harder to sell used fitness equipment than new fitness equipment, but it's not impossible, and the better the price, the more competition there can be to purchase it. I went to a garage sale a while back to look at a piece of equipment that had been posted in an internet ad at an incredible price. I got there a half hour after the sale started, and the sellers told me that half a dozen people had already shown up... AFTER they sold it to the first buyer! It didn't hurt that it was an unused, almost new version of one that is featured on TV all the time. But even when the deal is a little less incredible, it will still sell to the right person if the price is competitive. Look around at the ads, and you will know what the great deals are.

What Kind of Deals Can You Find?

My brothers have both bought used Parabody equipment that was in nearly new condition, and paid $200 to $300, or about 20 percent of the orginal new price for the models they chose. My parents got a similar deal on a like new Weider home gym.

I used to have a Parabody home gym which was purchased used for less than 20 percent of the new price, but it was too big and I needed something that fit our home. I bought my original Total Gym used in good shape for $25, less than 10 percent of it's new price, and even though it wasn't the model I really wanted, it let me try the gym out and see if I liked it with minimal investment. And when I found I really did like it, and decided to upgrade, I paid $65 (plus $105 including shipping for replacement parts) for a total of $170 for the XL model in excellent condition with over $500 in extra atachments which we actually use, so less than 20 percent of the price of the new package.

Great deals are out there! Research newspaper ads and internet postings such as Craigslist to see what's out there. Just be sure that you invest in the right equipment for your needs and for the space you have available. It's not really a great deal, unless it's great equipment for your specific needs.

Now Go Use It

It isn't a good deal unless you use it. Remember that person who sold it to you! But if you put it to use, and it helps you improve your fitness level, it's money well invested!