When You Should Buy Used Ophthalmic Equipment

By Teri Farley


If you're starting a new ophthalmic practice, a factor to consider as you commence with your start-up business is whether to purchase new or used ophthalmic equipment. The choice you finally make will be determined by several factors. These include how much capital you have to spend, the cost of new versus second-hand tools, and whether the appliances you require are available on the local market.

For people whose budgets are constrained, it makes sense that they should buy old equipment rather than new ones. The decision to buy used kit will reduce the capital demands of your eye care practice and leave you some considerable change to invest in other areas of the business such as decor, medical provisions and hiring of staff. Spending all your start off capital on buying new state of the art apparatus may leave you without enough money to invest in these other areas which nonetheless play a very crucial role in the overall success of your eye care clinic.

Clients may experience more confidence in your services if the furnishings in your office environment reflect up market professionalism. This can also be true of hiring a few additional support personnel. A well-prepared budget will support your decision to go for old or new tools. In an ideal world and if your budget permits, it is preferable to buy state of the art eye care appliances.

Once you have made the decision to go for used equipment, you will need to understand that there are 3 main ways you can find such kit. The first option is to find the apparatus from another private practitioner. The challenge with this option is that the warranty is never valid anymore. However, you may need to engage a personal technician to ascertain the functionality of the apparatus. The other challenge with this option is that you may end up spending so much more on repairs and maintenance costs especially where calibrations have expired. In other words, this option is the most risky of all.

Another option is going for refurbished item. These are but secondhand kit that have been refurbished and brought back to the market. They will cost much lower than new apparatus.

It is also important to think about where you would buy the used item from. Most first time ophthalmologists advocate for getting the kit from practitioners who are retiring from practice. Well, if you can get hold of one, then this is the best deal.

Another option is to browse through available auctioneering sites to check whether you might find some good buys. Wherever you chose to obtain your gear, it is critical that you secure documentation relevant to your purchases. Many auctioneers may have outstanding issues with a prior owner.

Always weight the price of the used ophthalmic equipment against the quality before you make a commitment to buy. With refurbished and remanufactured kit ensure that you get a considerable warranty. A little research before buying the apparatus can save you a lot of time and costs spent repairing the equipment.




About the Author: