How to Sell Used Restaurant Equipment
Many people think that used restaurant equipment needs to go to the dump, but that’s not true. High-quality restaurant equipment can be hard to find, and buying it new can be cost-prohibitive for many restaurant owners. Buying used is one way to get reliable equipment without breaking the budget.
With that in mind, you can sell your used restaurant equipment in many ways. The internet makes it easy to scout potential customers and see the demand for specific items. Doing some research can help you make money when you’re trying to offload old or unnecessary equipment.
Where to Sell Used Restaurant Equipment
Selling used restaurant equipment with so much technology at your fingertips is easier than ever. You can list used restaurant equipment via online platforms like:
- Craigslist
- eBay
- Facebook Marketplace
Sometimes selling online isn’t a great idea because of shipping costs, but using a website to list your items will increase your potential audience. Packing and shipping specific restaurant equipment can be challenging, so you might prefer to sell locally. You can still list some items online and arrange for local pickup to save yourself the hassle of shipping them.
You may decide to sell used restaurant equipment to an online supplier. They can arrange to pick up the items, which they may refurbish and sell through their site at a higher price to make a profit. Depending on the quality of your equipment, you could make money with this approach and not have any hassle regarding sales.
You can also make flyers to hang around town or post an ad in the local paper and its online classified section. This approach most likely means your potential buyers are local and can easily pick up the equipment without shipping and handling charges.
Sometimes you can sell used restaurant equipment without advertising. You might know of similar businesses and restaurants in your area that may need some of the used items. You can contact your restaurant network and see if anyone would prefer to buy used equipment from you instead of paying top dollar for new items.
You can also talk to your repair technicians. They likely service many businesses in the area and know if someone’s refrigerator just died or the oven needs repairs that cost more than the old model is worth. Sometimes, the service company may want to buy your old equipment to use its parts for other repairs.
Selling High-Demand Items
Research the items you need to sell to determine their worth. If you have high-quality goods that aren’t made anymore, you might be able to price them higher because people want them more. However, you don’t want to overcharge and get stuck with equipment you need to get rid of, so research will help you find the best price.
Using sites like those gives you a chance to promote the link to your social network while also ensuring people who need the item can find it when they search. You can either set a price or set it up for an auction on eBay or a “best offer” price on other platforms.
Selling Unnecessary Items
You may buy a piece of restaurant equipment thinking you’ll use it for new menu items, but things don’t turn out the way you think. Maybe there’s too much of a learning curve with the appliance, or the new menu doesn’t make the splash you expected.
In that case, you may try to sell your appliance back to the manufacturer. In some cases, large-scale suppliers and retailers will buy back used equipment that’s still in good working order. You most likely won’t get back the full purchase price and will have to pay for shipping and handling, but you know the equipment will go to someone who can use it.
Selling Multiple Items
When you have many items to sell, you may consider selling to a similar business, whether it’s another restaurant, a bakery, or a cafe. They may use a lot of the same equipment and want to buy new-to-them versions without having to pay top dollar.
The downside of selling to businesses is that you may have trouble finding them. You can reach out to businesses you know or post an ad, but there’s no guarantee anyone will need your equipment. Conversely, a business may take your best equipment and leave you with smaller or older pieces that are hard to sell on their own.
You can sell items in bulk to streamline the selling process. If you have a lot of appliances, you may want to pair or bundle them together to inspire one buyer to take it all. You could also offer discounts to people who buy multiple items. If they know they can buy three appliances and get a 15% discount, they may feel more inclined to take equipment off your hands.
You may choose to sell at an auction to get rid of your used restaurant equipment. It takes some time because the listings stay up for a week or two, but you may find customers getting into bidding wars over your items and increasing your profits. You’ll have to pay a few expenses, like commissions, and sometimes setup fees or removal expenses, but it’s a simple selling method.
However, the easiest way to sell multiple items is to sell directly to a restaurant equipment dealer. They can pay for everything upfront and then sell the items in their store. They won’t worry about having enough space for the equipment because they have storage space and a display floor, so they can buy everything at once.
Final Thoughts on Selling Used Restaurant Equipment
Whether you’re downsizing, closing your restaurant, or upgrading to new equipment, there’s no need to take your used items to the dump. Contact Texas Restaurant Supply to sell your used items and ensure they’ll find a new home. You’ll offload things you don’t need and make money in the process, so it’s a win-win situation.