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.

Many restaurant owners find themselves with unwanted, used restaurant equipment, whether due to upgrading equipment or closing their doors.

When you need to get rid of used restaurant equipment, selling it can help you recover some of your investment in these pricey pieces and allow other restaurant owners to purchase the equipment at discounted prices.

We’ll provide tips for getting it ready to move at the best price, then explain three options for where to sell used restaurant equipment.

What Is the Resale Value of My Used Restaurant Equipment?

The demand for a particular piece of equipment typically determines the value of the items you want to sell.

For example, restaurant owners will often search for great deals on large, expensive pieces like industrial stoves and hood vents before paying full price for new equipment.

 However, restaurant owners will pay more for high-quality, well-maintained equipment that will last many more years than poorly-maintained equipment that might break down or need replacing.

 The value can also fluctuate based on the local food scene in your area.

 In Texas, where Mexican restaurants abound, there’s a much higher demand for blenders, tortilla warmers, and broilers than specialty items like hibachi grills or sushi fridges.

How Can I Prepare My Used Restaurant Equipment for Sale?

When you’re ready to sell your used restaurant equipment, the first step is preparing it for sale to increase its appeal to buyers and fetch a higher price.

Evaluate the Condition

Before you list your equipment for sale online or contact a local reseller, you must evaluate its physical and functional condition. Ensure that all the features work as intended and that there aren’t any missing components.

 If anything is missing or broken, that doesn’t mean the equipment won’t sell, but you’ll need to be transparent about it so there are no misunderstandings or accusations later.

Clean It Up

First impressions matter, so you want your equipment to look as clean and well-maintained as possible, inside and out. If a buyer has to spend time scrubbing grime and grease to get it up to inspection standards, they will likely offer a lower price for their troubles.

Deep clean the interior and exterior of each piece, getting into every nook and cranny. You want it as close to new as possible. Then, do minor maintenance repairs like replacing worn-out knobs and tightening up all the screws.

Gather the Proper Documentation

Providing instruction manuals, service records, and warranties assures buyers that they are purchasing high-quality, well-cared-for, used restaurant equipment.

In particular, equipment still under warranty can often get a higher price because it reduces the buyer’s risk should the piece break down after its purchase.

Where To Sell Used Restaurant Equipment

Now that you’ve assessed the potential value and cleaned up your used restaurant equipment, it’s time to get the best price and recoup some of your initial investment.

 You can take three primary sales avenues: local equipment resellers, online listings, and other restaurants. We’ll outline some of the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Equipment Resellers

Most large cities have local, used restaurant equipment resellers who buy the items, refurbish them, then sell them at a discount to other restaurant owners searching for that particular piece of equipment.

 Working with equipment resellers is often the easiest way to sell used restaurant equipment.

The main benefits of this method include the following:

• Equipment resellers pay top dollar for your used restaurant equipment.
• They will often pick up and transport the equipment for you, so you don’t have to worry about shipping costs or renting a vehicle large enough to deliver it yourself.
• You don’t have to worry about managing online marketplace listings or haggling with multiple interested buyers over the price.
• You can sell your entire stock rather than parsing it out, making the process faster than other methods.
• There are no payment plans or crossing your fingers that the check will clear. Equipment resellers give you cash in hand.

Online Platforms

With online marketplaces readily available with a single tap, many restaurant owners have tried selling their used equipment through platforms like Facebook, Craigslist, and eBay.

 This option can seem the most convenient, as you can take a few pictures of your item, post it with the asking price, then wait for the offers to flood in. However, managing an online sales posting is rarely that simple.

 For example, you’ll need to field any questions that come your way about its condition and quality, even if you included that information in the description. You’ll also have to deal with people who want to haggle, offering far under the asking price to get a better deal.

 Once you find a buyer, then there’s the question of transportation. Shipping comes with additional, often outrageous, costs while delivering the item takes time and money.

 Even if the buyer is willing to pick up, you still have the human factor to deal with, including anything from no-shows to the potential dangers of meeting with people you’ve only spoken to online.

Direct Sales To Other Restaurants

The final option for selling used restaurant equipment is direct sales to other restaurant owners. Some people prefer this route because it “cuts out the middle man” and can potentially net them more on the sale price, but it’s not without drawbacks.

 Finding an interested buyer is challenging unless you have an extensive network of other restauranteurs in the area. You’ll likely need to spend time asking around, which can delay the sale process and leave you footing the bill for storage.

You’ll also have to deal with the hassle of negotiating the asking price, which cuts into your returns, and figure out how to transport the equipment from your location to theirs.

 Once you tack on the cost of vehicle rentals and gas, you’ve cut into the slim margin of money you would have made over working with a used equipment reseller.

Final Thoughts

Texas Restaurant Supply is the largest used equipment liquidator in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area, with over 35 years of experience and a reputation for paying top dollar for your equipment, whether selling a single item or liquidating all your stock.

 Call us today at (972) 642-0513 for our DFW location or (972) 579-4612 for our Irving location, and schedule a pickup for your used restaurant equipment.