Second Hand / Refurbished Whitegoods?

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  trustnoone on 19/04/2021 - 05:18

  +4

  To be honest, I feel like second hand stuff is fine if working. You see quite a few fairly cheap due to people leaving country or moving and they're largely just happy to have someone pick it up. But anytime me or someone I knows buys refurbished they always seem to break within 24 months. This is just anecdotal though, so YMMV.

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:21

    That’s a good point and interesting about refurbish. I know I’m leaving Canada soon and yeah anything big I’d sell for a steal to save on having to lug it somewhere.

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  thatonethere on 19/04/2021 - 08:44

  +2

  With FB/Gumtree whitegoods just stay clear of the "free delivery" scams - where people buy second hand whitegoods and love the idea of free delivery, they show up at night for free delivery and quickly drive off leaving you with a either dead or very close to non-working whitegood. My local Facebook has plenty of sad stores from that.

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:22

    Omg that’s so screwed up! I didn’t even know that was a thing! Thanks for the heads up!

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  slow on 19/04/2021 - 08:47

  +1

  I have bought lots of second second hand whitegoods off gumtree without issue. There are lots of people selling stuff just because they are moving.
  If it breaks you just chuck it out and buy another one

  My last washing machine was a LG that I got for $100 - worked well for a few years until it broke. Chucked it out and got a near new 10kg Fisher and Paykel for $200 (Retail $1500). Still going strong. Had a Blanco dishwasher that I paid $100 for - used it for a few years and then sold if for $200 when I moved

  As I see it for $100-200 you cant go wrong

• 

  trongy on 19/04/2021 - 09:03

  +1

  Is it worth the gamble

  Worth if for some, but not for others - that's the nature of a gamble. There are many legitimate reasons why people have excess whitegoods. e.g. Singles moving in together as a couple, or joining a share house or people upgrading capacity due to larger household. On the other hand it's possible for dishonest people to sell goods that appear to be working fine during a short inspection, but the faults show up later. It's also possible for honest sellers to sell something that's working fine, but still develop a fault a few months later.

  Even refurbished ones only come with 6mth warranty generally.

  The refurbisher has generally purchased broken white goods cheaply. They have diagnosed that fault, repaired it and tested it. They don't want to be on the hook for any new faults that appear in other parts of the system on an ongoing basis.

  Some Contents Insurance covers motor burnout, and other large appliance issues.

  As with all insurance, you need to look at the wording of the PDS. Check for appliance age limitations. Does it only cover burnout due to external cause such as lightning or power surge, or also burnout due to the appliance being defective. Also check if it only covers the main motor or all motors. Modern washing machines tend to a main motor to drive the tub and a secondary motor to drive the water pump. Fridges tend to have a main motor to drive the compressor which cools the fridge and also a fan motor to drive cold air. Remember that there are many other parts in white goods that can fail apart from the motor.

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:24

    Thanks so much - all useful info!!!!
    I’m going to do some research on the insurance side for sure.

• 

  dust on 19/04/2021 - 09:03

  +1

  I've bought and used plenty of second hand whitegoods with no issue. As has been said above if it's several times cheaper than new even if it lasts not quite as long it's worth it. Just look for a seller that seems non-dodgy.

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:25

    Yeah and it’s more sustainable too - for the environment and my wallet haha

• 

  Darayus on 19/04/2021 - 09:26

  +1

  If its sold by family who need to upgrade and if you see the conditions its clean and well maintained and not very expensive then go for it.

  only cost you will incure is transport so if you and your mate has some vehicle and hands then its worth to take the good chance. I have sold my Washing Machine and my old Panasonic TV very cheap because i was upgrading and i gave it away for $ 25 each, actually i was not keen to dump them in road side collection as they still has good time to last.

• 

  pharkurnell on 19/04/2021 - 09:29

  Is it worth the gamble

  That's totally up to you.
  I'd say it depends on the age, type of appliance, how rich you are, how desperate you are for the item and more.

• 

  toomuchdogfur on 19/04/2021 - 09:59

  Your use case may be covered in the T&Cs.

  For example NRMA states under condition 8 that "We can cover motors for up to 15 years after they were made."

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:26

    +1

    Interesting…

• 

  Presence on 19/04/2021 - 10:32

  It depends on the inconvenience of getting it and if it fails.

  If you own a ute and live on the ground floor then it's much less of a hassle then if you need to rent a trailer and carry it up stairs.

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  mskeggs on 19/04/2021 - 11:16

  My clothes dryer bought for $60 in 2014 is on the way out with a dodgy bearing.
  I’m tempted to repair it and see just how long I can keep it going, but there are some cracks in some plastic parts and it is looking very tired.

  I don’t think second hand is a risk for white goods, just choose somebody selling a bunch of stuff at once because they are moving or similar. That way you are pretty likely to get something with life left.

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:27

    That’s a good point! Finding someone whose selling a bunch of stuff is a good thing to keep an eye out for! Thanks!

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  Drakesy on 19/04/2021 - 11:53

  If it comes with warranty then yes.

  If it doesn't, don't touch it.

  I'm a firm believer of warranties on all white goods.

  • 

    georgegeorge31 on 19/04/2021 - 12:28

    See this is my thoughts too but like it’s costing me $7k to get back to Australia so I am thinking of ways to make things work.

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  Sweet3st on 19/04/2021 - 19:58

  Just do a test run on site to make sure it’s working. Mostly you can get fridges especially so cheap it’s worth the risk. My very expensive Smeg fridge died many years ago when I was stony broke. I actually found the same fridge only much younger and bought on eBay for $170, moving it cost $100. Still going strong 10 years later! The original fridge cost $2,200.

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  tonyjzx on 20/04/2021 - 04:10

  I'm going to say no.

  Here's how I see 2nd hand whitegoods. They are invariably bulky. So I have to arrange to bring it back to my place and I live with the fear that it'll break down meaning I'll have to get rid of it.

  I've even been reticient to take on FREE working whitegoods since I dont own a van, nor do I wish to break my back hauling them.

  Also given the cost of new whitegoods its a big… why bother? The last two purchases end up about $600 delivered each with a 3yr warranty.

  I'm not a huge fan of picking up 2nd hand goods like TVs, receivers, amps etc. unless its brand new OR at a steep discount.

  eg. I had a business client move and they left a 42" TV which they requested I keep or dump, they dont care. Even then I had to drive out, test and fold the seat on my SUV. ANd at the end of the day I got a working TV I dont need.

  I do get there are lots of people here who love to troll facebook market for 2nd hand hi fi gear. I do get that. If its a truly special piece of equipment I'd go out of my way but a lot of equipment is very expensive to fix, whitegoods included.