How to Buy Used Networking Equipment

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Virtually any product you need today is available on the secondary network equipment market. The secondary network equipment market is an established industry spanning well over a decade. Distribution channels are flush with high-quality, current generation as well as end-of-life equipment.

Paying full price for new networking equipment can be a blow to your wallet in these trying financial times. Here are some money saving steps on purchasing used networking equipment.

Steps

1. 1
   Do your homework on which hardware is available on the market. Look at what products are out now: Amazon.com and Newegg.com have great selections and user reviews on quality and usefulness. Usually, most anything can be found, but if you are looking to replace a fried older device, it might be very rare and may require a lengthy search.

   
   
2. 2
   Choose which product manufacturer includes the best features that you are interested in, such as the types of Wi-fi protocols supported, number of ports on a switch, and security features.
3. 3
   Locate used or refurbished hardware at prices up to 90% less than the current market value. Check places like Craigslist, Half.com, and eBay. Amazon.com sometimes sells used items on the same product page as the new, so be sure to keep an eye open for that.

   
   

Tips

• Remember that you are dealing with secondary networking equipment so be sure to haggle.
• Call a few and get them to compete on prices.
• Make sure you get a warranty
• It is vitally important to make sure you select a company whose specializes in secondary market product sales to the end user market. This is important because most of the companies in the used and refurbished networking equipment market do not have the capabilities to sell and support the product.
• Ask questions like: What is the process and turn around time if I do have a warranty issue? Advance replacement, return and repair, etc. (A company can warranty the product forever; if they can't send you a replacement or repair in a timely manner what good is it.)
• Ask questions like: What is their quality process and the standards they follow? Is the company certified in TL9000/ISO standards? Do they have a complete test lab, do they provide standard test documents with they equipment to verify it has in fact been tested. Do they have certified Engineers on staff?

Warnings

• Watch out for counterfeit equipment. Ask your dealer if they are in UNEDA

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