Things to Keep in Mind When Shopping Used Refrigerators for Sale

When it comes to used refrigerators, there may be some that are better to buy than others. Fortunately, as long as you know the pros and cons, and do your research, it could end up being a great decision. This is necessarily true when trying to save money. As buying as used refrigerator, for instance, will certainly be better on the wallet than a new one.

When shopping used refrigerators for sale, there are really just a few things you need to keep in mind. Most of these things are simple, but all of them important. When you’re buying a used refrigerator always consider the following:

Dimensions of the Refrigerator

Dimensions are overlooked all the time. People go out and purchase a fridge only to get it home and find out their upper cabinet is in the way. Or the base molding wasn’t accounted for when they measured. Refrigerators can also vary considerably when it comes to depth. This can be a problem for people who have to pass their refrigerator as they enter their kitchen.

Warranty Period Of the Refrigerator

A warranty should never be considered optional when it comes to a used refrigerator. If you buy from a driveway, you won’t get one. And beware of dealers offering “exchange only” warranties. What good is an exchange if you lose your groceries? The exception to this would be if the used appliance dealer has their refrigerators plugged in and working with thermometers in them. And you can see that they’ve been keeping close tabs on the refrigerators temperatures.

Door Swing

Door swing can be reversed on many models of refrigerators, but not all. If the counter you’ll be prepping food on is to the left of the fridge, then you will also want the handle of the refrigerator to be on the left side as well. If it’s not, you’ll have to walk around your refrigerator door every time you need to grab something. And trust me, this can get annoying fast.

Refrigerator Capacity

Refrigerator capacity is measured in cubic feet. 14 cubic feet is the standard size that you’ll find in most apartments in the suburbs throughout the US. And as you would expect, refrigerators with less cubic feet are more affordable than larger models but don’t go for too small.

Some people buy smaller refrigerators to save money, and then they end up stuffing their freezers to the max. Stuffing your freezer can ruin your food and your fridge. When the freezer is crammed full of food, it causes poor airflow. This also fools the refrigerators thermostats into thinking that the freezer is colder than it is. And this results in the freezer putting out less cold air which causes freezer burn. And the continual on and off cycling will cause the premature burnout of your refrigerators thermostats.

When shopping for used refrigerators remember to consider your dimensions, door swing, warranty type, and cubic feet. Keeping these things in mind will ensure an enjoyable and worry free purchase.

Pros and Cons of Buying Used Refrigerator

Pros:

One of the best pros when buying a used refrigerator is, knowing that very little maintenance is needed for it. Huge appliances, such as refrigerators, stoves, freezers, and other big ones require very little maintenance. Thus, buying these items used is not that detrimental as they would not need a lot of upkeep anyway.

Sometimes, people are wary of buying these products used because, although they will not need to be managed that often, they may not be as clean as a new appliance. This is nothing some bleach, wipes, and elbow grease would not be able to fix.

Another benefit, which sort of relates to the first, is that because they are used, and they have already had multiple years of service and refrigerator repairs more than likely. This is something you would need to be ready for when buying some new inevitably, but when buying used all of that work has more than likely already been done.

Cons:

Now, the con of this is that the used refrigerator now has a shorter life span than if you would have bought it new. You will have to buy another refrigerator after buying it used much sooner than if you would have bought it new.

This may not be a big deal for some, but can be nerve-wracking if you are looking to permanently replace the appliances already in your home. Future costs, such as that, are some of the reasons people would rather buy new than used.

Another con to buying used refrigerators is that you no longer have that warranty from the manufacturer. All new refrigerators will come with one, but buying used refrigerators effectively voids that. Now, the upside of that is you can now get whoever you want to fix it without fear of voiding a warranty that is already gone, to begin with.

The point is, there are definite pros and cons to buying used refrigerators, or just going with new, but it will be situational, and you will need to do what is right for you to make that determination.