Selling restaurant equipment can be frustrating because there doesn’t seem to be a huge market for it. Whether you’re renovating and replacing older equipment or you’re liquidating your assets after shutting down, it’s always nice to get back some of the money by getting a profit from used appliances. Fortunately, there are a few different ways that you can get more of a profit.
If you want to sell your used restaurant equipment for maximum profit, here are a few suggestions:
- Consider online selling platforms and retailers.
- Try local ads and contacting new restaurants.
- Follow a strict process of separating, recycling, and selling.
Throughout this post, you’ll learn everything that you need to know to get the most out of your old restaurant appliances and tools. Contrary to what you might think, you don’t have to toss it all in the garbage. There’s quite a bit of money to make from your used equipment, so let’s dive into the details.
Selling Old Restaurant Items Online
As times change, more people are starting to buy business supplies on the internet. While it might make things a bit more challenging if you’re trying to get rid of your equipment without shipping costs, you can take advantage of these potential buyers. What makes it even better is that you’ll have a much bigger customer base to sell to, speeding the process along.
Here are some of the best places to sell your used restaurant supplies online:
- Find online suppliers and contact them immediately. There are dozens of restaurant supply dealers that sell equipment to new restaurants. A large portion of their stock is made of up refurbished items, which means you can sell them your equipment for a high profit. Contact them, inform them of your stock, and make a deal.
- Try using eBay. It’s one of the largest online retailers that allows people to sell used products throughout the world. You’ll have to deal with the shipping details (either you or the buyer pays for it), but you’ll have millions of potential buyers that can take a look at what you have to offer.
- Craiglist or Facebook Marketplace are also useful websites to start. You’ll be dealing with the local community, which means shipping costs won’t be involved. They can come to you, or you bring the equipment to them. Either way, you’ll be able to sell your equipment to people who are actively searching for it.
As you can see, there are plenty of different websites and online communities for you to advertise your equipment for free. You could also try online forums or popular websites such as Amazon to reach a broader audience. There’s no doubting the selling power of the internet, so why not expand the possibilities?
Local Sales Opportunities
Communicating with your local community is the best opportunity to help your city’s economy. It’ll also allow you to avoid having to ship thousands of dollars worth of used restaurant equipment. Another benefit is that your buyers will be able to come and look at the items, so they know exactly what they’re getting.
Here are the four best methods of selling restaurant items to local buyers:
- Find local dealers. If you live in a big city such as New York, San Francisco, Dallas, or Salt Lake City, you can find local dealers who buy and sell used restaurant equipment. Contacting multiple dealers is the best way to ensure that you’re getting the most money for your appliances.
- Take advantage of auctions. They’re often a great place to find people who want high-quality restaurant equipment without buying it brand-new. You might even be lucky enough to find a customer who wants to renovate their house with your used appliances and tools, allowing you to sell in bulk.
- Post ads in the newspaper. You could also try Facebook Marketplace, as mentioned in the previous section, since it targets a local audience. Both avenues give you an inexpensive or free method to advertise your used restaurant equipment to a wide variety of people.
- Search for new restaurants and their owners. It’s no secret that starting a business can be costly, which is why you should try to find brand-new restaurants to sell your used equipment to. You’ll make a nice profit while the owner gets the items that they need without going over their budget.
Local sales have the benefit of voiding shipping and handling costs, in most cases. If you can avoid shipping containers and rental trucks, you’ll make loads of money from your old equipment. Remember to work hand in hand with your clients rather than trying to get cash for bad or ineffective products.
For more information on the preparation and selling process, refer to the next section.
How to Sell Used Restaurant Equipment
Used restaurant equipment is much easier to get rid of than you might think. With a few bits of advice and seller’s tips, you’ll be able to have it out of the way in no time. Remember that the key component of sales is to make sure your items are presentable and completely functional before contacting buyers or posting them on the market.
Here are the five steps to take to sell your used restaurant equipment:
- Separate old equipment from new equipment. Nobody wants to buy rusted, old appliances that don’t work half the time. If any switches, knobs, fuses, stovetops, or other parts don’t function properly, repair the items beforehand. Items that are beyond repair should be put into the unusable pile.
- Recycle all of the old equipment that you have. Most recycling centers offer decent money for heaps of metal, especially copper. If you’re not going to be able to use or sell some of your equipment, you can still make money while helping the environment at the same time.
- Determine the market value of your items. You can do this by asking local suppliers, researching online to see what the make and model of your products are selling for, and visiting auction centers. Knowing the value of your equipment will prevent you from overcharging or not getting as much money as you should.
- Consider selling the items in bulk. Most new restaurants and homeowners who are going through a renovation period want to buy multiple appliances. If you pair them together, you could shave off some of the price and sell your equipment much faster. For example, a stove, sink, and refrigerator could be sold together for a 15% discount.
- Follow the suggestions above to find out if you want to sell online or in a local market. The good news is that you can try both at the same time to increase your chances of finding potential buyers. All in all, this is undeniably the best solution to make your money and get rid of the used equipment.
Conclusion
Selling your old and used restaurant equipment can make you quite a bit of money if you do it right. Don’t rush the process, but focus on maximizing the people that you can sell to by opening ads online and in local newspapers.
Here are a few helpful suggestions that you should’ve learned from this post:
- Recycle old, unusable items to make money and help the environment.
- Try Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, Amazon, and other online retailers.
- Consider selling your appliances in bulk to get a quicker sale.
- Contact new restaurant owners to see if they need to buy any of your items.
- Check out local auctions to find people who want your used equipment.