When considering starting an eye clinic practice, the decision of whether to buy new or used ophthalmic equipment surfaces. However, the decision you will make depends on several factors including the amount of capital you have at hand. You will also consider factors such as the cost of new kit against the cost of a secondhand one. Finally, you will also consider the availability of the apparatus in the market.

For people whose budgets are constrained, it makes sense that they should buy old equipment rather than new ones. The decision to buy used kit will reduce the capital demands of your eye care practice and leave you some considerable change to invest in other areas of the business such as decor, medical provisions and hiring of staff. Spending all your start off capital on buying new state of the art apparatus may leave you without enough money to invest in these other areas which nonetheless play a very crucial role in the overall success of your eye care clinic.

Clients will for example feel more confident with your services if the decor of your office speaks of class and professionalism, same way as when you are able to hire one or two additional support staff. Having a well-structured out budget will help you decide whether to go for old or new apparatus. Ideally, if your budget allows, it is highly recommended that you buy new ophthalmic kit.

There are three options available when buying second-hand equipage. The first is to source items that have already been used in another private practice. One of the down sides of doing this may entail no warranty if such warranty has already expired. The purchased items may need to be validated by your personal technician to ensure that they are in good working order. Hidden wear and tear like worn out calibrations may result in heavy repair and maintenance costs over time. Without a doubt, there is higher risk in purchasing second-hand goods.

Another option is going for refurbished item. These are but secondhand kit that have been refurbished and brought back to the market. They will cost much lower than new apparatus.

With your decision to buy secondhand ophthalmic kit safely tucked into mind, the next big consideration and question to ponder on is where to buy the item. Many new ophthalmologists prefer to buy the kit from retiring medical practitioners. If you can find such a deal, then the better the apparatus could be.

There are also sites that auction used equipment. However, if you are settling for this option, then you should request for relevant documents beforehand and you look at them well. This will help you ascertain if there are any pending issues with the previous owner of the kit.

Always weight the price of the used ophthalmic equipment against the quality before you make a commitment to buy. With refurbished and remanufactured kit ensure that you get a considerable warranty. A little research before buying the apparatus can save you a lot of time and costs spent repairing the equipment.