How To Buy Office Machines On A Budget

Office machines aren’t cheap and if you are on a budget it can be a bit tough finding everything you need with the amount of money you have to spend. But it can be done! It just takes a little more effort and creativity.

On average it takes about $5000 to furnish an office with all the office machines you need but if you are a good shopper and take a little extra time you can do it for half of that. Yes $2500 and you can furnish your whole office.

To start with you need to determine the space you have and how much room you have for office machines. You’ll need to decide which office machines take priority, which machines can be purchased in a portable style, and which will need to be full sized.

You’ll also need to make sure you have a complete list of all the office machines you’ll need. Traditionally an office needs a computer, calculator, fax machine, photo copier, telephone, and printer. You may also need a paper shredder, switchboard, scanner, projector, or a typewriter.

Now you are ready to start furnishing our office. One way to save a lot of money is to buy used desks, files cabinets, and office machines. There are plenty of used office furniture and machines that look just like new.

Offices replace things for a number of reasons. Remodeling and upgrading are two very common reasons. Government surplus auctions are an excellent place to buy office machines for just pennies on the dollar.

Start by checking your local papers to see what’s available. Don’t just check the business section. Often home businesses will have office machines and furnishings for sale as well.

Don’t forget places like eBay. We all know you can buy just about anything on eBay and office machines are no different. The big caution here would be shipping charges depending on what you are buying. However if you buy the office equipment itself for a great price you could still save money even if the shipping is a little high.

Don’t forget to check local auction houses as well. Some of the beautiful old office furniture like the large oak desks can be purchased for a reasonable price. Many times they’ll be an assortment of office equipment as well.

You might also consider purchasing refurbished office machines. Refurbished means it is used but is has been repaired. If you are going to buy refurbished make sure you check the inner workings for excess wear. They might look fine overall but they could have excessive wear. When these items are repaired only broken parts are replaced they don’t change out worn parts.

Another method to consider is leasing your office machines. You can lease your office furniture to if you like. Leasing allows you to get quality new machines with a wide range of functions for a reasonable monthly payment. Many office equipment leases allow you to buy the equipment at the end of the lease for a specified amount.

If you have associates or friends that are in business be sure to ask them if they know of anyone who has office equipment for sale. You might be surprised at what you can find sitting in a back storage room.

Setting up an office is not cheap. Office equipment prices vary a great deal depending on the manufacturer and the options it has. Don’t get caught up in buying options you don’t need. It’s really easy to get caught up in “well for just $20 more I can have…” and then for “$20 more I can also have…” All of a sudden the price of what you were looking at has risen by a $100 or more.

With some creativity, determination, and scouting you can furnish your office with office machines purchased within your budget.


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.