Used appliances: reliable if you check this

A quality washing machine is built to last fifteen years, yet it sells for three to five times less than new from its fourth year onwards. That makes appliances one of the most rewarding corners of the second-hand market: 40 to 60% off machines that still have a decade of service ahead of them. On one condition: inspect the appliance like a professional, not like a polite visitor.

Good news: these checks require no tools and no technical skill — just a method and twenty minutes on site. Here is what to buy, what to avoid, what to verify, how to work out the real cost — energy included — and how to secure both the payment and the collection.

What buys well (and what to walk past)

Machines do not all age the same way. In the home category, focus on the safe bets:

• Washing machines and dishwashers from brands known to be repairable, with spare parts available for at least ten years;
• Ovens and hobs: few wearing parts, very long service life;
• Recent fridges (under six years old) carrying a good energy label.

On the other hand, avoid old condenser dryers — their consumption wipes out the purchase saving within two years — and entry-level machines where the smallest repair costs more than the appliance is worth.

The three checks that forgive nothing

No photo replaces a live test. On site:

1. Run the appliance. A short cycle and a spin for a washing machine: listen to the bearings, watch whether the machine "walks" across the floor, check that it drains. For a fridge, ten minutes is enough to feel the cold settling in;
2. Inspect seals and drum. A mouldy door seal, a drum that snags a pair of tights, a fridge gasket that no longer grips a sheet of paper: three signs of a tired machine;
3. Read the rating plate. It carries the manufacturing date or code: that is the appliance's real age, not the one in the listing. Photograph it, along with the model reference.

The real cost: price + energy + transport

An appliance costs more than its sticker price. An old dryer can burn 500 kWh a year where a recent heat-pump model needs 150: at 0.25 per kWh, the gap comes to nearly 90 every single year. Over five years, the 80-euro "bargain" quietly becomes the most expensive machine in the room.

Then add transport: a van rental or a courier (budget 30 to 60 depending on distance), two people for a 70 kg washing machine, and one golden rule for fridges — transport upright, then 24 hours of rest before plugging in for the first time.

Negotiate and organise the collection

The age read off the rating plate, a worn seal or a visible scratch are concrete arguments: put numbers on them. "The machine is seven years old, not four: I will offer 140 instead of 180" achieves far more than vague haggling — the full method is in our guide to negotiating without scaring the seller off.

The logic is the same as for second-hand furniture: agree in writing, in the messaging thread, on who unplugs, who carries, who transports, and at what time. An improvised collection ends in a dispute or a bad back.

Secure the payment, especially at a distance

Face to face, pay after the test, never before. For a remote or delivered purchase, go through the platform's protected payment: the funds are held until you confirm delivery, and the protected payment guide explains how to open a dispute if the appliance does not match the listing.

A seller demanding a deposit to "reserve" a half-price washing machine? Report the listing without hesitating: that is the classic appliance scam, played out word for word. Real sellers accept a test and a normal payment; only scammers are ever in a hurry.

The deal is yours

A machine that runs in front of you, an age read off the plate, a full cost worked out and a secured payment: that is what reliable second-hand looks like. Browse the appliance listings near you — the next machine with fifteen years of service in it might be waiting two streets away.