It's a fact that a lot of perfectly good equipment will not have reached the end of its useful life when it is binned. There have been a number of attempts by local healthcare organisations to set up marketplaces for second hand equipment, but these have had only limited success and it's not hard to understand why: if you don't have a high enough volume of goods for sale, you won't get a high volume of visitors looking to buy. So how do you unlock the value of the items your practice would otherwise put in the bin?
Luckily, existing auction sites have got this all figured out - they have a staggering number of product listings and a commensurately staggering number of buyers. And a brief search on eBay for items such as blood pressure monitors and Thermoscan thermometers shows a good number of second-hand items for sale. Here are some guidelines on safely buying and selling:
Buying
If buying for your practice, use an auction site with significant customer safeguards. We would recommend using eBay and paying for goods using PayPal - this means you are covered under its money back guarantee. If the item doesn't arrive or match its description, eBay will give you your money back. Other websites, such as Gumtree, require you to be more watchful as they don't have the same guarantees.
If you do decide to purchase through another website, it is a good idea to check where the item has come from that is for sale. If you accidentally end up purchasing a stolen item, you might be required to return it without compensation. An honest seller will always be able to account for how they came to be selling an item - so ask questions and rely on your judgment when making the purchasing decision. If it seems too good to be true it probably isn't true.
Finally, if purchasing for the healthcare environment, always make sure you give your purchase a thorough clean before pressing it in to service.
Selling
Firstly, make sure everyone in your practice knows that you want to sell items through eBay. This has 2 benefits: firstly, other members of staff might realise that there are other unused items that could be sold at the same time, meaning that you raise more revenue and have less clutter in your cupboards. Secondly, it keeps the matter entirely transparent and in the open - nobody wants to be accused of selling off the practice's crown jewels to line their pockets!
Secondly, make sure that your item's listing is as thorough as possible and includes photos - buyers will be reassured to know that the item was purchased for use in a professional healthcare environment. If it has been calibrated, include this fact in the description and offer to supply the certificate with it (even if the item is now past its calibration due date). Explain why you're selling the item, too, even if it's simply "surplus to practice requirements".
Finally, send goods by registered post to make sure you can prove the item has arrived in the unlikely event that there is a dispute. Make sure the item is wrapped well too to avoid damage in transit - eBay's buyer protection is very biased towards the buyer.
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