| Author: Jim McDonald |
Buying a used tanning bed can save you $100's if not $1000's, but if you don't do your homework, you could be throwing your hard-earned cash away. Spending just a short amount of time researching tanning beds will definitely save you from the anxiety of wasting your money on a dud bed.
A big advantage of buying a used bed is that almost all of them will be available immediately, so you won't be waiting for 4-6 weeks for delivery from your local tanning bed outlet. And as long as you take care in transporting your used bed, you'll be getting a golden tan in no time at all. But always remember, in most cases there will be no warranty to fall back on, so you need to do your homework.
Now let's get to the research side of things''.
First, you should find out why a person is selling their tanning equipment. There are numerous reasons why people sell their tanning beds, and luckily, many sell for legitimate reasons. A large number of people who sell their tanning beds fall under the category of 'moving house'. These people either don't want to transport their tanning bed, or it won't fit in their new home, so they simply choose to offload their bed to the highest bidder. In most cases these will be 'domestic' tanning beds, and although not quite as powerful and robust as 'commercial' tanning beds, they certainly do the job.
Another common type of used tanning bed 'seller' is the Tanning Salon that has closed down, scaled down, has gone out of business or is upgrading to new beds. Whatever the case, this is where you could get a real bargain, because invariably, the beds on offer here will be top-notch commercial quality beds that are built to last. They have stronger frames, typically have more lamps, and it is more probable that the lamps they use are the market leading Wolff System (the founders of the tanning bed market).
At the other end of the spectrum we have the unscrupulous people who will be selling their tanning beds because they are broken, they are problematic, or they simply don't do what they are intended to do. Believe it or not, but some tanning beds are so poorly designed that they just don't provide a decent tanning experience. A good tanning bed is one that exhibits a fine balance between the bed itself, the lamps, the reflector system and the acrylic shield. A bad bed, for instance, can have an excellent frame, but could lack somewhat in the areas of lamps and shielding.
Trying to determine if a bed is 'good' or 'bad' can start way before you even inspect the bed. You can start by researching in online forums to see what people have said about that brand/model. If it is a brand/model that has a legacy of poor reviews and problems, it should only take you only a few minutes to unearth negative feedback. You could even visit some stores that sell tanning beds and ask them about the brand/model you were thinking of buying 'used'. Naturally you will encounter salespeople who will tell you that all used beds are 'avoidable', but with some luck, you will come across a genuine salesperson who will steer you in the right direction.
Once you have determined that the bed you are contemplating buying is of good quality and of sound condition, you need to think seriously about transportation. Transporting a used tanning bed is very important too. New beds are packaged professionally to cater for even rough transportation, so you need to be overly cautious of how you transport your used tanning bed. Buying a used bed locally could saving you from damaging your bed while transporting it, but if you need to travel a long distance, invest in some packaging materials, such as foam, that will assist you to transport your bed in a stable environment.
So by now you're getting really close to buying that used tanning bed. You've checked that the seller is selling it for legitimate reasons, you've researched the brand/model online and with some salespeople, and you've got a strategy on how to transport it. You're nearly there, but there's just 3 more little things you might want to do before making that final decision. These aren't mandatory, but in the long term, these 3 small tasks could be very important in determining how satisfying you purchase will be.
The first small task is to investigate if the bed is still under warranty. You just never know - the bed might be relatively new, and with some manufacturers offering 2 or 3 year warranties, you might get lucky. If it is still covered by warranty, you will then need to confirm if the warranty is transferable to a new owner. Again, this is not a 'mandatory' step, but if you can claim some warranty with your purchase, it is definitely worth the effort.
Next, and this is probably stating the obvious, but you need to get your hands on the owner's manual, and any other documentation that came with the tanning bed. You should also request at the very least, a copy of the receipt from the original purchase of the tanning bed. This may help to prove ownership and assist in any warranty claim or search for spare parts in the future.
Finally, and again we're stating the obvious here, make sure you get to see, and experience, the bed in action. You'd be silly to buy a tanning bed without trying it out. Just rip those clothes off and give it a go. Be careful to listen to the owners' instructions and advice, and take notes if you have to. Listening to another persons experiencing in most cases is far more informative than reading a users manual that is probably written by someone who has never even used the bed.
You definitely need to be careful when buying used tanning beds. Do your research, don't get too impatient, and demand to see the bed in action. There's a lot more to learn about tanning beds, and you can do it at http://www.tanning-beds.info |
Author Bio:
Written by Jim McDonald, a writer for www.natural-acne-treatment.info, an informative website about Acne Treatment and natural effective methods. |
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