Used appliance buying checklist — what to test, appliance by appliance
A used appliance, chosen well, is one of the most sensible purchases you can make: most machines outlive their first owner’s use of them, and the price difference runs to half of new. Chosen badly, you pay twice — once for the appliance and again for the engineer you call three months later.
What separates the two isn’t luck. It’s the checks you run on the day you buy. The list below is written for exactly that day. What to ask the seller. What to look at on each type of machine. How to test it where it stands. And what to do in the first week after it arrives.
Five questions for the seller
The questions measure the appliance’s history more than the appliance itself — in the second-hand market the real information is in the story, not the metal.
1. How old is it? Check the claimed age against the rating label — inside the door frame, on the back panel, or under the drawer. Age sets the scale for every other answer: a small fault on an eight-year-old machine is normal; the same fault at two years old is a signal.
2. Why are you selling it? Answers unrelated to the appliance — moving house, switching to built-in, upgrading to a larger model — are good signs. “It had a problem, we had it fixed” isn’t automatically bad, but follow it: what failed, which part was replaced, is there an invoice?
3. Has it ever been serviced, and do you have the paperwork? A service invoice is the single most valuable document in a used sale: it proves the work and shows the machine was looked after. An appliance with records is cheaper than one without, even at a slightly higher price.
4. Do you still have the purchase receipt and warranty card? If the manufacturer’s warranty is still running, you need both to use it; if it has expired, the receipt still fixes the machine’s true age. The detail is in transferring a warranty on a used appliance.
5. Is it plugged in — can I see it running? This answer alone is decisive. A machine unplugged and standing in a corner cannot be tested, and an untested appliance is a gamble however clean it looks. Go while it is still connected if you possibly can; if you can’t, make sure the price carries that risk.
Four checks that apply to every appliance
Whatever the brand or type, four things get looked at. Cable and plug: crushing, scorch marks, or a cable that has been spliced — all three are red flags. Body and back panel: rust, particularly along the bottom edge, says the machine has stood somewhere damp or has been leaking. Door and seal: seals are consumables on fridges, washers and dishwashers, but a hardened or split one belongs in the price. Smell: a musty smell in a machine that has been shut up is normal and cleans out; a burnt smell does not, and points to a history on the electrical side.
Appliance by appliance: what to test
Refrigerator
Listen while it runs. A steady, single-note compressor hum is right; knocking, metallic scraping, or cycling on and off constantly is the first sign of a compressor or thermostat problem. Check that the interior light works, that the door swings shut on its own (the cabinet should sit very slightly back), and that there’s no thick ice build-up in the freezer compartment. The strongest test needs time: if the machine has been running for an hour, the interior surfaces should be properly cold — your hand should feel it without doubt.
Washing machine
Turn the drum by hand. Play in the drum and a dull knock is the classic sign of worn bearings, and bearings are the repair that most often exceeds what the machine is worth. Check the door lock, the detergent drawer for dried residue, and the rubber gasket at the back of the drum. If you can, run a short cycle — the spin is the most revealing moment: excessive vibration, walking and noise give away bearings and shock absorbers.
Dishwasher
Standing water in the bottom tray means a blocked drain or a tired pump. Look at the spray-arm holes, the filter basket and the door seal; scale deposits clean off, but a heavily scaled heating element shortens the machine’s life. If you can run it, listen through a short cycle for the fill and the drain.
Oven and hob
On the oven: door seal, glass, and whether the shelves seat properly; if you can heat it, whether the thermostat cuts out at the set temperature. On the hob: for gas, the flame colour (blue is right — yellow means incomplete combustion); for electric, that every ring heats. Never connect a gas appliance yourself — the hose and regulator are a qualified person’s job, and that is not a line to save money on.
Air conditioning and boilers
These two are the riskiest things to buy used. Their value sits in the installation more than the unit. An air conditioner whose refrigerant was vented during removal, or a system reconnected without a vacuum, has a shortened life ahead of it. If you buy one, have both the removal and the installation done properly and add that cost to the price from the start. The installation section of when to service an air conditioner applies line for line to a second-hand purchase.
Price: what to negotiate on
Three things set a used price: age, history, and the cost of moving and installing it. Half the price of new is expensive for an eight-year-old machine with no records, and cheap for a two-year-old one with an invoice and a transferable warranty. The most concrete lever in a negotiation is a fault you can point at: a hardened seal, a missing shelf, a programme that doesn’t run. Naming those does far more than asking whether they can “do anything on the price”.
Budget both extra costs up front: transport (floors, lift, distance) and installation (especially gas appliances, air conditioning, built-ins). They can account for a meaningful share of the total, and when they aren’t discussed they arrive as a surprise.
The first week
Day one — let it stand. A fridge or freezer transported on its side must stand upright for a few hours before being plugged in, so the compressor oil settles back. That single rule prevents the most common and most expensive mistake made with second-hand refrigerators.
First run — empty. Run a washing machine or dishwasher once empty, with no detergent or with a machine cleaner. It clears out what the previous owner left behind, and it lets you watch the fill–drain–spin sequence yourself. If something is going to fail, it fails on that first cycle, which is also the moment you still have the best chance of a conversation with the seller.
First week — start the record. Write down the make, model, serial number, purchase date and what you paid, and keep any service invoices and warranty documents with it. This matters more on a used appliance than a new one: if you don’t know its history, at least make your period of ownership fully documented. The six fields of an appliance inventory are designed for exactly this, and on a used machine the “last serviced” column gets filled in from day one.
Where to buy: three channels, three different risks
A private seller — listings, a neighbour, someone you know — is the cheapest option. It’s also your best chance of seeing the machine running in its own home. But there is no comeback at all. Anything that appears afterwards is yours. A second-hand dealer costs a little more and usually offers a short shop guarantee. Ask for its scope and length in writing, because a verbal “we’ll sort it if there’s a problem” is not remembered a month later. Refurbished stock has been through a technical check and generally carries a documented warranty; it’s the closest to new in price and the lowest in risk.
Whichever channel you use, hold the payment until after installation if you can. Paying once the machine is in place and running is the fairest arrangement for both sides, and a serious seller won’t object to it.
The three most common mistakes
Buying without seeing it run. However good the price, an untested machine is an open risk. If the seller is reluctant to plug it in, ask why; if the reason is reasonable — mid-move, power off — make sure the price carries the uncertainty.
Judging the cosmetics instead of the mechanics. A spotless machine can have failed bearings; a scratched cabinet tells you nothing about how it runs. Appearance moves the price, not the lifespan.
Economising on installation. On gas appliances and air conditioning especially, cutting the installation cost can erase the entire advantage of buying used in one move. Save on the appliance, not on the fitting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the warranty transfer with a used appliance? A manufacturer’s warranty usually attaches to the appliance and can be used while it is still running, with the receipt and warranty card. Extended warranties sold by a retailer are typically tied to the buyer and don’t transfer. The document itself is the authority — read it before assuming either way.
How old is too old? There’s no single cut-off; maintenance history matters more than age. A practical measure: a machine past half its expected service life with no record of ever being serviced carries a high chance of near-term expense, whatever the asking price.
What if I can’t see it running? Two options: reduce the price enough to carry the uncertainty, or ask the seller for a short trial condition (a refund if it doesn’t work once installed). If neither is available, you are knowingly accepting the risk, and that is a risk better not taken on gas appliances, air conditioners and boilers, where installation is expensive.