Sell better
In order to get the most out of the equipment you are putting on sale, there are several useful avenues to follow. Similarly, certain pitfalls that can affect the success of the transaction should be avoided.
Expand your horizons
In any marketing operation, the key to success is to make your product known to as many potential customers as possible. Of course, the same applies to the sale of your equipment.
Our worldwide presence is therefore your best asset to find the buyer who is looking for your machine and will be able to offer you a better value, avoiding costly intermediaries.
In addition to being in direct contact with many European printers,
Graphiconsulting is in daily contact with many professional contacts around the world, from Western Europe to North America, from Latin America to Africa, from Eastern Europe to Asia. This exceptional geographical coverage allows us to find an outlet for each machine, especially for older equipment.
Don’t waste your energy contacting local providers, who in turn will have to use partners with wider coverage, offer yourself the global market by including your machine in the Graphiconsulting database
Sell to the end customer
Many intermediaries will make you an offer “for stock” of your machine when you put it up for sale. Of course, this category of players has its place in the graphics industry landscape, in that they are able to write you a check in a matter of minutes if your material and the price you are willing to accept are acceptable to them.
It is obviously on this last point that your interest is not defended. So, unless you have to deal with urgency, which may in some cases be unavoidable, you will certainly find a substantial advantage in working differently.
Graphiconsulting works on a just-in-time basis. This means that the machine is disassembled at your site and reassembled at the customer’s site, which significantly reduces costs, and avoids all costs related to storage. If any repairs or cleaning are required, they are carried out during the disassembly and reassembly operations. This cost reduction, along with the application of reduced margins, results in a significantly higher value for your equipment.
Take your precautions
In order to achieve a transaction without surprises, we invite you to take a few useful precautions, sometimes indispensable:
Ask for a deposit
Do not feed on promises. If a customer wants to buy your machine ask for a deposit at the time of signing, even if the availability of your equipment is not immediate. A minimum amount of 10% of the total price will avoid the unpleasant surprise of discovering at the time of collection of the machine that your buyer has disappeared, or that he claims to renegotiate the sale.
Sell your machine on site.
Leave the cost and responsibility of dismantling and loading to the buyer. In the case of a small single color machine, you can offer loading if you are equipped for it, it can make things easier. But in the case of a larger machine requiring proper disassembly and packaging, leave that responsibility to the buyer.
Only work with people you trust.
In the graphic industry, as in any other sector, there are some very unpleasant people, known for the painful experiences of their clients. Ask your colleagues about the reputation of the people who want to work with you. Since its creation, Graphiconsulting has always had at heart to solve all the problems which could arise during the operations which were entrusted to them. Earning your trust year after year has led us to enjoy an appreciable reputation in the very closed club of professional intermediaries in the graphic industry.
Impose payment before collection.
Under no circumstances should you allow your material to leave your print shop before you have received full payment. Ask for payment by bank transfer or certified bank check. Accept the use of a documentary credit if it allows you to make a better sale
Show your machine in its best light.
This is obvious, but it is worth noting. The visual impression is as important as the technical aspect, so don’t hesitate to spend the time necessary to clean your machine before presenting it. A clean machine is always easier to sell.
Don't spread yourself too thin.
Some printers believe that the best way to sell their material is to involve as many intermediaries as possible in the sale. The reality is not so simple. In fact, by doing so, you run the risk of finding yourself in competition with yourself when two intermediaries are talking to the same end customer. And who says competition says pressure on the selling price…
Plan for deadlines.
When you sign a contract with an intermediary, set a deadline by which your commitments end, even in the case of a down payment. Otherwise, you expose yourself to the good (or bad) will of your co-contractor, who may very well delay the collection of the machine, and the payment of the balance, for many weeks.
Report any defects in advance.
Prior to any acquisition, the buyer will proceed to a technical inspection which will reveal all the imperfections of your equipment. The discovery of a hidden defect during this inspection will jeopardize the climate of trust with the buyer, who will negotiate hard on this unexpected element. On the contrary, if you report any defects beforehand, this will not give a pretext for negotiation.
Keep the option to sell better.
This recommendation applies in particular to printers who purchase new equipment, and who negotiate the trade-in of their machine in the same transaction. It is important to keep in mind that the factory brands are primarily interested in selling you new equipment, and that they have very little interest in trade-ins, which they therefore generally value at a low price. Therefore, include in the trade-in contract the option to sell your machine yourself. In many cases, this will allow you to benefit from an “extra” of several thousand euros, or even several tens of thousands of euros.
Free service
Post your free machine on Graphiconsulting.com
The Graphiconsulting.com website is consulted daily by a large number of professionals in the graphic arts industry, whether they are printers or intermediaries, and this throughout the world.
Listing your machine on this site is … free. So don’t hesitate to take advantage of this service that will make your material known to the whole world.
