6 Tips For Buying Office Equipment For Your Business
It’s no secret that office equipment can be really pricey, so kitting out a full office with new stuff or even just some new pieces of equipment can really add up.
I personally did this just a few years ago when I revamped my office and boy was the cost an eye-opener.
You’ll also want to be sure you’ve got the best deal for your money and that the things you’re buying are reputable and will last.
In this article, I’ve put some tips together for buying office equipment for your business to hopefully help make things a little easier.
Properly Assess What It Is You Need
It sounds a little obvious, but it’s really important to determine exactly what you need before you start shopping so you don’t end up wasting money on things you won’t use, and so that you won’t need to shop again!
As well as the obvious things like if you have new employees and need more chairs, for example, think about things like whether a new printer would increase productivity if there are an increased number of employees using it, for example.
These types of investments can be really worthwhile. When I did this I did an assessment of the current employees we had what all of their needs were. The best way I’ve found to do this is to go directly to my employees and just ask them.
Maintenance Versus Buying Cheap
Buying things like printers and fax machines can be really expensive, but you’ll also need to take into account the cost of keeping them up and running.
If you find a really good deal on printer leasing for example, but then learn afterward that you need to replace the ink every week, it soon won’t be such a good deal.
It can often be a better idea to make a wise investment initially rather than forking out high running costs regularly. In fact, about a year ago I was researching new printers and I looked at several different aspects.
A few things I looked into were the cost of ink, the reliability of the machine, all the functions, and features, and finally, I even looked up reviews to see what others thought about the product.
This also allowed me to see other problem areas the printer had thinks I may have missed.
Look For Options With A Good A Warranty And Service Contract
You’ll need reassurance that should anything go wrong with an expensive machine that you’ve bought, you’ll have backup and someone to either come out to you and fix it, or for a replacement to be arranged.
It’s so vital that you look into the warranty and guarantee options when making such a large purchase, and to identify the conditions in which they will service your machines for you.
Consider Company Reputations
Companies like www.fujixerox.com.au that are celebrating their 40th year of success in their industry are a good port of call as this obviously shows they’re doing something right!
Look at things also like previous customer reviews and speak to other business owners you know who have used different places to determine which are the best stores/websites to shop from.
I also talked to friends who made similar purchases and they were able to give me some good insight into where to buy and find the best deals. For example, if you’re looking for a good photocopier, you might look up copiers spokane (or relevant to wherever you live).
Consider Buying Second-Hand Stuff
If you need to keep costs down, going for second-hand options is always a good idea, especially at first if you’re just starting out, for example.
After all, you can get some really good quality office equipment second-hand nowadays online and in stores. When I did this one thing I made sure to do was look for any issues the machine had previously.
With used and older machines you want to make sure things work properly a
Consider Environmentally Friendly Options
If your office is environmentally friendly and you want to be as ‘green’ as possible, it’s a good idea to look into environmentally friendly options when shopping for your electrical.
Sales assistants in-store and online help should be able to assist you with this.
Final Thoughts…
So have you considered buying new office equipment or even used office supplies? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.
I definitely agree that you should consider the company reputations. After all, you want to equip your office with quality supplies, and if you don’t get the supplies from quality companies, then you’re short cutting yourself! Thus, doing your research and being smart when you shop will help you to get the best things possible.
Very well explained. I really appreciate the insight here in this post and confident it’s going to be helpful to me and many others. Many thanks for sharing all the information and tips.
This is some really good information about equipment buying for a new business. It is good to know that you should think about getting a warranty on the equipment. That does seem smart since even new equipment can break.
Thanks for sharing the knowledge. it was very helpful to know how can we maintain Office Equipment Supplies. Keep it up your good work.