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How to sell your old CNC machine: Tips for success

CNC machines are long-term workhorses that can manufacture various products for years by performing different machining activities, such as milling, drilling, turning, or tapping. However, after several years of long hours of usage, these machines also start to slow down. But, you can still make money by selling those CNC machines in different places like online marketplaces or auction shops. Someone else will be able to buy a used CNC machine and go ahead with their machining work, so you can get a good amount by selling the machine even after years of use. But the question is, how to sell your old CNC machine and get the best deal? If you have the same question, then look no further, as you will get the detailed answer in this blog.

When and why to sell your CNC machine?

Here are the reasons why and when you should think of selling your old CNC machine:

When you are planning to upgrade to newer technology machines.
When you are trying to free up floor space.
When you want to upgrade to machines that can handle more complex and heavy work.
When you have to close or downsize your machining shop.

How to know your machine’s real value?

When you are planning to sell your CNC machine, you first need to understand the real value of your CNC machine yourself, because most people end up selling their machine for an extremely low price. So, here’s how you can find out the real value of your CNC machine:

Age and condition: The age of your CNC machine is an important factor in deciding its price. CNC machines’ prices depreciate fast with their working hours, so if your machine has a history of high working hours, then you won’t be able to fetch a high price for your CNC machine. However, you can still get a good price for your used machine if it has a good maintenance track record.
Brand: Some CNC brands are well known for the durability of their machines, so those brands will help you fetch a better price. The products of high-end brands like DMG Mori, Okuma, Doosan, and Mighty Viper can also help you get better pricing than those of normal brands.
Specifications and features: Some features of your CNC machines can drastically increase the price of your CNC machines. The number of axes of your CNC machine, like 3-axis or 5-axis, can change the price of your machine. Features like compatibility with automation, IoT sensors, or industry 4.0 compatibility can significantly boost the appeal and price of the machine.
Market demand: The market demand for your style of machine can also affect the price of the machines. Like in current times, people are looking for multi axis CNC machines so you can get a good price for it.
Location: Your machine’s location also plays an important role, whether the country or area is known for manufacturing or not, whether they have demand for these machines or not will decide its price.

How to get a valuation for your CNC machine?

Here are some tips and tricks that you can use to get a valuation for your CNC machine:

Compare it with prices available in different online marketplaces like MachineStation.
Consider brand, years of use, model, control system, and tooling.
Have direct calls or chats with machinery dealers.
Check past auction results of similar CNC machines.
Talk to someone who has previously sold a used CNC machine.

Preparing your machine for sale:

Here are the steps that you need to follow to prepare your used CNC machine for sale:

Thorough cleaning: The first step you need to take to sell your machine is to do a thorough cleaning of the machine because clean machines sell better. You will remove all the accumulated dust, debris, grime, oil, coolant residue, and chips. Use industrial degreasers and mirror glaze compounds like materials to give a shine to your CNC machine. Pay deep attention to places that are often overlooked during regular cleaning work, like the machine bed, electrical cabinet, and control panel. A polished exterior will show that the machine is well maintained, which will further help in shooting up the price of the machine.
Functional check or minor repairs: In the next step, you need to check the functioning of your CNC machine. You need to make sure that the machine is not making any weird noise, because that will not be liked by the buyer. So if the machine needs any minor repairs for better performance, then get it done to get a better price for your used CNC machine.
Proper Documentation: Proper documentation can be considered the most essential step of all. If you can show each and every document about your machine, then you will be able to fetch a good price for your CNC machine. Gather all the papers:

Original purchase invoice, which proves ownership and provides the original cost.
Show a clear maintenance record with detailed logs of servicing, part replacements, and repairs.
The original operational manual supplied by the CNC brand.
List of any accompanying tools and accessories, like chucks and fixtures.
Details about the CNC controller, including its version and any other specific features.

How to present the CNC machine?

When you are trying to sell the CNC machines, especially on an online platform, you will have to know the best ways to present your CNC machine to get offers. Here’s how to do that:

Take good photos: You will have to upload well lit and high resolution images of your CNC machine for better sales. You need to:
- Take a picture of the machine from several angles.
- Take close up pictures.
- Highlight different important parts of your CNC machine.
Take a proper video: You can shoot a short demo of the machine, showing that the machine is running with all spindles, axes, and everything working well and not making any unusual sounds. Also, you can use the video to point out the control panel’s activity.

Additional tip: You can just put some colours in parts of the CNC machine where the colour has faded for a better view of the machine.

Where to sell your CNC machine?

Here’s a detailed chart about which medium of selling your CNC machine can be the best for you:

Selling method	Pros	Cons
Online Marketplaces like MachineStation	Broad audience, easy to list, transparent	Competition
Used Machinery Dealers	Fast sale, expert help, less hassle	Lower offers, dealer fees
Auctions	Quick sale, competitive bidding	Uncertain final price, auction fees
Direct Sale	No middleman, potentially higher price	Requires marketing, more negotiation
Trade-In/Upgrade	Convenient, quick transaction	Lower value than private sale

Managing inquiries and negotiations:

Once you start your journey of trying to sell your CNC machines, you will have to go through a bunch of negotiations and inquiries:

Know your bottom line: It is more important to know what your down limit is than what the highest price you can sell the machine for, so that you don’t have to sell it as underpriced.
Prompt and professional communication: Make sure to have a professional discussion with the buyer, with quick, polite, and helpful replies.
Answer questions honestly and accurately: You should be telling the truth about your machine and give accurate information to the buyer for the right price and goodwill for the future.
Terms of sale: Be clear about different terms of sale, like payment terms, inspection periods, and who is responsible for dismantling, loading, and shipping.
Address concerns: If you have concerns about the deals, then it’s better to talk them out before the deal gets finalized than regret it later on.

Best practices to follow while selling your CNC machine:

Here are some bonus tips from our side to sell your CNC machine and get a good price:

Include all the tools and accessories that you bought to increase the buyer’s interest.
Do proper research about the market demand of your specific type of CNC machine before deciding on its pricing.
Ask for a competitive price; asking too high can repel more buyers.
Highlight the updates that you have done to your CNC machine, like live tooling, automation, and recent software updates.

Conclusion:

Selling your CNC machine can be a seamless process if you just choose the right place to sell it, and when we say right place, we mean MachineStation. You can just fill out our form for selling your CNC machine, and our team will definitely reach out to you as early as possible and help you sell the machine in a very easy and smooth manner.