If you’re planning to upgrade your personal or business gym or have decided that you don’t really need the gym equipment you bought years ago, the next step is to have it removed from your space. You can offer them as gym equipment packages for lease, but most probably you want these taken off your hands to permanently free up space in your gym or home.
A bulky and unwanted piece of exercise machine such as a treadmill or elliptical can take a huge chunk of space in your home. Whether you have decided not to exercise that way anymore or you are planning to upgrade to newer equipment, you have to dispose of the old stuff properly.
Your likely options are to give it away, sell it, have it recycled, or donate it. Read on to find out how you can go about it!
Sell It
This is a more viable option if your equipment is still working and in good condition. Instead of letting it gather dust in the basement or the garage, why not make money off it? Lots of people are looking to buy or rent gym equipment for their home since new equipment is undeniably expensive.
Some online fitness companies and gym equipment suppliers can actually pick up your equipment and pay you a small amount for it—or you can try to sell it yourself on an online marketplace app.
Your likely buyers are individuals who are looking to build their home gyms or small fitness companies who are willing to take your old equipment. People who rent gym equipment have an online system where they can post or bid for used equipment. This will help you find the best market value buy-back price for your used machine.
If you decide to sell, you will need to do the following to make sure that your transaction will go as smoothly as possible and get a decent profit from it.
- Make sure that your machine is working properly. You will have to do a thorough tune-up before you put it up for sale. If there are stains, scratches, and other minor damages, you need to take note of it and let a potential buyer know about them for transparency.
- Clean it up as well as you can. You can’t sell a product that looks like it just came from the deep bowels of your garage or basement. If you need to disassemble the machine to clean it well, consider calling in someone who knows how to do it well, rather than doing it yourself and ending up breaking the machine.
- Advertise as compellingly and as honestly as possible. Standard info includes the make and model of your equipment, the original price of the item when you bought it, how long you have used it, and minor damages, if there are any.
- Taking pictures of the machine in its present condition. Use the best lighting that you have at your disposal and then take photos from different angles. You can also take a short video of the equipment while it’s running, as proof that it works.
- Look for the best channels to sell it. Fortunately, you have lots of options here. You have online classifieds, Facebook Marketplace, for starters. You can also contact gym equipment suppliers and see if they lease gym equipment and are interested in buying your machine.
Donate It
If you’re not really looking to profit from old stuff and just want to dispose of it, why not just donate? There are lots of places that will want a free treadmill or exercise bike—the local community center, schools, and retirement centers, to name a few.
Oftentimes, these places are in need of exercise equipment and already have people that can fix or maintain exercise equipment. If you have old dumbbells or bicycles lying around your house, you can donate them as well.
You can also contact the Salvation Army and Goodwill to take care of it for you. This can get you a tax deduction as well. So not only can you help your community, you will also benefit come tax season!
Recycle It
Exercise machines contain materials that are classified as environmental pollutants, so you have to think twice before hauling your equipment to the curb or putting it in the dumpster. They will end up in a landfill and cause pollution because of the non-biodegradable materials.
The good news is that these materials can be recycled, so consider having your machine picked up for recycling instead. You can contact a junk removal company to haul your equipment away and take care of the recycling or donating for you.
Give It Away
This is definitely the fastest way to get rid of unwanted equipment and the best option if you just want it removed and you don’t care about earning from it and you also don’t want to pay for its disposal. It’s as simple as posting in your social media or Craigslist that you are giving away equipment.
Even if the machine is not working anymore, there are still people who will be interested to take it off your hands. Simply be upfront about it and say if it’s not functioning anymore, or if it has any damages. You can also hold a garage sale and indicate that the machine is for free.
If you do decide to offer your used machine to a gym equipment supplier, make sure to do business with one that has years of experience in dealing with secondhand gym equipment and the fitness equipment industry overall. Not only will you dispose of an unwanted item in your home, you will also get the best deal for selling your second-hand machine.
