Finding Salon Equipment Deals

On your journey to find the best deals possible on salon equipment and salon furniture, you should always consider attending a hair show sometimes referred to as beauty show. These industry specific trade shows allow you to shop multiple salon equipment distributors in one location. These close quarters amongst competitors entice deep discounts to sway your purchase. This environment allows even the most inexperienced negotiators a platform to purchase their salon equipment or spa equipment at rock bottom pricing.

As a vendor, attending hair shows are very expensive and you have to secure a certain amount of sales to recoup your expenditures for it to be worthwhile. In some circumstances, these equipment distributors will close down their normal business operations to attend these events. Most salon equipment and salon furniture distributors have a limited amount of knowledgeable sales staff, which requires an “all hands on deck” approach at trade shows. With this in mind, you may be able to secure great discounts a short period of time before and after the scheduled events.

A bit of legwork can be beneficial prior to attending a hair show, especially if you plan on making a large purchase. Upcoming trade shows tend to be heavily advertised within the industry, so you may be able to schedule your purchases around them. As you find upcoming shows, get a copy of the exhibitors list that will be attending the event. With this information, you can simply visit their website and pre-shop for the equipment you are interest in purchasing. It may be beneficial to place a quick call or submit an email to their company to ensure they will be displaying the items that you are interested in purchasing at the hair show or beauty show. As previously mentioned, space at these shows are very expensive and each exhibitor tries to maximize their sales at these events so they may only bring their top selling items or new products they are trying to introduce to the market.

If you do not have an upcoming event in your area around the time frame you plan on purchasing, it’s ok, there are alternative approaches you can take. A quick search for hair shows around the country and getting the exhibitors list is all you need. Most salon equipment distributors have a limited amount of staff that can process orders properly, so they are more than willing to spread their sales over a longer period than the two to three days of the trade show. Many times, a short period prior to the show and a minimal amount of time after the show, these distributors will honor the trade show discounts. These booths get so busy that they understand they cannot accommodate all the potential customers accordingly. As always, it is important to approach each purchase with an informed decision. Make sure you have addressed all concerns to assure you are purchasing quality salon equipment. To help with this process, please check you our website at www.salonequipmentresource.com for further details.

Purchasing Used Spa Equipment

Used spa equipment can be an alternative if you are unsure if there is a viable enough market for these types of services in your area. Many times, a salon owner will expand into other areas of the industry to capitalize on additional services that can be delivered to their existing clientele base. Minimizing these expansion costs can be a great strategy, but there are some risks that will be encountered.

Spa equipment is a term that can explain a broad range of products so we will concentrate on used esthetician equipment also referred to as used facial equipment in this blog post. Anytime you purchase anything electronic, new or used, there are possibilities of defects. As you may know, when electronic products that are sold to a professional industry, some of the regulations that are set forth by government entities do not apply. So as you are shopping for these types of products do not be alarmed if you do not see the usual stamps such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or CE (conformite europeenne, French for European Conformity). If you are unaware of what these stamps normally mean, they certify that the functionality of the product was tested by these independent engineering groups. The cost of having an item tested by these groups can be substantial and time consuming. However, in most cases the internal components have been tested individually and comply with the standards set forth, but the unit as a whole has not gone through rigors of inspection.

Anytime you purchase used electronics, it is important for it to run for a period of time. In some instances the item will initially work and then an internal component may overheat in a short period of time causing the unit to shut down. Let the unit go through a full cycle or two. This may be a little time consuming, but with most used spa equipment there is no warranty so you want to catch any issues before money exchanges hands.

If at all possible avoid multifunction machines. These configurations are very convenient because they save so much space, but when one component goes bad the whole unit has to be sent in for repair. In the meantime you are without an income while the unit is being fixed.

Also, you may want to strongly consider avoiding purchasing used facial steamers. These units require the use of distilled water only. If the previous owner used tap water instead, many of the internal components can be damaged by the impurities that are in tap water. At times, these impurities can cause internal blockages that may cause the steamer to spew boiling hot water onto a client’s face.

There are a variety of products used in the facial equipment industry and each item has its own unique components that deserve your scrutiny. We cover many of these individually in our e-book “The Barber, Salon & Spa Equipment Book”, which can be purchased at www.salonequipmentresource.com.

Used Salon Chairs

Some of the most commonly purchased used salon chairs are barber chairs and styling chairs. This can be an advantageous avenue to free up resources as you are starting your business to help with the unforeseen expenses that will arise. There is an old joke that new entrepreneurs are unaware of the “twice factor”. You may have heard this explained as there will be twice as many costs and it will take twice as long as you expected. Even with the most diligent research there will be unexpected expenses that will come out of nowhere that will catch you by surprise.

If this is the route you are exploring and considering purchasing used salon equipment, there are some routine inspections that can be performed to help alleviate purchasing defective products. In this blog post, we will focus on styling chairs since this is the most commonly purchased piece of used salon equipment.

The obvious is any tears on the material covering the cushion, backrest and armrest if applicable. Tears only get worse and can quickly create quit an eyesore. As you are checking for small tears, closely inspect the stitching. This may not be as obvious, so it may require a little more effort on your part. Follow the stitching around the chair and make sure there is no separation or stretching in the stitching.

Next, pump the chairs hydraulic as high as it will go and then allow it to lower to its lowest position. Listen for any type of gurgling sound. This will indicate that air is in the hydraulic fluid. Also, as the hydraulic is in its highest position, stay sitting in the chair for a moment. You may hear a small popping sound and the chair will lower a bit. Both of these are indications of an internal seal starting to deteriorate. These are a few quick inspections that can be performed to check the functionality of the chair. If you would like to learn a more comprehensive approach to inspecting salon equipment, please visit our website at www.salonequipmentresource.com.

Used Salon Equipment

Used salon equipment has become a much more viable option in today’s market than it has been in the past. If you are on a tight budget and trying to open a salon or barbershop, this is an alternative that can save you thousands of dollars in upfront costs.

Many salon equipment and spa furniture distributors allow customers to either put items on consignment or gives them a small credit as a trade in when they purchase new products. In addition, as salons and barbershops redecorate or upgrade their equipment they will try to sell their old items on craigslist, ebay and other sales platforms. If you choose this route to make your equipment purchase there may be opportunities to find some great deals on cheap salon equipment.

If you purchase salon equipment used from a distributor there may be a few safeguards in place that should shield you from defective equipment. As the distributor receives the items, they should take them through a series of inspections and tests prior to reselling the item. Please understand that not all distributors take the same precautions when dealing with used salon furniture so it is important for you to inspect the items yourself before making your purchase. Please visit www.salonequipmentresource.com to learn more about how to inspect items before making your purchase.

Most of the time no warranty is offered when purchasing salon equipment used from a distributor but you may be able to negotiate at least a 30 day warranty, especially if your order is large enough. If you are able to negotiate a temporary warranty make sure you get it in writing. There is an old saying that if it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen. We will follow up this blog with product specific inspections that you can perform when purchasing used salon equipment in the following days.

Salon Equipment Distributors

Salon equipment, spa equipment and salon furniture distributors require a bit of due diligence before making your purchase. Many consumers get so caught up in the design and color schemes that they do not make an informed decision on who they are buying from. The market place has evolved quite a bit with the expansion of the internet. In the past, there were a handful of distributors that primarily served key markets, usually closely relating to geographical areas. However, as the internet has become more and more accessible, it has opened up opportunities to a wider spectrum of distributors.

In the old days, usually the larger distributors had the resources to attend tradeshows, run phone book advertisements in various geographical areas and launch large catalog mailing campaigns. This required a massive amount of resources and created an obstacle for new comers to the industry with limited funds. Equipment distributors within this market had an expertise and in depth knowledge about salon equipment. This is why many of the big box stores that tried entering this market only capture a small portion. They had the resources to influence the market with marketing campaigns but lacked the expertise this market requires. Their staff received little or no training on the equipment and could not answer customer’s questions adequately.

As the internet has evolved it has generated a new breed of salon equipment distributors. The financial barrier has been removed and has brought in a lot of competition. This has been a good thing in regards to the cost of opening a salon or spa, but there are devastating consequences to purchasing inferior equipment. With the lowering of the cost barrier you have salon equipment distributors that have the ability to sell online without ever truly vetting the factories or the distribution chain of where the products originate. In addition, there are unscrupulous business practices where a distributor will intentionally use substandard parts to lower the manufacturing costs and increase their profit margins.

Before making your purchase there are a variety of techniques you can use to ensure you are purchasing from a reputable source. We have written an e-book “The Barber, Salon & Spa Equipment Book” that covers this topic in much more detail that can be purchased at www.salonequipmentresource.com. In addition, you will learn how to avoid warranty trickery as well as marketing gimmicks.