Do you have a shoe repair shop in your town? Maybe you could talk to the repair man & see if he knows anyone who is looking to sell their machine because of various reasons (upgrading to a newer machine, going out of business, death in family, etc.). Or maybe your repair man could find you a good deal on one that he knows about or could get you a good discount by going through him for the purchase. He could be a wealth of knowledge for you as you begin to talk with him.