Where Did You Buy Your Used Sewing Machine?
 

I am really tempted to buy a used Bernina 770qe. There is no way for me to purchase one new, but I am not sure where to purchase one used. Do dealers sell used machines? I have a Baby Lock Soprano which is nice, but it won't accept the Baby Lock Tru-Stitch Regulator, so I would either sell it or trade it in. There are two used Bernina 770qe machines listed on EBay, but I am leery of problems after the sale.

What has your experience been in purchasing a used machine? Would you do it again?

Thanks for your advice!

For a modern computerized machine, I would gladly buy a used one from dealer that offers a service contract or at least one year warranty even if that cost more than buying one from a private party. Yes, most dealers have used systems that typically come in as trade-ins.

Some deals on Craig's List I'd feel comfortable with, but don't know how I'd feel about an auction site buy.

A little over a year ago, we mailed a modern Bernina 820 from Arizona to Washington, UPS or other options might have been better but between buying an actual box from the local Bernina dealer including all the foam packaging inserts and the cost of shipping plus insurance was about $200.

Used machines
 

I've had good luck with local listings on Craigs List and estate sales. Also, my sewing machine repair shop sells used machines - you could let your local shop know that you are looking for a specific model and have them call you if one comes in. Good luck!

Buying used machines
 

I've purchased online twice. Both times from eBay. One transaction was great, a computerized Brother that I like even better than the BabyLock Elizabeth I bought brand new from a dealer. The other not so great, a vintage Kenmore that arrived damaged somewhat. Hubby was able to repair it.
If you buy online BE SURE to check out the seller. Read every review. But remember every transaction can still be different no matter the reviews say.
A reputable sewing machine dealer will sell used also, as so many people trade in to trade up! And you should get a warranty of some kind. Plus you have someone who should know your machine in case it needs service.
Go with what feels comfortable to you.

I have bought two sewing machines from Craigslist. I searched and purchased a specific brand because the dealer is about an hour from me, so I new I would have access to accessories, questions, and repairs/cleanings. They also sell used machines at their shop, and I would not hesitate to buy one of those,they are usually trade ins when people are upgrading their machine, and they are serviced and can sometimes come with the remainder of the warranty. A drawback to buying a sewing machine off Craigslist, is there is no warranty with it. That has never bothered me, but some people would prefer a machine have the manufacturers warranty. I have even sold a machine on Craigslist, all the transactions have been positive experiences.

I was at a local quilt show, when l passed a Janome dealer's table. My Janome 6500 has always been totally reliable, and loved for 14 yr. But l fell in l♡ve with a gently used 8900 Horizon...a machine similar to mine, but with an extra 2.5" of throat space, better lighting, plus an even feed system. The price was much more reasonable than new, and had a 1 yr warrantee from dealer, plus the regular 25 yr on head etc. that brand has. I didn't purchase, and once home regretted that. So l called & made an appointment with dealer to try it out at his shop. I bought it! I still keep my old one for my grandd to use when she visits. A dealer takes in trades, looks it over, and resells. I would do it all again in a heartbeat...so happy!

I have seen many bernina machines at estate sales. Check to see if your local auction house that does those has a site and then you can keep checking. Also, you might let your local quilt guild know you are in the market. The members sometimes sell theirs through the quarterly membership newspaper.

I have two. A Artista 200 and a newer Aurora 440QE. Both with the regulator and embroidery module. I bought one from a local sewing shop and the other from the daughter of a friend who passed away. Both were less than a year old and I got a great deal. I did find another older bernina at a second hand store in mint condition and gave it to my sister. I also gifted my bernina record 180 to my other sister when I upgraded. Those older machines had tons of feet, even walking feet and ran like a top.

There is nothing like a bernina. I love them.

I've bought 3 of my machines from a dealer/service person, the rest have been bought at yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales and Craig's List.

Most all dealers have all brands of trade ins here except the Bernina dealer. She only takes newer Berninas for trade in for a newer model. I bought a Juki that was a trade in at a dealer for $199. It's almost perfect. I have a little problem with the foot controller but no big deal. It will last until I find another great trade in bargain. Now I know I really like Juki machines. I bought my Bernina used for $450 ten years ago. I use it almost everyday for piecing.

I bought one machine from my Bernina dealer, it had been a trade-in. I bought another from facebook marketplace and yet another from craigslist. There are some pretty good deals out there if you're patient enough to wait for them.

On CL, I sold a vintage Singer I had picked up at a garage sale for a family member. I had it serviced and had the receipt to authenticate that. Woman drove over 100 miles in light snow, arrived 15 minutes early, sewed on it about 2 inches and paid me. She was going to get some breakfast and head for home. Maybe I sold too cheap (LOL) but I was satisfied to get my investment back and happy to see her get it.

Check dealers & get on a list. 1 local Bernina dealer has a list for Featherweights. When Bernina does a trade up sale they get a lot of oddball machines. Some from thrift stores to get the disc. & 1 long arm setup.

I purchased my babylock espire used. Was a lovely machine i purchased from a dealer. I loved it but them upgraded to an embroidery combo but i would definitely do it again

before christmas i ordered an 830 sewing and embroidery machine on eBay it had 34 hours on it. i love it. it works great.
i was a little nervous my first thing i have ever bought on eBay, i ask my husband if he thought they were true to there word
and he said he has order a lot off of eBay. i contacted the company selling it and they have been very helpful in helping me
get use to it.

If you buy from an auction, make sure it comes with the original box. That can save much heartache in preventing damage. UPS and fedex are not careful with the boxes no matter how many times fragile is written on it. I have bought from auctions several times and all good outcomes except 1 where it was not boxed properly. It was totaled, but the seller refunded me and dealt with the shipping insurance.
I have bought a gently used bernina 770qe from a dealer that had used the machines in a class. I love that machine.

I bought my used Janome 8900QE from my dealer...he gave me a great price, 1 year warranty, and 1 free cleaning...I love this machine....

i would be comfortable buying used from a friend or a dealer - assuming the dealer offered some service and warranty perks.
one simple does not ask that of a friend. not if you want to stay friends. lol

i would only order online from a well-known dealer. again if the perks are right.

i would never buy used from an individual i do not know unless they were close enough for me to take it for a test drive and bring it home myself.

I bought my used Janome MC6600P from a small “sewing center” independent dealer//repair place. for $350 years ago. Still going strong and never a lick of trouble. He looked it over and said it looked good, but didn’t refurbish. I’m sure it was a trade-in

I bought a 770QE new last spring but a few months later my neighbor bought the same machine from the same dealer that had been used for demos and I'm sure she got it for a good price. I would check with a dealer about a used one.
I don't think I'd buy one on Ebay, although I've bought a couple of used vintage Singers there.

I bought my Bernina B740 from a dealer. It was one of her classroom models with very few stitches, and I received $2,000 off of list price. I love it.

I also bought an older Bernina from eBay. The seller had excellent feedback. I had it serviced before using it, and it needed hundreds of dollars in repairs... other eBay sewing machines came perfectly sound.

For your specific make and model I would go to a reputable dealer that carries used machine that give a good warranty. For most of my older machine I have picked them up at garage sales or estate sales. I have only bought one, a Feather Weight, online from craigslist. It is surprising how many good machines show up at garage sales.

I would buy from a dealer or a quilt guild member. I purchased a Janome 10000 on eBay. The seller put this heavy machine in a flimsy cardboard box, or he said UPS put it in a box with a few of the curly styrofoam pieces. the box arrived smashed and open. all of the machine feet had come out of the storage on the machine and were lost and some loose in the box. I was more concerned about the condition of the machine. UPS told me that it doesn't matter if you put fragile or this end up on boxes, there go end over end numerous times during shipping. He said the only time they pay "half way attention" is if the word GLASS is on the box. He said why is this machine insured for $ 2000? I told him he wouldn't want UPS to throw is computer around like this and that this machine and others sold new for $8000. His response, no sewing machine is worth that kind of money. I'm not fond of Craig's list either.....some machines are expensive and it could be dangerous if doing a cash purchase, plus checks and money orders cannot be trusted either. Our police department has a special place at the police station for these transactions. (Cash) This is a deterrent to the criminals. Or meet at their bank if is close to you. Ask for a receipt from a dealer that shows the last check up the machine has had. I now purchase only from a dealer or my quilt guild.

I purchased a mid-arm off of Craigslist from a lady who was down-sizing her home. It had hardly been used, she took my low-ball offer and threw in a bunch of books and rulers. It was an awesome deal even if I had to drive across the border to go and get it and pay tax to get it back to Canada.

I was ready to walk away if it wasn't everything I thought it was going to be, however, once I got there.

Watson

Our local sewing center ( Bernina dealer) does sell used machines. People upgrade and trade in their machines. The sewing center goes over the machine, cleaning, tuneups, what ever is needed and offers them for sale with a warranty.

I mentioned earlier that I wouldn't buy a Bernina 770 on Ebay. The reason is the electronics. I've bought vintage Singers on Ebay with no trouble but they don't have the computers, etc.
Let us know what you decide!

I bought a used Phaff from a dealer and my FW, well it went on a journey. Started out at a flea market in Florida, went to a quilt guild member and I bought it from her. Both in good condition and the FW is my "go to" machine for piecing and it still travels. It goes to quilt work days wiith my guild and to retreats twice a year.

I bought a Pfaff performance 5.0 from a dealer, local support helps and it is a great machine.....loved the built in walking foot...

I bought my PQ1500s used from an individual on eBay- she put up a video showing her sewing on it. I got it for a great price and she had it well packed for shipping. It’s never given me any trouble. Great machine.

I bought my SweetSixteen used from an individual on eBay and drove three hours to pick it up. Got it for a great price, it was nearly new and she threw in lots of extras. Again, never had any problems with it.

I’ve also bought two vintage machines off eBay from individuals- machines were well packed. One had a problem so I contacted the seller about returning it. He refunded my money including shipping and told me to keep the machine.

My featherweight was in a junk shop window. It was covered in dirt and they didn’t think it worked, so were planning on turning it into a lamp.

I have no problem buying from individuals on eBay, but I stick with folks who have high ratings and I ask a lot of questions before bidding, so their answers are on eBay- that means that if the machine isn’t as described I am likely to get a refund.

You do need to be careful when buying used, especially if you can’t see and try out the machine in person, but there are some good deals out there.

Rob

used sewing machine
 

I bought a used embroidery machine off ebay and was extremely happy with it. I did contact the seller directly first and felt it was a good deal and it was.

I bought a very used old longarm from nolting company it was a trade in and I am extremely happy with that purchase also.

Thanks for your help!
 

Thanks for all of your advice on buying a used sewing machine. You have given me the confidence that there are good machines and sellers out there, but just be careful in checking everything out.

That said, I was searching for EBay for the Bernina 770qe and I searched other countries to see what the currency exchange rates would make the price. I found a brand new Bernina 770qe from England WITH the embroidery package for US $4,200 including shipping and taxes. Wow! Both Bernina UK and Bernina US said that the machines in each country are exactly the same, except for the power cord. The machine itself can accomodate either the 110 volt US power or the 220 UK power.

The big disadvantage, though, is that the warranties do not work outside the dealer's country. So, there would be no warranty without shipping it back to England. On the other hand, the $4,000 savings in price would purchase a lot of repair work, which hopefully would never be completely needed.

It's a good thing I have to save another 3 months before actually deciding where to make the purchase from!

I would be sceptic getting it outside the us

Estate sale

I would also not purchase from outside the US for a variety of reasons. Financial risk is a big one.

To the OP, be aware that most sewing machine warranties do not transfer to new owners at all, even within a country. So do not expect to even be able to ship the machine back overseas for warranty work (plus the cost of shipping is likely prohibitive).

If you are looking for a newer machine and a high dollar one, your safest bet is a reputable local dealer who has taken one in on trade.

I bought my used Janome 6600MC at my local quilt shop and have been sewing on it for 10 years. My featherweight I bought from a friend in our little sewing group. She had two and wanted to buy a Juki so she didn't think she even needed two FW.

I found a great deal on craigslist. I bought a $1200 (5 yrs ago) Brother Laura Ashley nx-800 for $125. I use it as my travel machine.

My husband bought a reconditioned Brother SE270D from Overstock. I've had it about 10 years and it was my "daily driver" for about 7.
I bought a Janome 1600DB and a Brother Nouvelle 1500 both from friends who were upgrading. Love my Brother 1500.
Had a non-sewing friend who inherited a treadle Singer from his mom, he was just going to throw it away or donate it because he didn't see why anyone would want a treadle. I literally yanked it out of his hands. Took it home and sold it for him on CL for $200. Met the buyer at a Starbucks and let her check it out and sew on it.
A lot of times you can let your local quilt shop and guild know you're in the market, you'd be surprised at how many people are thinking about selling their machines.

I bought a used Pfaff 7550 machine from my Pfaff dealer. She took it in on trade and it was less than 6 months old. I bought that machine in 1996 and it is still going strong. She gave me a good deal on it and I still enjoy using it. I am even teaching my 7 year old granddaughter to sew on it.

Purchased my Pfaff from a dealer. It was a trade in and only used for two weeks. No problems with the machine in any way. My only concern was the "hour of personal instruction" included in the purchase was done by an individual who did not know the machine. She had to follow the instructions in the owner's manual. That was not a machine problem but an issue with the shop who sold it. That hour of instruction was important to me, but so be it. I can read the manual and figure out most of what I need to know. YouTube is my Pfaff friend.

LadyAg I am wishing on a star that I will be able to purchase a Bernina 770qe. I am curious how your experience turned out and what purchasing option you went with? Its just not an option for me to purchase brand new...

I bought a very lightly used Bernina 770qe (without the embroidery unit) from an individual for $3,050 off of EBay. I contacted the Seller before the auction ended to get their agreement, if I won the auction, to allow me time to have the machine inspected at my local Bernina dealer, and that they would pay for any needed repairs.

No repairs were needed and it has been great! I had no hope of ever affording a new machine (senior living on Social Security), so I took a chance, knowing EBay would have a record of our purchase agreement. I sold my other two sewing machines to help fund the purchase, too.

Good luck on your search!