You’re thinking of buying a stairlift but you’re on a budget.
Reconditioned stairlifts seem a natural way to go, but is eBay the place to buy?
‘Let the buyer beware’ – the central plank of British contract law that requires anyone buying anything to take the time to check that what they’re purchasing is the real deal, from a reputable source.
The problem with buying a reconditioned stairlift from eBay isn’t that eBay isn’t reputable – of course it is.
The same is true of the vast majority of traders on there. There may be rogues on eBay, but there are rogues everywhere and the review system goes a long way to ensuring that, providing you buy from someone with a good score, you won’t have a problem receiving the goods you pay for.
The problems tend to start when they get delivered.
Is it the right size?
Everyone’s stairway is different.
We’ve installed stairlifts in houses next door to each other where the stairways were slightly (and occasionally very) different.
So even if you’re being offered a modular stairlift kit similar to the ones we install, you’ll need to measure it very, very accurately. Because a stairlift that doesn’t quite fit your stairs is a stairlift that won’t be much use to anyone.
Who will install the stairlift?
You can bag a stairlift bargain on eBay. But a stairlift you can’t use isn’t a bargain at all.
Some reconditioned stairlifts available on eBay do come with fitting, but they’re often simply stairlift traders advertising their usual service at their usual price.
As for the rest, you’ll need to either fit the reconditioned stairlift yourself, ask a handy friend or family member to do it, or pay for it to be installed.
The problem is that, unless the person you’re asking is a stairlift engineer, they won’t have the knowledge and experience to do it as quickly as a professional.
They may not have the expertise to do it safely. They may even find it’s beyond them.
So whilst it’s possible to get a reconditioned stairlift fitted by someone other than a stairlift company, you may spend a lot more time, effort and money than you would have done coming to us direct.
What about maintenance?
What happens if there’s a problem? Who do you call?
Often, reconditioned stairlifts don’t come with any sort of warranty. So calling for a repair means a) finding an expert stairlift engineer and b) paying them.
Buy (or rent) one of our reconditioned stairlifts and there’s a warranty included, along with a 24hr call response.
So yes, you can buy reconditioned stairlifts on eBay. But for a whole host of reasons, we’d recommend sticking with a supplier you trust.
