Ready to buy used or new commercial gym equipment for your fitness center and considering purchasing online? Doing so without being scammed might boil down to good old-fashioned sleuth work. At least, that’s what we learned after speaking with used gym equipment sales companies. We asked them how to avoid losing money when buying commercial gym equipment online.
What they said is — it’s a wild west out there and police departments have bigger problems than your lost equipment deposit. So, darling, you’re on your own.
Internet scamming is big business.
In 2023, consumers reported losing $10 billion to scammers, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The actual number is considered far higher, as most people don’t report their loss.
Don’t think the bad guys are out for your purchase? Consider again. In 2023, exercise equipment sales generated $5.5 billion within the United States. Even tiny slices of the pie add up to huge numbers for online thieves.
Do you know what you’re buying?
That’s the real question. To answer it, we spoke with Rubil and Danielle Khan of Atlanta Fitness Repair. Originally, the two only serviced commercial and residential equipment in Georgia. As their business grew, they expanded into repairing and reselling used commercial gym equipment to fitness clubs and boutiques throughout the country.
They became masters at identifying which product lines last the longest. However, even Rubil agrees it can be difficult to tell well-maintained equipment from beaten-up pieces by just looking at a photo. Bearings might be dirty, belts worn, or the piece might make a suspicious sound — none of which you can test or hear from an online site.
In addition, online photos are notoriously doctored, so who knows what is really going on with that machine?
How fake internet sites dupe buyers
Steven Harvalias, owner of Superfitness New & Used Gym Equipment in Burlington, N.C., has begun a private campaign against internet scammers. His company’s social media sites have been phished as scammers create nearly identical pages and use them to reach out to his followers. These fraudsters pretend to be SuperFitness — having stolen photos of his family and business — and then try to persuade people to put deposits on additional equipment.
The unsuspicious follower can be easily deceived. For example, the fake post may have the name SuperFitness spelled out as “SuperrFitness,” but everything else looks the same. By the time the buyer realizes he or she’s been had, the money and the site are gone.
New gym equipment sales are not immune to fraudsters either. Steve’s discovered international-based resellers are sticking name-brand labels on generic equipment. The buyer then receives (what is labeled as) a National Brand Name leg press machine, for example. However, the quality and design are nothing like the authentic product. Unfortunately, even major fitness companies are staying hush on the issue.
One of the best ways to avoid falling for an online scam or buying inferior equipment is to ask for referrals from people you know in the industry. Their experiences will lead you to long-term, legitimate players such as Steve and Rubil. In fact, Steve’s been in the game so long, in 2013 we interviewed him for one of our original posts on buying used gym equipment. Click here for the story.
Five warning signs of a commercial gym equipment scam
- Third-party cash apps. Legitimate companies only accept payment through wire transfers or by credit card. A request to pay through an online payment service is a huge red flag. Money is often not recovered from these apps, which can include CashApp, Zelle, Venmo, and PayPal.
- Sold through an international website or company. It’s much more difficult to verify the quality of the product when it is shipped through an aggregate or sold by a third-party company based abroad.
- Social media reach-out. If your favorite reseller contacts you via social media, take a close look at the account name and its followers. The scammers won’t usually list all the legitimate company’s followers – especially well-known industry favorites. If the big-name people are not in their follow list, that solicitation is a fake.
- The price is too low. If the cost for the equipment is much lower than industry standard, then it’s either (1) a scam or (2) in terrible shape.
- Seller pushes hard to close the deal. Scammers prey on emotions and scarcity — they want you to act before thinking. Don’t do it.
Five ways to safely buy good, used commercial gym equipment
- Search out referrals and buy from people known in the industry. Do your due diligence. These steps may include:
- Visit the company’s website and social media.
- Read a variety of online reviews from different sources.
- Verify the site by checking the URL matches the company name.
- Call the company directly.
- Talk to the owner, if possible.
- Visit the sales location. This effort may incur an extra cost, but there is no substitute for testing cardio equipment and handling the machines.
- Bring along a repair technician when buying gym equipment. They will know the best brand values and understand what to look for when inspecting machines.
- Ask about a warranty. Longer ones, such as the six months offered by Atlanta, ensures technicians have opened the equipment, and cleaned or replaced internal items, all of which allow them to stand behind their work.
- Stick with well-known brand name equipment. Commercial manufacturers such as Cybex, Precor, Matrix Fitness, Life Fitness Equipment and others have stood the test of time and usually offer excellent, long-term value.
Gym Insight.
We are a gym management software company. From our fully integrated system you may improve sales, manage members, schedule classes, process payments, offer 24/7 access, and run your club. Save money, too, by selecting your own merchant provider. Our pricing is by subscription, and is not based on extracting hidden fees. And we never access your gym’s accounts. Call us today at 855-FOR-GYMS (855-367-4967) for a free demo. Ask for Anthony or Natalia. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
