{"id":5016,"date":"2019-10-14T11:02:41","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T15:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/?p=5016"},"modified":"2019-10-14T11:02:59","modified_gmt":"2019-10-14T15:02:59","slug":"buying-used-pos-equipment-yes-or-no","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/buying-used-pos-equipment-yes-or-no\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying Used POS Equipment: Yes or No?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Is your business checklist getting longer and longer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opening a new business is no easy task, and every little detail is essential. Don&#8217;t let your point-of-sale system get lost in the shuffle of city permits, hiring, loans, paperwork, and other business needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine if your registers stopped processing credit cards? What if your POS systems shut down completely? All it takes is one point-of-sale error for your grand opening to come toppling down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The right POS equipment matters. Don&#8217;t let the worse-case scenario happen to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Discover the dos and don&#8217;ts of buying used point-of-sale equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Point-of-Sale System?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you purchase a POS system, you need to understand the hallmarks of quality point-of-sale equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A point-of-sale system, or POS, refers to the equipment used to process sales. This type of equipment is commonly known as cash registers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two factors go into a functioning POS system &#8211; hardware and software. Hardware is the equipment itself, while the software provides POS functionalities like credit card processing and sales reporting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These POS systems are not the <a href=\"https:\/\/antiques.lovetoknow.com\/antique-cash-registers\">cash registers of the past<\/a>. You don&#8217;t have to input prices manually, pull levers, or calculate sales tax and discounts. These are just a few of the perks of modern-day POS systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today&#8217;s POS equipment should have the following basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Sales reporting<\/li><li>Employee time tracking (i.e., time cards)<\/li><li>Inventory databases with SKU numbers<\/li><li>Credit card processing<\/li><li>Returns and refunds processing<\/li><li>Sales promotion features<\/li><li>Programmed reminders<\/li><li>Customer purchase history<\/li><li>Membership database<\/li><li>Gift card creation<\/li><li>Store credit features<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Today&#8217;s businesses depend on the efficiency of modern POS systems. While technology has made retail sales easier, technical difficulties do happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Installing the right equipment from the get-go is critical. But is used equipment the way to go?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should You Buy Used POS Equipment?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting a business is expensive in 2019. Not only is it pricey, but you also want to get everything right. But you don&#8217;t have to break the bank to achieve the perfect grand opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying a used point-of-sale system is one way to save money without cutting corners on quality. Used POS equipment works just as efficiently as brand new equipment, but there are some caveats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t just buy the cheapest POS hardware and software you find. The brands you use matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Top POS equipment brands include DELL, IBM, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Epson, and HP. Do any of these brands look familiar? Some of the most recognized technology brands also produce POS equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your business may not even need large point-of-sale equipment. Today&#8217;s kiosks and pop-up stores can use Apple iPads with installed POS software. You can install a POS system on your phone too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, you can purchase used top brands, including iPads, at a significant discount. What&#8217;s important is that your POS equipment works like new. Avoid outdated products that have been through the wringer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your chosen POS software must also be compatible with your hardware. Use the latest POS models available. Review your software and hardware specifications carefully before buying your equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to a POS specialist first before settling on a system. Purchasing used point-of-sale equipment is an ideal job for your in-house IT team. Managing a POS system requires knowledge of servers, troubleshooting, and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Could Go Wrong?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Buying used POS equipment is a sweet deal, right? It is when it&#8217;s done right. Hastily buying used point-of-sale systems can have severe consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Customers can be forgiving. You may get the benefit of a bad day, but you shouldn&#8217;t depend on it. Creating an ideal customer experience is so critical for your success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imagine this scenario: you own a toy store, and your staff is slammed during a holiday rush. All of a sudden, your registers stop processing credit cards! What do you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The worst-case scenario is that your store falls victim to old, outdated, used POS equipment. Worse yet, your registers are too old to run the latest point-of-sale software. To add insult to injury, tech support is no longer available for your outdated system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sales slip through your fingers as customers angrily leave the store without holiday presents. Customers can&#8217;t wait for employees to calculate sales manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This couldn&#8217;t happen to you, or could it? Unfortunately, this retail nightmare is all too familiar for small business owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Old, outdated systems are just one drawback of buying used POS equipment. Not only is obsolete technology challenging to troubleshoot, but it&#8217;s also vulnerable to hacking, theft, and other security issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other drawbacks of used equipment include broken keyboards, broken item scanners, cracked monitors, malfunctioning touch screens, and cash drawers that won&#8217;t open. If you don&#8217;t have an experienced IT specialist on hand, these drawbacks are even worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Have a Backup Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you have a new or used POS system, you need a backup plan in case something goes wrong. Shiny new POS equipment can crash and burn just as quickly as used products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your used registers go down, have your POS iPad&nbsp;\u2014 or android tablet&nbsp;\u2014 standing by. Make sure your POS software is compatible with registers and mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t have an IT specialist on-site, train in-house staff to troubleshoot basic issues, the problem may not be with the equipment itself but with your servers or installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep your POS essentials well stocked, just like you would your inventory. Keep an extra register or two standing by when there are technical issues. Know when it&#8217;s time to upgrade your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.posrg.com\/services\/sell-used-pos-systems\">used POS equipment<\/a> or sell it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Update your POS software, and make sure there is technical support available. Run virus scans regularly and install the latest cybersecurity solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Start Generating Sales<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your growing business needs a reliable point-of-sale system that can keep up with the pace. Invest in used POS equipment that won&#8217;t let you down!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The right POS system is an essential building block of any business, but it&#8217;s not the only one. You need to check every box on on your business checklist. Bookmark this blog to discover even more essentials to running a profitable venture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is your business checklist getting longer and longer? Opening a new business is no easy task, and every little detail is essential. Don&#8217;t let your point-of-sale system get lost in the shuffle of city permits, hiring, loans, paperwork, and other business needs. Imagine if your registers stopped processing credit cards? What if your POS systems [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5016"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5018,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5016\/revisions\/5018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.atyourbusiness.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}