Free Guide: 10 Critical Questions To Answer Before Buying Used Lasers

We've added a new area to the site to provide Members free reports, information, and resources.

We have a lot of information that needs a better delivery method than a blog post; information that is best delivered as a guide, playbook, blueprint or system that you can download and read, share, or keep around for reference.

For example; 10 Critical Questions To Answer Before Buying A Used Medical Laser by Vin Wells, a Medical Spa MD Author and owner of Rock Bottom Lasers.

Buying used technology can be smart and save you tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars by taking advantage of the massive depreciation that’s triggered when the first pulse is fired. It can make the difference between profit and loss.

But it can also be confusing, distracting, and problematic dealing with sellers, brokers and even manufacturers who have an agenda that may not be in your best interest. 

This guide is designed to walk you through the morass of information and help you make more informed, smarter, decisions about how to take advantage of used technology to help your clinic, your patients, and your profits. It will walk you through the logical, common sense steps to identify ethical sellers and to ensure that you’re not being taken advantage of.

This report is just one of the ways that we're expanding resources and information to benefit our Members.

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Selling your cosmetic laser or IPL? Want to know how much your device is worth?
Get multiple, competing blind certified quotes for your cosmetic laser, IPL or RF.

Why Don't (Most) Used Cosmetic Laser Sellers List Their Prices?

You might have noticed that a lot of used ("pre-owned") cosmetic laser sellers don't list the price of their units on their site. They demand that you call them up and talk to them.

Since we relaunched the classified ads for buying and selling used cosmetic lasers, I've noticed that a lot (most) cosmetic laser resellers don't publish the price of the equipment they're selling.

I understand. They want to have the chance to find out what you're looking for, steer you towards their inventory, and convince you that they offer superior service in addition to value pricing.

That's fine as a sales tactic and it certainly works if you have a pretty good sales team, but it does become opaque and prevents you from doing much research to determine if a specific vendor is above market, or offering a really good deal. (The very same reasons that most cosmetic practices don't post pricing.)

So, why don't cosmetic laser resellers post their prices?

1. They don't actually offer competitive pricing. 
   The internet makes for a very efficient pricing market for products. The difference you will pay for a hard drive from Amazon or Tiger Direct is mere pennies since they're 'commodities'. Cosmetic lasers and IPLs are not quite in that category but there is a know market for these devices and all of the resellers know it. After all, they have to buy their inventory as part of their business. If you're not offering really competitive pricing, buyers will see that almost immediately and you'll loose them for others who are looking for the lowest price.
   
   Recommendation: Avoid. You're going to want to determine if their pricing is high because they actually a primer offering (below), or they're just overpriced. If you get the feeling that they're not being completely above-board, avoid them and move on. There are lots of vendors and you're going to be relying on building a real relationship that's transparent.
    
2. They consider themselves a premier offering.
   The sellers position is that they offer much more than just the machine. There's the quality of the information, the expertise and detail of the refurbishment and quality check, the guarantee and service after the sell. Every physician buyer is going to be on the phone and want to feel reassured that they're getting all of that and publishing the price just means that they're not got to get the chance to talk to that doc and build a relationship. They're trying to keep the 'tire kickers' out of their sales cycle since they probably won't win those deals anyway and they suck up a lot of time.
   
   Recommendation: Worth considering. This one might not be bad for you if you're looking for a lot of hand-holding and support. Just be clear about what they're providing. Everyone (almost) says they're a premium service. They should be very clear about what they're going to do and what you can expect. It will be up to you to discern if they are, or if they're just masquerading as one.
    
3. They don't have the specific laser they're advertising and that you're calling about.
   Sellers just want the call. They can get pretty much anything but keeping inventory is expensive. It makes a lot of sense to advertise that you have everything and if a potential buyer calls, you have plenty of options to kick the can down the road just a little until you can either buy the laser they're asking about, or switch them to something you have in stock. 
   
   Recommendation: Avoid. They're injecting themselves into your search and transaction and you won't be able to count on their recommendations. 
    
4. They're profiling you before quoting a price.
   Sellers have the internet too and they use it, sometimes while you're on the phone. They're looking you up and making a guesstimate of your practice, income and needs. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but since you're a consumer facing business they can find out a lot of information in a very short period of time.
   
   Recommendation: Be careful and ask questions. You're going to get a vibe based on where the conversation goes. If you think that they're not being honest or forthcoming in any way.. probably best to end the conversation and find someone else.
    
5. They're just being lazy.
   Keeping pricing up to date is something of a headache, especially if you have a lot of inventory. Just throwing up a few stock photos of a XEO or Starlux with a "call for pricing" message is easy.
   
   Recommendation: Avoid. Something's not right here if they can't get their act together enough to actually manage their own inventory. Probably not someone you can rely on to go the extra mile.
    
6. They're running a link farm.
   Some of the larger resellers have many sites for the same business. They do this to try and generate a lot of leads by dominating the search engine rankings with multiple listings. In some cases they have separate phone numbers so that you may not know that you're looking at the same company. In most cases they're not really trying to hide this but it does cloud the waters since you can't really find everyone in the space who might have the device you're looking for. They're not posting prices since it's just too much work to make sure they're synced across all of these sites.
   
   Recommendation: This isn't really unethical but it is confusing, and it can be expensive. These companies are usually larger which means that they are more difficult to negotiate with and it's more of a transactional relationship.

Should you look for cosmetic laser resellers who post their prices?

In general I would say yes. While there are a lot of resellers and your experience will depend largely on the individuals you're dealing with, there are worthwhile reasons to feel more confident with the increased transparency that being able to see the actual price before you contact them. Here are two examples of cosmetic laser resellers who show their prices:

• Rock Bottom Lasers in Phoenix Arizona - Owner: Vin Wells - A smaller hands-on reseller with a great reputation but not the sexiest website. Vin has run clinics in the past and is extremely knowledgeable about running a clinic in addition to cosmetic lasers.
• Sentient Lasers in Kamas Utah - CEO: Chris Cella  - Sentient is a somewhat larger vendor that also has a great reputation.

Note: Medical Spa MD has no financial relationship with Rock Bottom Lasers or Sentient Lasers. We just like these guys and they have good reputations.

Do you have a cosmetic laser, IPL, or other equipment that you want to sell? You can contact a laser reseller or you can sell it yourself on the classified ads site for members at http://ad.medicalspamd.com

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Debunking the Top Myths About Medical Laser Procedures

Many don’t understand the concept of a laser treatment, which is why they assume that laser procedures are unsafe.  With time, such misconceptions have become myths. In this post, we’ll debunk the  most significant and common myths associated with laser treatments.

The technology—Cosmetic Lasers are still in the Early Primitive Stages. 

Many laser applications are taken for granted these days. We understand that a few laser technologies such as fiber optics, lighting displays, printers, and bar code readers are new; but we can’t think similarly for medical lasers, especially the cosmetic ones. For your knowledge, the first laser treatment was carried out by Leon Goldman, a dermatologist, in 1962.

Lasers are unnecessary because similar benefits can be experienced by skincare products as well

Many skincare products make very bold claims despite very few products that can actually deliver on their promises.  With medical laser equipment, it’s quite the opposite – laser manufacturers can’t make any claims on the effectiveness of their equipment without the approval from the Food and Drug Adminisration to support those claims.  In fact, medical laser equipment remains unmarketable until it has received approval from the FDA for the claim it is making – whether it be laser hair removal or skin rejuvenation.

Laser treatments can cause thinning of skin

The fact is that lasers let skin to become neither thin nor weak. Actually, properly controlled laser skin treatments can replace damaged skin with fresh collagen. Even the medical aesthetic lasers for sale are checked thoroughly by leading resellers/sellers before making the final delivery.

So, with this post, we hope we have dispelled many of the common myths surrounding used medical lasers.

Why it’s best to buy used aesthetic laser equipment

If you’re thinking to buy a brand new cosmetic laser machine, you require a lot of financial resources. That is why many clinics and hospitals rely on buying secondhand laser equipment because it isn’t highly priced.

Through this post, we’ll enlighten you about the benefits that you can gain after buying used quality aesthetic laser equipment from an established reseller.

Low price

As we’ve mentioned earlier, new aesthetic laser equipment is very expensively priced. Which is why, if you’ve got budgetary constraints, you can only buy a secondhand one. Nevertheless, many businesspeople assume that a secondhand machine will not perform. This belief is false only when you buy the laser equipment from a reliable seller/reseller. That is, you’ll spend less and gain quality—the best of both worlds!

Quality control

Now, this point can only be claimed by a leading reseller such as Rock Bottom Lasers. A well-known reseller will always check the machine—in terms of safety and functionality—thoroughly. A reliable reseller, who’s in the business for a long time, will have a team of quality testers. This team will check the machine against several quality standards before making the final delivery.

By keeping these three points in mind, many business owners (doctors, dermatologists, hospitals, and skincare clinics) have taken the decision to buy a used cosmetic laser machine rather than a new one.

Points to remember before buying used medical lasers

You are into the business of aesthetic treatment, and your happiness knows no bounds whenever you see an ad with a title “Medical Lasers for Sale!” We understand your joy as buying a new medical laser system can cost a small fortune; plus, its high depreciation cost is a put off as well. But do not presume that buying a used medical laser is a cakewalk. This buying process is a bit complex and requires you to remember a few points. Let us read up on these points, now.

• Check whether the laser machine is properly maintained or not. If possible, try to get the machine’s refurbishing or maintenance schedule from the reseller as well. Also, crosscheck each and every part (handpieces and fibers) of medical laser systems before buying.
• Before making the payment, try to get a demo (including all the working features) of the machine.
• Also, check if any prior installation is required during the time you will install the machine in your med spa business, clinic, or hospital. If yes, hire a trained professional to do the installation work.
• Check the seller’s facility before buying the equipment. You should not solely rely on the information (about the equipment) that is available on his/her website.
• Ensure that each and every warranty document related to the laser equipment is authentic and up to date.
• Last but not least, try to contact the reseller’s previous customers or go through their testimonials to know the quality of the offered equipment.

So, we hope you will remember, if not all, some of these points before buying used medical lasers.

Which are the three medical lasers in demand today?

Everyone yearns for having the charm and good looks, and there is nothing wrong in it. To fulfill this desire of many, aesthetic medicine was developed. Aesthetic medicines use cosmetic treatments that are minimally invasive to beautify physical appearances; the concept has gained traction in the late 90s.

Presently, you will find many undergoing laser-based aesthetic procedures. In 2013 alone, close to 23 million laser-based aesthetic procedures were done. That is, lasers are popular when it comes to carrying out aesthetic treatments. Now, let us go through three of the most popular laser systems that are used in aesthetic treatment.

Solid state laser systems

The system deploys solid matrix to distribute lasing material. The solid state system uses solid state gain media (crystals or glass). Moreover, the system generates output powers, ranging from milliwatts to kilowatts and has two components—electronics and optics.

Dye laser systems

In this system, the gain medium is dye (that is a liquid solution). Machine operators of this system use different solvents—dimethyl sulfoxide, p-dioxane, and ethanol—for laser dyes. Generally, the operators buy powdered dyes that are made into solutions having the desired concentration.

Diode laser systems

Primarily used in medical diagnostics, a diode laser system emits radiation in a visible spectrum or an infrared spectrum whenever current goes through it. The system can be categorized into two types—low power diode laser (used for soft tissue treatments) and high power diode laser (used for medical aesthetics and dentistry).

The popularity of these machines has persuaded many clinics and hospitals to own medical lasers. But qualified and experienced equipment operators and experts recommend used cosmetic lasers because new laser equipment has high depreciation charges.

Owing to this reason, the demand for companies offering quality medical lasers for sale is pressing. So, whenever you are planning to get one of these machines for your clinic or hospital, just rely on used laser machines rather than new ones.

Medical Spa Classified Ads: Thermage NXT, Cutera Titan...

If you're looking for a used IPL, Thermage NXT or cosmetic laser, check out the cosmetic lasers classified ads section.

Current listings include:

• Thermage NXT
• Cutera Titan Solera
• AeroLase LightPod Laser
• Hoya Medlite c6

If you want to read about or discuss any of these cosmetic lasers you can do so in the Cosmetic Laser & IPL Reviews forum.

Other cosmetic lasers and IPL forums:

• Alma: Accent XL, Harmony XL, Pixel C02
• Candela: Gentlelase, Smoothbeam, Vbeam
• Cutera: Xeo, Solera, CoolGlide
• Cynosure: Elite, Affirm, Cynergy & Smartlipo
• Lumenis: Lightshear, AcuPulse & UltraPulse
• Other IPL & Cosmetic Lasers
• Palomar; Starlux, Slimlipo & SINON
• Sciton: Joule & BBL
• Solta: Thermage & Fraxel
• Syneron: elos, eLight, eMax, LipoLite

Medical Spa Classifieds: Used cosmetic lasers & IPLs

If you're in need of a new or used cosmetic laser or IPL you'll want to check out Medspa MD's classified listings.

Current listings include:

• Palomar Starlux / Medilux / Estelux IPL Handpiece Refurbishing
• Syneron Galaxy with 4 heads
• Vibraderm Microderm Machine
• Medical Director Wanted in North Carolina
• Aesthera Isolaz Laser
• Medical Spas for Sale

See all Medical Spa Classified Listings

How to Negotiate the Purchase of a Used Medical Laser

Successful negotiation for a used medical laser comes from having solid information. This is particularly true when buying a used medical laser.  Before beginning negotiations you should conduct online research on the availability and price of the lasers you are looking for. An excellent resource for the value of used laser equipment is Dotmed. If a certain kind medical laser is for sale, it is normally available on Dotmed.  You should be able to get an average asking price for the laser you are looking to purchase.  You can use this information as a basis for negotiating the price if it appears that the broker’s asking price is too high.  Knowledge is power, and this is especially true in the used laser market.

If brokers justify a higher price because the laser is in good condition, it has a low pulse count, or it has been recently “refurbished” or serviced, then you need to ask them to provide documentation or proof of such claims.  In many cases, brokers will often raise their prices slightly to allow discounts when a buyer asks for one.  Keep in mind that the critical issue is not to just get a discount for discount’s sake, but rather to buy the laser at or below the prevailing market value.  Follow these guidelines when negotiating:

• Only enter into negotiations with a broker with whom you feel comfortable and who may have been recommended by a fellow physician.
• Make an opening offer that is low, but in the ballpark.
• Decide ahead of time how high you will go and back away when your limit’s reached.

In addition to negotiating the price, you should also be aware of what standard accessories should come with the laser.  You need to require that the broker is very clear what is included in the price.  Common accessories are:  Keys, Operators Manuals, Treatment Parameters Guide, Operator Eyewear, Patient Eyewear, Footswitch, Cryogen, Treatment Tips, Light Guides, and Hand pieces, Additional Fibers, Water Refill Kits.

To be safe, some lasers should be installed by a laser service technician after it is delivered to your practice.  Ask your broker if this service can be offered with your laser purchase.  This usually costs extra, however it can be very worthwhile to ensure that the unit is set up properly and that no accidental misuse occurs.  If you have never operated the laser you intend to purchase, this is especially important.  You should also make arrangements for training if you have never operated this laser.  The laser broker can often arrange for training and you can ask that he build the cost of training into the purchase price of the laser.

Once an agreement has been made, you need to make sure the broker provides you with a detailed invoice that includes all items you will be receiving along with any guarantees that are being provided.  If the laser includes a warranty, be sure the warranty is clearly spelled out regarding exactly what it covers and the time period.  Once this is complete, it is time to prepare for shipping the laser to your clinic.  Be sure to verify that shipping insurance is provided on the laser during transit for the full purchase price.  Your worst nightmare would be the laser is damaged during shipment and you cannot get your money back from the broker. Having insurance allows for reimbursement in the event an accident happens during transit.

Buying a used laser, but thinking of replacing it with another used cosmetic laser? Advertise it with us here.

New Classified Listings For Cosmetic Lasers & IPLs

We've just finished with our new classified listings area for selling your medical spa, used cosmetic laser or IPL, or even your business services.

We've been using 'forums' to try and offer a place for our Members to be able to sell their used equipment, but that's always been something of a hack. So, we've created a subdomain and put up a dedicated classified listings site - along with our medical spa jobs site - that goes hand-in-hand with our forums where you have access to cosmetic laser & IPL reviews as well as very specific 'how to' threads.

This new site works much better, allowing you to upload images of what you're selling, has integrated Google maps and some really nice contact features that forums just don't provide; like automatically expiring a listing so that you don't have to wonder if that Palomar Starlux you've been eyeing is still on the market.

Right now, you don't even need to register with this site, although that may change in the future.

I want to put a special shout out for a couple of our Select Partners — Frontdesk SEO — who put up the dosh to get this done and are helping to sponsor the site and build out the Business Vendor category so that business will now have truly inexpensive place to add thier services. This was specifically designed for business that sell directly to medical spas — like IPL head refurbising, used cosmetic laser retailers and even marketing companies — to have a place that they can affort do advertise... right where the buyers are. ; )

There are a couple of things to remember.

Used cosmetic laser resellers are welcome to list their entire inventory individually or list their business in the 'Business Services' category.

Note: If you’re listing your business as a provider that sells equipment, technology or services to cosmetic clinics, you’re required to post your listings in the Business Services Category. If you abuse the system you'll be banned.   ; (

Pricing

Some of the listings will cost you a little to post. All listings are for 45 days.

• Individual Listings: $9
• Featured Listings: +$9
• Business Vendors: $45

How to create a listing that sells

One line descriptions don’t do well. If you want to make a sell, follow these rules:

• Be descriptive! Make sure that you include  an accurate, lengthy description if you’d like to make a sell. Studies show that listings with at least 400 words sell more than 4X as well as brief descriptions.
• Add images: Your buyers want to see what they’re buying. You can add up to 5 images. Use them in the listing and don’t just put a link out to your Flikr account.
• Use your email as your contact info: Include your email address in your listing. If your listing sells, you won’t want to keep fielding endless phone calls. Use your phone number in your email responses.
• List your items individually: People want to know exactly what you’re selling from the title. Don’t try to squeeze multiple, different types of products in the same listing.
• Make your title descriptive: Include the product, location and price in the title if you can.

Remember: Only Members may post listings. If you’re not yet a member you can join Medical Spa MD here. It’s free, which is a terrific price.

New Medical Spa MD Products Coming Soon!

There are some new Medical Spa MD products under development for our Members.

I've been exchanging emails with a number of member physicians running medical spas and it has me thinking.

I'll first say that I generally don't like consulting with individual medical spas and don't generally do it. Yes, I've opened seven medspas and, yes, I have helped physicians and trained docs, but I decided long ago that the 'medical spa consultant' is most often a hack, has a terrible business model, and doesn't have any fun. That's not for me.

Many of the emails are general in nature; How can I improve my medspa's website, use patient testimonials, finance my clinic, etc... but there are a few bullet points that stand head and shoulders above the rest in terms of where a physician running a medical spa's concerns lie;

• What technology should I avoid or buy?
• How can I get the best training in new treatments?
• How can I improve my business operations?
• How can I drive new patients and increase my business?

There are a few other secondary contenders but these are the questions most often asked.

We've devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort on providing resources around some of these. You can read through thousands of insider comments in the IPL and cosmetic laser forums to see what other physicians and medical spas think of the technology they're using, or why they didn't buy something. There's also a tremendous number of posts and comments about business operations, marketing, advertising and more than a few about medical training, but I've come to believe that there are also some holes in our offering and some places to improve.

While you can use all of the information on this site to make better decisions, there are benefits to having everything put together in a logical format or product that you can use. While we've been fantastically effective in organizing our members and using our combined group buying power to get Select Partners that offer our Members discounted Botox pricing, malpractice protection, outsourced internet marketing, or postcard marketing there's a lot of insider information that's not so easily packaged up and offered broadly.

However, the feedback that I received from our Medical Spa Training Manuals has me thinking that we should be doing more to offer quality 'how to' products that physicians can actually use to address both their internal operations, and drive more patients and revenue.

The challenge has always been that it's just to much work to take the very best of this information, develop a comprehensive, quality product from it and then train an individual do on how to use it. It's just not an efficient model to deliver individually, without some sort of broader distribution to keep the cost at a manageable level for our Members.

But our growth has now put us in a position that we can scale. ; ) So, about a week ago we decided that we were going to organize and produce a number of new information products to address specific needs for our Members. (If you're not already a Member, join Medical Spa MD here.)

These products are not going to be general information, they're going to be specific 'how to' products that give you simple, plug and play directions that you can implement within days.

Medical spa products that we're working on right now:

• The most comprehensive medical spa operations manual ever developed that details specific treatments and procedures, from how to answer the phone, to how to handle cash, to up-selling. This one product took me literally 16 months to write (when you see it you'll know why) and I used it in every one of my clinics every day. This isnt' some crappy 'template' that you'll get from a 'consultant' who couldn't make any money with thier own medspa and now wants to tell you how to run yours. This one product will change your medical spa into a real business that gives your staff the tools they need to perform at peak efficiency.
• The Medical Spa Blueprint. A complete blueprint that speaks to physicians running medical spas or cosmetic clinics. The Medical Spa Blueprint will be a free strategic and tactial overview of the key points you'll be addressing in your clinic.
• How to drive an extra $120,000 in revenue in one month. Yep. You read that correctly. I'm going to offer a product that's the single most effective revenue producing system I'm aware of. I've used it in every medical spa or cosmetic practice I've been a part of to drive revenue and it's NEVER failed to deliver spectacular results. I've used it to increase monthly revenue at a single clinic by up to $120k without canibalizing existing business. It is BY FAR the single best thing you can do to increase sales. The best thing about this system is that you can use it over and over to actually increase your profit margin with full-price treatments that don't erode your business.
• Outsourcing for your medical spa. I started outsourcing a number of business functions years ago and have been running businesses with full-time outsourced team for the last five years. Most people give up outsourcing because they spend just as much time managing their team as they did when they were doing everything themselves. But if you do it correctly, outsourcing can free you to work on your business rather than just work inside it.
• New site for Medical Spa Classifieds so that you can buy and sell your cosmetic lasers and IPLs.
• New site for Medical Spa Jobs.

These products are going to take some time but as soon as we launch we'll make some general notifications. As always there will be no pressure to buy. If we're offering a product that's not for you, then it's not for you. We'll also be offering Members some introductory offers and additional free downloads that well be available in our Members Only area.

If you've never purchased anything from us (you're not alone), consider looking though the offerings of our Select Partners and making a test purchase. See what your experience is like and compare it with going it alone. We're confident that you'll not only have a better experience that you're having with your existing solutions, you'll be getting a better price.