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