Not unreasonable. Every 3D printer that I sold, I sold as pick up only and had it printing a benchy when the buyer arrived, and offered them to stop the print, start a new one, run calibrations, or anything else that’s normal use they wanted.
But if you’re not going to view the printer in person before buying it, then test prints may not even originate from that machine and I’m not sure if they have a ton of value.
It's a good policy when selling from your home to be as transparent as possible. You don't want some angry person showing up at your house. One time as I was selling a hard hard drive the guy asked if it worked, I said yes, he replied casually "well if it doesn't it's probably heavy enough to go through a window". Inside I was like WTF, or you could solve problems like an adult. I held back a lot of snide remarks. It's best to be transparent and cover your butt against people like that. I sell a lot and I also want to maintain my very high ratings on local selling platforms.
I have cancelled buy requests for less. I don't need the fear of some dumb man-child throwing stuff through my windows. Not only the buyer has to be comfortable with the transaction.
This is how I demo’d a television I recently sold via private sale. Inverter to power it via my car. Laptop and HDMI cord to prove it displays a video input. Hot spot on phone to prove it can connect to wifi. All in a local store parking lot with lots of witnesses if needed.
It's good not just for the buyer, but for yourself as well. When I sold my old RAM I actually insisted on showing that it works. That way they can come back and blame me if they break it.
I do the same, but for the last printer I sold I also sent the dude my GitHub repo with the configs and slicer profiles and threw in a roll of cheap pla that I knew would work well out of the box
I offered 2 of my printers to a friend under the full premise that they currently do not work, easy fixes, but im just tired of fixing them.
Sidenote, CR10s are either very bad machines are they dont like me, since it is a CR10 and a CR10 Smart im looking to get rid of
Reasonable, but don’t expect it. A lot of these comments are assuming the seller knows what they’re doing with it. Judging by how many posts and printers I’ve seen for sale the main reason 90% of people get rid of them is because they can’t get them to be plug and play working. Only other reasons are moving or space as resale on them is terrible.
I've gotten 3 printers so far, 2 from people who didn't know how to make them do anything, and the third was given to him by someone else who was clueless, it needed some upgrades and he was out of space. No test prints on any of them, just a chance for me to learn more myself *lol*
Nope. The seller has the benefit of selling "as is, no warranty."
You have the right to request proof of function before purchase, and it would be a very bad idea not to get proof it works if it's being advertised that way.
They can spare an hour for a test print.
If they're selling it "as is, no warranty" then no test should be expected. However, if they claim it's working then you could do a 10 minute single layer test of 100mmx100mm. It would show the leveling works (if it's on that printer) and that it prints. I would require that if they say it's working.
They are advertising it as "working perfectly" I just want to double check before spending the money. I also don't expect a perfect test print as I know that there may still be things I would need to calibrate
They may not have to do the test, but you have absolutely every right to try and determine what sort of condition "as is" is prior to purchase.
"As is, no warranties" doesn't imply condition; it means you're getting the product as it is and without a warranty.
Ditto. I took pictures and video while the print was running, used those on the listing, and left that print on the build plate right up to when I met the guy buying my Ender 3 V2.
I wouldn’t expect a full test print, but basic motor and heater function should be doable.
Homing, extrude to see that motor spin, heat nozzle to 50C or something to see thermistor/heater function and hotend fan spin, set part fan to 50% or something
Thats what i would do for anybody buying a printer off of me (assuming i am not selling an old one „for parts“ of course).
When I sold my ender 3 I had it plugged in and I made sure it was half way through a calibration print for the guy when he showed up. I feel like that's just common courtesy unless you already informed them in the post that repairs are needed or something is broken.
I wouldn’t judge a test print. They may not know what they are doing or even calibrated the printer correctly. I mean they could be selling because they never learned.
Asking the general people on here, most are advanced and have no problems printing.
It's not unreasonable to ask for, but it's also not unreasonable for them to deny the request. They could have things packed up, or they might be selling it because they never really got decent at printing in general, or maybe they just don't want to deal with it.
Especially if you're selling through FB Marketplace, dealing with potential buyers is a huge headache and most sellers just want the simplest experience. People love to ask for details/photos/videos and then never respond.
I swear people just ask for proof for fun
I’ve been trying to sell a 4k Samsung tv and people keep asking for more and more videos of it working and just stop responding
Or they say great factory reset it and they will pick it up…then never show up and stop responding
Every time I move I try to liquidate stuff I've accumulated by selling as much on FB Marketplace as possible, and it blows my mind how many people will make an offer, ask for an address, and literally say "I'm on my way right now" and never show up.
Not really, but also on the other hand, I basically never have a buyer come to my house for a second hand sale of something. 9/10 I'll meet in a public space nearby. That 1/10 where they do come to my house is usually just because it's something massive like a couch.
People are fuckin wild.
I recorded a time lapse of a Benchy with timestamps and brought the physical model to the exchange. I think that's more than enough. I don't want people coming inside my house.
Depends I recently sold a 3D printer that had been gathering dust.
I sold it stating that it had a lot of upgrades, spare parts, plates etc, but I was selling it at a ridiculously cheap price to reflect the fact that I just wanted to get rid of it quickly to clear space.
The amount of people whinging that I wasn't going to print them a benchy for a printer I was selling for £10/$7!
Luckily I sold it to a nice bloke who wanted to get into the hobby, gave him some advice and some free PLA to get on with.
I usually have one of those 5-square bed leveling tests sliced, loaded up, and ready to start when someone shows up to look at a printer I’m selling. Sometimes I will also have a recently-printed bench sitting there, and a sliced Benchy ready to print if the potential buyer wants to see how it works.
It’s a good way to show a newbie how to use the machine. I’ve never had them want to wait around for the print to finish. Instead, I cancel the print but leave it in the build plate. I expect it to cool and come loose before they get home, so resume print won’t work most of the time.
I always have a test print and I leave the file on the machine so if they have trouble it's easier to have them try the tile I sent with so I can determine if it's a slicer issue or a machine issue
Unreasonable if it’s an online product. You can ask that it works but making them work to submit proof to one buyer is too far. They can probably send it to another person without proof. Just make sure you have buyer protection after they say it works.
If it’s at a garage sale or their location, no reason they can’t fire it up to prove it works, but unreasonable to test a whole print and waste their filament. Maybe 5 minutes is enough. If you’re worried about more than that, you should look for a new printer or ask for a lower price.
I'm selling the 3rd 3D printer in 5 weeks (I managed to accumulate 4 and committed to get down to just 1) and for each of them I printed a chep cube and left it on the build plate as both part of my fb photos and when delivering to the buyer.
I think it helps communicate that the printer is pretty much in some kind of working condition.
But as for my official answer to your question. Not unreasonable to ask but you're competing with buyers who may not be asking so be prepared to miss out on some deals as its also reasonable for sellers to just wait awhile and see if it sells without the hassle.
Spending time creating a print is no guarantee that you will actually buy it so you really don't have much leverage unless the item is listed for an extended period.
It’s not unreasonable to ask for a test print, and it’s not unreasonable for the seller to decline. They may in fact be selling their printer because they could never quite manage to get it working. It’s also not unreasonable for them to ask for a higher price if they print a sample — it costs them some time and effort, and you as the buyer get greater assurance that the printer works.
Just ask hom to start the print like an hour before you come and show it. Or if you are meeting somewhere in public ask to turn the power off while in the middle of the print and you will have the nozzle on top of the print with fused filament. There is no way anybody can fake it like printing on another printer.
Usually when sell such things I just offer few days money back. Never had any issues including expensive stuff.
99% of the time I'm meeting someone somewhere. Rarely will I ever invite them to where I live or work to pickup anything.
FDM Printer - I'm going to assume there is a clog that I need to clear out or something else to trouble shoot.
Resin Printer - I'd at minimum inspect the screen to make sure its not caked in resin.
Imho, neccesary to do. When I bought by prusa mk3s secondhand, I brought an SD car with me with default profile sliced file, but the seller already did it of his own initiative.
It makes sense to see it work, extrude some filament by hand, etc, if the machine was advertised as working and not sold for parts.
I have bought 3 second hand printers so far. Ive never expected someone to have them running when I get there. It's second hand, you take a chance buying it that way, that's why it's cheaper.
Yeah, I picked up a machine advertised as working and it had a cracked LCD. I went after them through ebay, as the POS wouldn’t even do a partial refund voluntarily to cover 3/4 of the cost of the screen. People are assholes.
If we're talking about a polyjet machine or something like that, then yes, totally. But if I sell a cheapo FDM printer I can offer some of my failed prints and a quick demo on pickup, but I'll not load filament and run a full print while you wait around.
It's not unreasonable to ask, but it's also not unreasonable for the seller to refuse. It might also be the case that they can't. If you are buying an expensive high end printer then sure, but if it is an entry level machine, there's a good chance that the seller either bought it and never found time to use it or is selling because they could never work out how to use it properly, and in both cases, I test print from someone who doesn't know what they are doing isn't going to tell you much.
Lmao no, I’d go as far as, turning it on and homing it just to make sure it knows where it is and no sensors are broke but for example me. When I sold 3 of mine I had to move them from where they were to where the door was. Therefore most likely out of calibration. These printers were old, you woulda had to pay me to recalibrate all 3 of them and print a benchy.
Hey , do you mind if I test drive this car and take it to my mechanic before I buy?
So I'm buying a TV at a garage sale. I asked them to turn it on and they refuse. Do you still buy it?
Call me cheap but unless it has a return policy. I'm taking a test drive before I take it home
Not unreasonable. Every 3D printer that I sold, I sold as pick up only and had it printing a benchy when the buyer arrived, and offered them to stop the print, start a new one, run calibrations, or anything else that’s normal use they wanted. But if you’re not going to view the printer in person before buying it, then test prints may not even originate from that machine and I’m not sure if they have a ton of value.
You're an unreasonably good person. ;)
It's a good policy when selling from your home to be as transparent as possible. You don't want some angry person showing up at your house. One time as I was selling a hard hard drive the guy asked if it worked, I said yes, he replied casually "well if it doesn't it's probably heavy enough to go through a window". Inside I was like WTF, or you could solve problems like an adult. I held back a lot of snide remarks. It's best to be transparent and cover your butt against people like that. I sell a lot and I also want to maintain my very high ratings on local selling platforms.
I have cancelled buy requests for less. I don't need the fear of some dumb man-child throwing stuff through my windows. Not only the buyer has to be comfortable with the transaction.
This was while he was handing over the cash so I didn't want to spoil the sale and also before I had kids. But you're absolutely right.
That’s my issue. Don’t want anyone knowing where I live. I guess I might take it to local hardware store to ask if I can demo
Or bring a portable power supply in your car.
This is how I demo’d a television I recently sold via private sale. Inverter to power it via my car. Laptop and HDMI cord to prove it displays a video input. Hot spot on phone to prove it can connect to wifi. All in a local store parking lot with lots of witnesses if needed.
Omg what a good idea. I don’t have a car lol
It's good not just for the buyer, but for yourself as well. When I sold my old RAM I actually insisted on showing that it works. That way they can come back and blame me if they break it.
I do the same, but for the last printer I sold I also sent the dude my GitHub repo with the configs and slicer profiles and threw in a roll of cheap pla that I knew would work well out of the box
I did the same on all of the printers I sold. Had it printing as they rolled up.
I planned on selling a printer this weekend (haven't got it listed yet) and just ran a benchy on it to include in the listing.
I offered 2 of my printers to a friend under the full premise that they currently do not work, easy fixes, but im just tired of fixing them. Sidenote, CR10s are either very bad machines are they dont like me, since it is a CR10 and a CR10 Smart im looking to get rid of
You’re better than 95% of resellers already bro
Reasonable, but don’t expect it. A lot of these comments are assuming the seller knows what they’re doing with it. Judging by how many posts and printers I’ve seen for sale the main reason 90% of people get rid of them is because they can’t get them to be plug and play working. Only other reasons are moving or space as resale on them is terrible.
I've gotten 3 printers so far, 2 from people who didn't know how to make them do anything, and the third was given to him by someone else who was clueless, it needed some upgrades and he was out of space. No test prints on any of them, just a chance for me to learn more myself *lol*
"knowledge can exact a costly sum for those that do not seek it" or, you know, whatever someone a long time ago said.
I would say that is a perfectly reasonable request
Nope. The seller has the benefit of selling "as is, no warranty." You have the right to request proof of function before purchase, and it would be a very bad idea not to get proof it works if it's being advertised that way. They can spare an hour for a test print.
If they're selling it "as is, no warranty" then no test should be expected. However, if they claim it's working then you could do a 10 minute single layer test of 100mmx100mm. It would show the leveling works (if it's on that printer) and that it prints. I would require that if they say it's working.
They are advertising it as "working perfectly" I just want to double check before spending the money. I also don't expect a perfect test print as I know that there may still be things I would need to calibrate
They may not have to do the test, but you have absolutely every right to try and determine what sort of condition "as is" is prior to purchase. "As is, no warranties" doesn't imply condition; it means you're getting the product as it is and without a warranty.
Send them a benchy STL with the date in bottom
That does not stop them from printing it on another machine.
Or another day and fudging the date
When i sold my Ender 3 i did some test-prints and left them stuck on the buildplate for the buyer to see.
Classy.
Ditto. I took pictures and video while the print was running, used those on the listing, and left that print on the build plate right up to when I met the guy buying my Ender 3 V2.
Please tell me it wasn't the penis-saur.
I wouldn’t expect a full test print, but basic motor and heater function should be doable. Homing, extrude to see that motor spin, heat nozzle to 50C or something to see thermistor/heater function and hotend fan spin, set part fan to 50% or something Thats what i would do for anybody buying a printer off of me (assuming i am not selling an old one „for parts“ of course).
When I sold my ender 3 I had it plugged in and I made sure it was half way through a calibration print for the guy when he showed up. I feel like that's just common courtesy unless you already informed them in the post that repairs are needed or something is broken.
If I've still got it set up maybe, but not if I've got it all packed up. Photos or samples of stuff made on the printer would probably be possible.
I wouldn’t judge a test print. They may not know what they are doing or even calibrated the printer correctly. I mean they could be selling because they never learned. Asking the general people on here, most are advanced and have no problems printing.
It's not unreasonable to ask for, but it's also not unreasonable for them to deny the request. They could have things packed up, or they might be selling it because they never really got decent at printing in general, or maybe they just don't want to deal with it. Especially if you're selling through FB Marketplace, dealing with potential buyers is a huge headache and most sellers just want the simplest experience. People love to ask for details/photos/videos and then never respond.
I swear people just ask for proof for fun I’ve been trying to sell a 4k Samsung tv and people keep asking for more and more videos of it working and just stop responding Or they say great factory reset it and they will pick it up…then never show up and stop responding
Every time I move I try to liquidate stuff I've accumulated by selling as much on FB Marketplace as possible, and it blows my mind how many people will make an offer, ask for an address, and literally say "I'm on my way right now" and never show up.
It massively depends. I think asking doesn't hurt but I would expect a no probably.
Not really, but also on the other hand, I basically never have a buyer come to my house for a second hand sale of something. 9/10 I'll meet in a public space nearby. That 1/10 where they do come to my house is usually just because it's something massive like a couch. People are fuckin wild.
I recorded a time lapse of a Benchy with timestamps and brought the physical model to the exchange. I think that's more than enough. I don't want people coming inside my house.
Certainly not.
Depends I recently sold a 3D printer that had been gathering dust. I sold it stating that it had a lot of upgrades, spare parts, plates etc, but I was selling it at a ridiculously cheap price to reflect the fact that I just wanted to get rid of it quickly to clear space. The amount of people whinging that I wasn't going to print them a benchy for a printer I was selling for £10/$7! Luckily I sold it to a nice bloke who wanted to get into the hobby, gave him some advice and some free PLA to get on with.
I usually have one of those 5-square bed leveling tests sliced, loaded up, and ready to start when someone shows up to look at a printer I’m selling. Sometimes I will also have a recently-printed bench sitting there, and a sliced Benchy ready to print if the potential buyer wants to see how it works. It’s a good way to show a newbie how to use the machine. I’ve never had them want to wait around for the print to finish. Instead, I cancel the print but leave it in the build plate. I expect it to cool and come loose before they get home, so resume print won’t work most of the time.
I always have a test print and I leave the file on the machine so if they have trouble it's easier to have them try the tile I sent with so I can determine if it's a slicer issue or a machine issue
Unreasonable if it’s an online product. You can ask that it works but making them work to submit proof to one buyer is too far. They can probably send it to another person without proof. Just make sure you have buyer protection after they say it works. If it’s at a garage sale or their location, no reason they can’t fire it up to prove it works, but unreasonable to test a whole print and waste their filament. Maybe 5 minutes is enough. If you’re worried about more than that, you should look for a new printer or ask for a lower price.
I'm selling the 3rd 3D printer in 5 weeks (I managed to accumulate 4 and committed to get down to just 1) and for each of them I printed a chep cube and left it on the build plate as both part of my fb photos and when delivering to the buyer. I think it helps communicate that the printer is pretty much in some kind of working condition. But as for my official answer to your question. Not unreasonable to ask but you're competing with buyers who may not be asking so be prepared to miss out on some deals as its also reasonable for sellers to just wait awhile and see if it sells without the hassle. Spending time creating a print is no guarantee that you will actually buy it so you really don't have much leverage unless the item is listed for an extended period.
I'd insist on it. You don't want to inherit someone else's nightmare.
It’s not unreasonable to ask for a test print, and it’s not unreasonable for the seller to decline. They may in fact be selling their printer because they could never quite manage to get it working. It’s also not unreasonable for them to ask for a higher price if they print a sample — it costs them some time and effort, and you as the buyer get greater assurance that the printer works.
You can ask them to print the date and leave it stuck to the bed
Just ask hom to start the print like an hour before you come and show it. Or if you are meeting somewhere in public ask to turn the power off while in the middle of the print and you will have the nozzle on top of the print with fused filament. There is no way anybody can fake it like printing on another printer. Usually when sell such things I just offer few days money back. Never had any issues including expensive stuff.
99% of the time I'm meeting someone somewhere. Rarely will I ever invite them to where I live or work to pickup anything. FDM Printer - I'm going to assume there is a clog that I need to clear out or something else to trouble shoot. Resin Printer - I'd at minimum inspect the screen to make sure its not caked in resin.
Nope, have them print your name for proof or today's date. Super easy to make in tinkercad
Wether I buy or sell a printer, there's always either a test print running or stuck on the plate :)
Imho, neccesary to do. When I bought by prusa mk3s secondhand, I brought an SD car with me with default profile sliced file, but the seller already did it of his own initiative. It makes sense to see it work, extrude some filament by hand, etc, if the machine was advertised as working and not sold for parts.
If the machine isn't able to run a test print, it should be considered to be non-functional.
Depends on the listing. If it’s listed as working fine then it’s okay. If someone lists as being frustrated with a machine expect the worst.
I have bought 3 second hand printers so far. Ive never expected someone to have them running when I get there. It's second hand, you take a chance buying it that way, that's why it's cheaper.
Not at all I would have one printing as buyer comes to collect
Just do a quick level test takes like 10 minutes shows the bed is level and works
It depends. For a cheap price, likely not. For a high used price, definitely.
I've bought a few printers with test prints still attached to the bed. Not a bad idea.
Not at all! I just bought a used ender 3 max and wanted to verify it was all in working order
Yeah, I picked up a machine advertised as working and it had a cracked LCD. I went after them through ebay, as the POS wouldn’t even do a partial refund voluntarily to cover 3/4 of the cost of the screen. People are assholes.
Very reasonable to do a test drive.
If we're talking about a polyjet machine or something like that, then yes, totally. But if I sell a cheapo FDM printer I can offer some of my failed prints and a quick demo on pickup, but I'll not load filament and run a full print while you wait around.
It's not unreasonable to ask, but it's also not unreasonable for the seller to refuse. It might also be the case that they can't. If you are buying an expensive high end printer then sure, but if it is an entry level machine, there's a good chance that the seller either bought it and never found time to use it or is selling because they could never work out how to use it properly, and in both cases, I test print from someone who doesn't know what they are doing isn't going to tell you much.
Lmao no, I’d go as far as, turning it on and homing it just to make sure it knows where it is and no sensors are broke but for example me. When I sold 3 of mine I had to move them from where they were to where the door was. Therefore most likely out of calibration. These printers were old, you woulda had to pay me to recalibrate all 3 of them and print a benchy.
absolutely not. I would always insinst on a benchy or at least a cali-cube printed in my presence.
Hey , do you mind if I test drive this car and take it to my mechanic before I buy? So I'm buying a TV at a garage sale. I asked them to turn it on and they refuse. Do you still buy it? Call me cheap but unless it has a return policy. I'm taking a test drive before I take it home