PSA: That cheap document scanner I grabbed off Facebook Marketplace cost me more in the end

I saw this ad for a used Fujitsu ScanSnap for like $40 and thought I was getting a steal. Drove 45 minutes to some guy's garage to pick it up, and it looked fine in the pictures. Got it home, plugged it in, and it jammed on every single page I tried to feed through it. Spent two whole afternoons taking it apart and watching YouTube repair videos before I gave up. Ended up having to pay a local shop $60 just to tell me the roller assembly was shot and not worth fixing. So I wasted $40 on the scanner, $60 on the diagnosis, and probably 8 hours of my life. Has anyone else gotten burned on used electronics that looked okay but were totally busted?

2 comments

2 Comments

benclark9d ago

Did you try cleaning the rollers before you bought a replacement or took it apart? I've picked up a few cheap scanners and printers off marketplace that just needed the rubber parts wiped down with alcohol. Those machines are built to last forever if you keep em clean. Not saying you're wrong, but I've had way more wins than losses with used gear when I factor in the time to fix minor stuff.

averymartin9d ago

Did you tear into it before even plugging it in once? I bought a "gently used" label printer off Craigslist that looked mint in the photos, but the first label got halfway through and turned into a crumpled mess. Spent a whole weekend rebuilding the feed mechanism with parts I ordered from China, only to have it crap out again two weeks later.