Tips For Buying a Used Sewing Machine
It’s started.
When Covid hit and sewing machines flew off the shelves, they have barely been restocked. You can certainly drop some bank on a brand new one, but used ones are starting to show up in thrift stores and online and if you have some patience you can get a GREAT deal. You can also buy used machines from places like KTR Sewing Centre and Sew Inspiring. I’m not sure if they allow you to be put on a list, but it’s a few other places to check!
Since so many people ask about how I buy my used machines (I’ve never bought one new!), here’s my process, I hope it helps you!
Decide what you’re looking for: an embroidery machine, a starter machine, a serger, coverstitch, a back up straight stitch machine? If you’re a relatively new sewist, a machine with straight and stretch stitches and a buttonhole is a great start! Just zoom in on the photo to see what types of stitches the machine does. I personally think a fully adjustable machine is necessary, meaning that you can change not only the stitch type, but also the length and width of the stitch.
If you’re buying in a store, make sure you plug it in and check that it works. Often the thrift store will have some material under the presser foot you can use.
Whatever it is, set up alerts on your local buy and sells. You can do this on Kijiji by entering a search term, ex. “Singer Heavy Duty” and then asking it to let you know when items are listed with those search terms. I would recommend doing this in several iterations, meaning “Singer”, “Sewing Machine”, “Heavy Duty Sewing Machine”. So very often people will list it only as a sewing machine, and then you need to click into the listing to see that it’s what you want!
Be consistent about checking for alerts, or make sure they are turned on especially if you’re looking for something specific. Berninas, Janomes, Babylocks and Vikings tend to go super quick!
Once something matches look for at LEAST the following in an ad:
Photo(s) of the machine
Photo of something sewn
Confirm it has the foot pedal and power cord
Confirm any accessories that it comes with including, extra presser feet (zipper, zigzag, buttonhole), an extra thread stand for a double needle, a screwdriver & cleaning brush and manual
During your interaction, ask for a video of the machine sewing and/or that you can test it before purchasing. Bring your own thread/needle/material so you aren’t stuck not being able to make it work if they don’t have anything onhand.
Pay & enjoy your deal!
Anticipate to get it serviced if necessary because sometimes they can be great deals but need a little love to make it work like new. There’s a “highlight” of places in Winnipeg that do sewing machine servicing on my Instagram profile. I know they’ve been inundated with lots of people asking to service their machines, so it may take a bit, but if you’ve followed the rest of these steps then it’s probably working reasonably!
What other things do you look for with a used machine?