I’ve been selling copiers in Tallahassee since 1984. I’ve seen a lot of proposals cross my desk over the years — ours and competitors’. Most are straightforward. But there’s a practice happening in this market right now that I think you should know about before you sign your next copier agreement. I’m not going to name names. I don’t need to. If it’s happening to you, you’ll recognize it.
The Off-Lease Copier Market Is Real — and Mostly Fine
Let me start here, because I want to be fair: there is nothing inherently wrong with selling an off-lease copier. The off-lease market is a legitimate part of this industry. When a business’s copier lease ends, that machine goes back to the leasing company. The leasing company sells it — often to wholesale remarketing brokers. Some of those brokers inspect the machines, replace wear parts, clean them up, and resell them to dealers. Other wholesalers are just middlemen and don’t do anything other than ship the offlease copier to a new market and it becomes someone else’s problem. This process enables some dealers to sell them to businesses at a lower price than a new machine.
That’s a reasonable transaction. An off-lease copier with 150,000 pages on the meter, refurbished and serviced properly, can run reliably for years. Some businesses are a perfect fit for that kind of equipment. I’m not here to tell you off-lease is bad. I’m here to tell you that when someone sells you an off-lease copier while calling it something else, like a floor model or demo unit, that’s a different conversation.
Here’s Where the Off-Lease Copier Story Gets Murky
What I’m seeing in this market is dealers quoting off-lease copiers — off-lease copiers sourced from wholesale remarketers — machines that were on lease with another business somewhere — and describing them to prospects as “floor models” or “demo units.” Sometimes the word “new” floats around in the conversation. Sometimes it doesn’t appear anywhere, but it doesn’t have to — the implication is there.
Why does that matter? Because “floor model” implies the machine lived in a showroom. It implies low usage, controlled environment, maybe a few button presses at a trade show. That’s a very different picture from a machine that spent five years in a law firm or a government agency in New Yourk printing thousands of pages a month before being returned at lease end, sent to Texas, refurbished, and shipped back to Florida.
Both machines can be good. I want to be clear about that. But they are not the same thing, and they should not be described the same way.
Why Some Reps Don’t Tell You This
Why would a rep not disclose that a machine is off-lease? A few reasons, none of them flattering:
- They know “floor model” sounds better than “off-lease refurbished” and they’re counting on you not asking.
- They’re competing against new equipment pricing from dealers like us, and they can’t win on price if you know what you’re comparing.
- Sometimes, honestly, the rep themselves doesn’t fully understand the supply chain. They were told it’s a “demo unit” by their own manager and they passed that along without questioning it.
The third case is the most charitable. The first two are problems. And in any of these cases, the burden is still on the dealer to get it right before putting a proposal in front of you.
What You Should Ask — and What a Straight Answer Looks Like
Before you sign a copier agreement for any machine that isn’t clearly identified as brand new from the manufacturer, ask these questions:
- “Is this machine new or refurbished?” — A yes or no answer. “It’s basically new” is not an answer.
- “What is the meter count?” — Get the number. An actual floor model or demo should be under 10,000–20,000 pages. Higher means something else.
- “Where did this machine come from before it came to you?” — A dealer selling a true demo unit can answer this specifically. They can also provide a service history report. A dealer who sourced an off-lease copier from a wholesale broker should be able to say so plainly.
- “Can I have the serial number?” — Before signing. Not after. If there’s hesitation on this, walk.
- “What does the contract say about the condition of the equipment?” — Read it. If the contract says “new” and the machine is refurbished, that is a legal problem — for the dealer — but it’s your headache to unwind. In our company we say when we propose any machine that isn’t new. What I’ve seen in our marketplace are competitors selling non-new equipment and not mentioning that fact on their proposal. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
A dealer who is being straight with you will answer every one of these without flinching. If you get vague answers, deflection, or a sudden pivot to how great the price is — slow down.
Where ABS Stands on This
We sell new equipment. Canon, Ricoh, Toshiba, Kyocera — from authorized channels, in boxes, with manufacturer documentation. When we occasionally sell a refurbished or off-lease copier, we say so, upfront, on the quote. The meter count is disclosed. The service history, to the extent we know it, is disclosed. The service agreement terms are written to match the equipment.
I’m not saying this to pat ourselves on the back. I’m saying it because “this is how it should work” is a low bar, and apparently not everyone is clearing it.
What This Means for Businesses in Tallahassee and North Florida
If you’ve received a proposal recently that includes a “floor model,” “demo unit,” or any machine priced suspiciously below market — ask the questions above. If you get good answers, great, maybe it’s a legitimate deal. If you don’t, call us. We’re not going to tell you the other guy is terrible. We’re going to tell you what the machine is actually worth, what it would cost to service it, and what a comparable new machine from an authorized dealer would run you. You can make the call from there.
(850) 222-2308 | a-b-s.com/contact | 1236 N Monroe St, Tallahassee, FL 32303
Forty years in this business. We’re not going anywhere. Neither is our reputation for telling people the truth about what they’re buying.
— Brian Snow, Advanced Business Systems
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If someone sells me a refurbished copier as a “floor model,” is that illegal?
A: Potentially, depending on how the contract is written and what was represented verbally. If a contract states “new” equipment and the machine is refurbished, that’s a material misrepresentation. Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) covers this kind of thing. That said, pursuing legal remedies is a headache. The better move is to ask the right questions before you sign. See the FTC’s consumer guides on deceptive business practices for general reference.
Q: Are off-lease copiers a bad deal?
A: Not automatically. An off-lease copier with a low meter count, properly refurbished, and backed by a solid service agreement can be good value for the right organization. The issue is transparency — you should know what you’re buying so you can evaluate the deal on its actual merits.
Q: How does this affect Florida state agencies specifically?
A: State agencies procuring equipment under NASPO or other cooperative contracts typically have specifications that include equipment condition. Receiving refurbished equipment under a contract that specifies new equipment creates compliance risk for the agency. Ask your vendor explicitly, get the answer in writing, and make sure the contract reflects it.