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Buying second-hand exercise equipment
Who sells it to you decides your rights. Buy second-hand from a business and the consumer guarantees still apply, acceptable quality included; buy from a private person who isn’t running a business and only three of them do. Those three are title to the product, undisturbed possession, and no hidden debts or charges.
About this guide. airbike.com.au is a guide published by Dotto. This page is general information from Product Safety Australia, the ACCC and Scamwatch, and it names no seller, marketplace or brand as better than another.
Business seller or private seller
| Question | From a business | From a private seller |
|---|---|---|
| Which guarantees apply? | All of them, including for second-hand goods, and including online sellers | Only title, undisturbed possession, and no hidden debts or charges |
| A fault nobody mentioned turns up | You’re entitled to a remedy, for example a refund, repair or replacement | The acceptable quality guarantee doesn’t apply, so that right isn’t there |
| The seller won’t sort it out | If you bought through an online marketplace, the marketplace may be able to help, depending on the situation | Check before you buy whether the marketplace has a buyer protection policy for unsafe products |
Product Safety Australia’s own example makes the point: a buyer who skipped some of a private seller’s photos, which showed damage, found the product damaged on arrival and wanted a refund, but the acceptable quality guarantee doesn’t cover a private sale.
Is the seller a business?
Online it can be hard to tell. The simplest way is to ask whether the seller is operating as a business. Product Safety Australia lists other clues:
- a business name rather than a person’s name, or words like Pty Ltd, Limited or Incorporated
- an Australian Business Number on the listing, which you can check on ABN Lookup
- many current listings or reviews, which suggest frequent selling, though that alone may not settle it
- contact details tied to an office, or an admin or sales contact
- more than one person dealing with you.
Checks before you pay
For a used exercise bike, Product Safety Australia’s general advice for second-hand goods and its exercise bike guide fit together into one list:
- Look it up. Check whether the model has been recalled or banned, or fails a mandatory standard. The recalls guide explains how to search the list.
- Look at the guards. They should be fixed securely and permanently to the frame, cover the moving parts, and need a tool to remove.
- Ask for the instructions. An exercise bike should come with instructions for assembly, maintenance and adjusting the seat. If the seller doesn’t have them, look for them online.
- Read the whole listing. Look at every photo, and if words like “as new”, “good” or “fair” are unclear, ask the seller what they mean before you buy.
- Ask about checks. Ask whether the seller has inspected or tested the product or its parts, and whether there are test reports.
- Think about its age. How old it is, and how long similar products usually last, hints at how much life it has left.
- See it first. Scamwatch’s advice is not to pay for big-ticket items before you have inspected them in person.
Signs of a fake listing
Scamwatch names gym equipment among the goods scammers commonly pretend to sell, through fake stores, copied websites, social media profiles and accounts on real marketplaces. Its warning signs include:
- a price that is unbelievably low, with features that sound too good to be true
- an online store with no terms and conditions, ABN or privacy policy
- a request to pay in an unusual way, such as a money order, a pre-loaded card, or several different PayIDs or accounts
- an account name that doesn’t match the person or business you think you’re paying.
On a marketplace, Scamwatch suggests paying through the secure methods the platform recommends, keeping your messages on the platform, and checking that the payee matches the account or PayID before you pay. Many payments now go through instantly, and you are unlikely to get the money back.
If you’ve paid a scammer
Call your bank
Contact your bank or card provider straight away, report the scam and ask them to stop any transactions. If you aren’t sure it’s a scam, stop sending money.
Get help to recover
Scamwatch points to IDCARE, the national identity and cyber support service, which can help you make a plan at no cost.
Report it
Report the scam to Scamwatch, and you can also make an official report to the police online.
Watch for a second approach
Scammers often come back, and Scamwatch warns in particular about anyone offering to get your money back.
When it arrives
Product Safety Australia’s list for the day a second-hand product arrives: inspect it carefully, check every part you expected is there, look for damage or defects you weren’t told about, follow the instructions for assembly, use and maintenance, and register it with the manufacturer if you can, so you hear about any recall.
Buying new instead? The rights are set out in Buying exercise equipment: your rights.