If you have ever entertained the thought of starting up your own
custom embroidery company. Here is something to consider when
researching what type of embroidery machine you should purchase?
Should I look for a brand-new piece of equipment or would I be better
off buying a used machine? I would have to say that it is all relevant
to the price as well as how well that particular piece of equipment
was maintained. An embroidery machine is similar to a car, where at
the moment it is driven off the dealers lot, it will depreciate up to
25%. I feel that you are much better off purchasing a machine that is
3 to 4 years old where the lion’s share of the depreciation has
already happened assuming that the equipment has been well maintained.
So many people make the mistake of taking out a substantial loan in
order to purchase their embroidery machine before they have the
clientele to justify that monthly payment. Why not purchase a used
embroidery machine for a small fraction of what you can buy a new one
for? Another thing to consider is how many sewing heads will I need?
Every year there are trade shows in almost every major city, with all
the different manufacturers. This is an excellent place to at least
compare apples to apples when buying new equipment. Here is something
to be aware of at these trade shows. One of the things that bothers me
in particular at the shows is the sales representative who is trying
to convince the uneducated shopper that he can make a good living with
a one head machine. This simply is not true. A one head embroidery
machine is only capable of sewing one item at a time. Therefore, your
production capability is extremely limited. Do not fall for this. The
initial investment for a single head unit is obviously less than a
multiple head unit, but if it only lends itself to a small amount of
T-shirts for finished caps a day, then how was that a good value? You
get what you pay for.
I personally would recommend the purchase an extended service contract
when buying a new machine. To not have one is like playing Russian
roulette. It?s not a matter of if your embroidery machine is going to
eventually breakdown but it’s more like when you’re equipment
eventually breaks down.It?s only a matter of time.The manufacturers,
engineer these machines with planned inefficiency. They take into
consideration how many hours that particular machine will run
effectively before things start to wear out. If you don’t have that
warranty, then you might have to pay for a technician to not only fix
and replace the part that malfunctioned, but you could quite possibly
have to cover his traveling expenses and overnight hotel stay if they
don’t have a repair office in your city.