When starting your home business, you may find you are on a tight budget. Starting a business is not cheap, and budding entrepreneurs often stretch themselves thin to pursue their dream. Depending on the size of your home office and the nature of your business, you may find that you will be out thousands of dollars after purchasing or leasing office equipment.
At the very minimum, you will need a reliable telephone, computer, fax machine, and printer. You may find that you already have a spare telephone or you could use your cell phone as an office phone line. You may be able to use your existing computer for business. You may have to shop for some items, but it isn’t easy to get good deals at your local electronics and office stores if you can’t wait for a sale on that particular item. However, you might find that your home business could use a copier or large piece of equipment that are out of your budget.
There are a few places to look for very inexpensive – or even free – business machines that would fit nicely in your home office. Buying used equipment that is in good working condition will save you money and function temporarily until your home business turns a profit.
DailyeDeals.com
Not surprisingly, we feel that the Discount Coupons section this website, DailyeDeals.com, is a spectacular place to start when shopping for office equipment for a large business or home office. On this site you will find discount coupons, coupon codes, promotions and discounts for the leading electronics and office supply stores on the Internet. This means you can find terrific deals on brand-new equipment, without any hassle or delay. The goal is to provide the right discounts and promotional codes, so you can get exactly what you want for discount price with no hassles or delays.
Craigslist.org
Craigslist.org is an online bulletin board for almost all U.S. states and is broken down by U.S. city; international locations are listed as well. Visitors can find almost anything on Craigslist, from dating partners to jobs to inexpensive or free office equipment. There are links that take visitors to free items, which is where just about anything can be found for free; often there are copiers, cubicle dividers, and even blueprint plotters listed. You may have to replace a toner cartridge in a printer or have the equipment serviced, but the item costs you nothing.
There is a sale area for those selling items, which can range in price from being affordable to unrealistic, depending on who is selling the office equipment and whether they are willing to negotiate the price.
Craigslist also has an area where you can request items. If there is one item you are having trouble locating, you can post a request for this item and anyone can respond to your request. It is free to post and reply to posters on Craigslist.
Freecycle.org
Freecycle.org is an online network of people worldwide who believe in “recycling” their used goods. This includes office equipment, household items, and just about everything else. Freecycle is free to join; however, unlike Craigslist, e-mail bulletins are sent by way of Yahoo! Groups. The items found on Freecycle are free or low-cost.
eBay.com
By now, everyone knows the joys of eBay. Small and home business owners can buy anything business-related, new or used, on eBay for much less than in retail stores. Shopping on eBay is especially great for buying hard-to-find supplies and equipment. So long as the shipping on your items does exceed what you would pay in the store post-bid, you will be saving money.
When bidding on eBay, particularly in the business equipment section, be sure you are dealing with a seller that has plenty of good feedback. The majority of sellers on eBay are honest, but you will want to make sure their feedback proves they are reputable.
Yard Sales and Thrift Stores
Last but not least, yard sales and thrift stores are great places to find inexpensive office equipment. Coming across good deals on home office equipment at yard sales and thrift stores can also be fun, since it is like a treasure hunt. While these venues are not necessarily your best bet for finding newer equipment, they are your best bet for finding affordable electronics that work and can be tested prior to your purchase. Once you start making big money at your home office, you can purchase all new business machines and donate your old equipment to others.
Of course it is worth noting that time is money, even though you may be more lacking in money then time when you are first starting a business. While places like Craigs List, Free Cycle, eBay and garage sales may get you things for next to nothing or even free, they can sap your time in finding a product and getting it into proper working order. At DailyeDeals, we offer discounts, online coupons and promotional codes that can save big and require almost no effort. Once you have some budget, or perhaps even from the beginning for many equipment items, you may find that the best value is turning to us to help you locate the best deal for cheap office equipment. Since we are so fast and easy to use, you will continue to use us to save on your business purchases even after you've made your first million.