When searching for a massage chair, you may come across used options—either through Facebook Marketplace or from a friend selling theirs. There can be pros and cons to buying a used massage chair, but I want to focus first on the cons, because they’re the most important to understand.

The Biggest Issue: Warranty

The biggest drawback is that the warranty does not transfer. Unless you’re buying a pre-owned chair from an authorized dealer, there will be no warranty coverage whatsoever.

Private sales—from one individual to another—do not include warranty support, no matter what the seller claims in the ad or what they believe to be true. This is a major risk and something many buyers overlook.

Parts Availability

Another critical issue is parts availability. If you buy a used chair without doing proper research and later discover that the model has been discontinued and parts are no longer available, you’re stuck.

Even if you’re willing to pay out of pocket for repairs, it won’t matter if the parts simply don’t exist. Without warranty support and parts availability, the chair becomes very difficult—or impossible—to repair.

Why Some Used Deals Can Still Make Sense

That said, there are situations where buying used might be worth the risk.

For example, if someone needs to sell quickly and offers a chair that originally retailed for $8,000 for $1,000, that could be a reasonable gamble—especially if the model is still being sold and supported.

If you get even a year of use out of it, you’ve likely come out ahead. Some people spend $5,000–$6,000 on a brand-new, off-brand chair that lasts only six months. Put in that context, a $1,000 used chair isn’t always a bad decision.

When to Walk Away

However, if a used chair is priced close to its original retail value—say only $1,000 or $2,000 less—be very cautious. At that point, it’s usually better to spend the extra money and buy new.

Buying new means you keep:

• Warranty coverage

• Local dealer support

• Parts availability

• Distributor and manufacturer backing

When you buy privately, you give up all of those protections. In some cases, the distributor won’t even service the chair if you’re not the original purchaser.

Final Advice

Be aware of what you’re giving up when buying used. Sometimes the deal is so good that the risk is worth it—but other times, trying to save money can cost you far more in the long run.

I hope you found this explanation helpful.

I’m Dr. Alan Weidner from Massage Chair Relief, and I’ll see you in the next video.
Bye-bye.