Buying Machinery Parts: 5 Important Tips

Purchasing the right parts is crucial when maintaining and optimizing machinery. Whether you’re looking for car parts or computer components, understanding how to buy parts effectively can save you a lot of time, money, and headaches later down the line. Below are just a few part-buying tips that every technician, business owner, and hobbyist needs to know. 

Identify the right part

While this might sound like an obvious tip, many of us have made the mistake of buying the wrong parts when trying to fix something, knowing the name of the machinery part is often not enough – you need to make sure that you get the right size and, in many cases, the right brand. Do your research into parts classification to get the correct part. For example, research the bearing number meaning and load capacity when shopping for bearings. Keep onto old parts to help you know what you’re looking for. 

Inspect used parts first

Used parts can be much cheaper than new ones, but the condition is not always as excellent. It’s crucial that you only buy gently used and not heavily used parts – an overly worn part will just end up breaking in a couple months, and you’ll be back to square one. Buying used parts in person allows you to thoroughly inspect them. However, most parts are fairly niche and need to be bought online – in this case, you cannot physically inspect them first, but should make sure adequate photographs are required and that the seller has detailed the condition of them. 

Consider availability of old parts

When hunting for parts for very old machinery, you may find that the parts have long stopped being manufactured. As a result, there may be limited availability of parts and you may have to spend a lot more money to acquire them. If the cost of parts is equal or more than the value of the machine, you should seriously consider whether it’s worth buying new parts or simply replacing your machinery. Unless you’re restoring a vintage machine as a personal project, it’s often not worth spending massive amounts of money on a rare part. 

Get help from an expert

When helping to track down the right part, don’t be afraid to work with an expert if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. Some online parts stores have customer support staff you can talk to who can help you identify the correct part and find it for free. There may also be forums or Reddit pages where you can inquire about certain parts. Of course, you can also pay a technician to source a part for you, however this may come at an extra charge. 

Check the return policy

When ordering parts, always check the return policy. If you accidentally buy the wrong part, it’s useful to know that you can return it – and either get a refund or free exchange for the right part. Looking into warranties on relatively expensive parts like tanker trailer tires could also be worthwhile.