Where to Buy Your Espresso Machine

The best place to buy your espresso machine is almost always from a qualified local service technician. Your local service technician or company will often be in the best position to understand the scope of your project, help you find the equipment that best fits your needs, and will be able to support that equipment long after the sale is complete. There is a lot that goes into making this decision, which we will explore below.

Some coffee shops will design their entire store with the espresso machine in mind. They pay careful attention to the color, shape, size and placement for the machine, and try to match their design elements to compliment the machine itself. Other cafes may see the espresso machine as just a way to serve espresso, and consider its purchase along side other less central equipment purchases like the refrigerators or the sinks. While both of these decision making processes are valid, the most critical decision a cafe can make is WHERE they purchase their equipment from.

We have become accustomed to jumping on our computers for every little thing we need. From doing the research on different models, to trying to find the lowest purchase price by comparison shopping with a couple clicks, there is no denying that the internet plays a vital role in our decision making process. While this seems straight forward, there are a lot of considerations that should be taken into account. Unfortunately, many buyers find out the hard way that the lowest price is often not the least expensive option.

Wait, what? How can the lowest price not be the least expensive option? Espresso machines could be compared to a vehicle. The first major consideration is the initial cost of purchasing, but there are other major long term costs such as routine maintenance, parts, reliability, emergency repairs, as well as the depreciation of value after the purchase from new. It is also crucial to consider; who will be the person to service the equipment?

The hidden costs: Parts

Similar to a car, every espresso machine will require routine maintenance, and there may also come a time when emergency service is required if that machine breaks down. With literally hundreds of espresso machine brands and models, it is impossible for any one service company to stock parts required to fix them all. In fact, most service companies prefer to stock parts for only a few brands or models that they commonly work with. This means that if you purchase a machine online that is not directly supported by your local service company, it can take several trips and from days to weeks to bring your machine back on line, or to complete the service.

It is true that some espresso machines have interchangeable parts, but most models have at least a few (if not lots) of proprietary or uncommon parts. If these need to be ordered from a supply company every time they are needed, it can be a big turn around time, or an expensive overnight parts charge that you will have to pay for. Down time is always the most expensive kind of failure, and one event can cost a company hundreds or thousands, in addition to inconveniencing their customers.

In contrast, when a local service tech makes an equipment sale, they often spend a good chunk of that margin on stocking up on common-fail parts. This helps to ensure that any unexpected equipment failures can be quickly and efficiently repaired with parts on hand. When you purchase your equipment online, you often have to wait several days to even get a technician dispatched to diagnose the problem.

The hidden costs: Labor

Most reputable equipment manufacturers offer a warranty that covers parts as well as labor for anywhere from 12-24 months. Part of the agreement for resellers is that they cover any costs associated with parts or labor on the machines that they sell. This creates a bit of a mess if the machine you purchased online is in need of warranty work.
Step 1:
You call the seller (best of luck reaching them) and explain the issue you are having.
Step 2:
The online seller would then need to call the manufacturer to find the name of any nearby qualified technicians.
Step 3:
The online seller would then need to contact each of those companies to find someone who is available, and someone who can do the job as inexpensive as possible.
Step 4:
The local technician then needs to schedule with you, and often will bill you directly, leaving you to try and get reimbursed by your seller.

Do you really want to be going through all of this mess when your equipment is down? Is the first available and often the cheapest company really the best one for the job?

Let’s compare this process with a machine that has been purchased through your local service company.
Step 1:
Call the local service company, who is directly responsible for your warranty.
Pretty easy, right?

The hidden costs: Value

The value of equipment is often the most overlooked hidden cost. There are no shortage of low-cost machines available on the market, and these machines have their place in the industry. What is often not discussed is the life span of these less expensive machines. In the coffee industry, these cheaper options are often considered “disposable” after 5-7 years. At this point, the cost of any repairs often exceeds the actual value of the machine itself. We see this constantly when a cafe puts their 6 year old machine up for auction, and a new cafe gets a “great deal” on used equipment. Often they are heart broken to discover that the cost of repairs are more than they spent on the machine itself.

Higher end machines are more expensive, but they can have a significant retained value. Many times when the machine ages to the point where heavy maintenance needs to be done, the value of the machine is still far greater than all of that work to give it a refresh, and many more years of life. Not only is this the more environmentally conscious decision, but it is the most economical choice as well. A high end machine can easily last 30 years with proper maintenance and care.

In those 30 years, a purchase of more than 4 of those “disposable” machines has now greatly exceeded the cost of a one-time investment in a high end espresso machine. Added bonus that the high end machine still has value at this point. If you ever want to see the economics of this in action, just jump on e-bay and see the discrepancy of the pricing on used equipment. (Don’t buy on e-bay, trust us. We’ll cover the dangers of blind buying in another article.) Look at the sheer number of low cost used machines, versus some of the high-end brands.

So the general idea is that many times the cheapest equipment ends up being the most expensive option over time. Trusting a reputable local coffee technician or company to guide you through the sale, and to stay with you for the long term care of this equipment is usually the lowest cost option for the life of the equipment. Your local technician will be directly responsible for your satisfaction, and their reputation is often dependent on keeping their good business. The local coffee tech is the best place to buy your espresso machine, because they have the resources to make sure your cafe does what it does best: make coffee confidently.