So you’re looking for a treadmill. New treadmills can be expensive. But you can find treadmills that have been barely used for a fraction of the price. Why? Because many people buy treadmills with all the intentions of getting into shape. Maybe for a New Years resolution. But after using the treadmill for a little while, it ends up being a coat rack, or gathering dust in the garage or basement. Then one day, they decide to sell it, or even give it away. This is where you come in. To pick a great deal on a next to new treadmill!
One thing to be aware of is that a used treadmill does not carry a warranty. So you are on your own if something goes wrong with it. So you want to make sure you are getting a solid unit. But with the high prices of new treadmills, you may be able to buy two, or even three used treadmills.
First, you need to decide just how much treadmill you need. There are all kinds of treadmills out there. From cheap non-motorized treadmills, to big heavy duty treadmills that you would find in a gym. Personally, I recommend avoiding the non-motorized treadmills. If you really want one, I have even seen them for free out on the curb on trash day. But they are junk. You will be much happier with a motorized treadmill. The bigger the motor, the better. You don’t want anything less than 1HP. Something between 1.5HP and 2.5HP would be better! If you do a search, you will find lots of pages with recommendations about what to look for in buying treadmill. You will need to decide what features that you need. Mine has a bunch of different speed programs such as fat burning, and aerobic. But I really only use the manual mode. But thats me. Also some treadmills have motorized inclines, and some dont. Some newer treadmills with even have more complex programs that change the speed, and incline automatically.
The better the treadmill, the more it is likely to cost. But if you are patient, you will likely find a good deal on a treadmill that will fit your needs. And the longer you are willing to wait, the better the odds of finding a great deal.
Okay, places to find used treadmills. Think local! Treadmills are big and heavy. Shipping costs will be high. So you will be better off finding something within driving distance. The farther you are willing to drive, the better the odds of finding that great deal!
The first place to look would be the classified ads in your local paper. You need to be quick with these because you may not be the only person looking for a treadmill. And if a great deal pops up in the classifieds, the first guy to get there, gets it! I like to access my local newspaper’s classifieds online. It is a little easier than rushing to the store everyday to see if per chance there is a treadmill listed for a great price.
Similar to newspaper classified, is CraigsList. CraigsList contains free classified ads. You need to go to the section of CraigsList for your local area. Along the right side of the screen, click on your state. Then a list of cities will come up. Click on the city closest to you. You may even want to check other cities if they are not too far away. Now in the “For Sale” section, click on the “Sporting” link. You will find a list of ads, with the most recent listed first. If you see something you are interested in, call the phone number if they list one, or send an email to the “Reply to” email address at the top of the listing. Check CraigsList daily as new listings can appear at any time.
Ebay is a good source for treadmills, and in fact is where I bought my current treadmill (a Proform J6si). eBay will show you treadmills all over the country, or even world. But as I said, shipping a treadmill is expensive, and you probably want to avoid it. Fortunately, you can sort by distance, and see the treadmills that are close to you. First go to ebay. Go to Sporting Goods> Exercise & Fitness > Cardiovascular Equipment > Treadmills. Change the “Sort by” to “Distance: nearest first”. Now you’ll see the treadmills in your area. Don’t be too concerned if there aren’t many, or even any of them. New items are placed listed on eBay everyday! When you see a treadmill of interest, just add it to your watch list. Email the seller with any questions. Be sure that they will allow local pickup without any extra fees. Make sure the seller has a good feedback rating.
A couple more sources are garage sales, and thrift shops. There will take a little more work, since, you will actually have to travel to the garage sales, or thrift shops to see if they actually have any. It will be much more hit and miss.
Sometime, you might be lucky enough to find a treadmill out on the curb for trash day. Now these are probably not going to be an expensive model that is only a couple years old, and barely used. But a free is a good price. The treadmill might still have life left in it. Be prepared to do some maintenance to make it usuable.
Now don’t forget, you still need to get the treadmill home. Treadmills are big and heavy! A decent tradmill is not going to fit in the back of a Honda Civic, or even on the roof. You will need a truck. And you will probably need a strong friend. Fortunatly for me, I had my buddy Nick who drives a Suburban. He helped my pick up the treadmill, bring it home, and then he helped me get it in the house, and up the stairs. There was no way I would have been able to do it alone. And I think it would have been to heavy even for my wife to have helped me.

Posted by Rob in Running on January 14th, 2007 | 1 Comment