A powerful POS system is now considered the most important factor that contributes to the growth of modern retail businesses. However, if retailers decide to implement a new and up-to-date POS system, they will have to pay a certain amount of money. For some businesses, especially newly established ones, this amount can place an extra financial burden on their operations. Hence, a used POS system appears to be a better option.
Yet, is it really a wise decision to pay for an old POS system?
Overview
Advantage of used POS systems
Money-saving
Starting a business is never an easy task. When the business is first introduced, the owners will face various challenges in terms of operation, financial issues, and human resources. In these cases, adopting a used POS system can be considered as a better option rather than a new one. This is a possible way for new businesses to save money for other necessities but also be able to upgrade their process with cutting edge technology innovations.
Suitable options for small businesses
For small businesses, who are in the process of experimenting with new technology innovations in order to find the best suitable methods. An old POS system is recommended since it offers every basic functionality required and provides retailers an overview picture of how it actually works.
Disadvantages of used POS systems
Obsolete software
One of the most common disadvantages of used POS systems is their obsolete software. Usually, a used POS system is provided with outdated software and lacks many modern functions or features that may be required to effectively smoothen your business and raise your profit.
Besides, you may also have to face additional risk of encountering security issues since it may not follow the new PCI compliant standard. To illustrate, your POS system can not securely accept credit cards, which will turn you into a potential target of cyber attacks.
In addition, when adopting a second hand POS system, you will need to pay for transferring ownership of the software account or buy a new license. These tasks are significantly important since they will ensure that you are using the software legally and simplify the process of managing and updating your software.
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Outdated hardware
When you buy a used POS system, it means that you will buy a set of old hardware and software. However, POS hardware providers are required to upgrade their products regularly in order to keep them compatible with its software as well as fulfill changing requirements from the market.
Unfortunately, it is much harder to find replacement parts or upgrading services for POS hardware. Besides, POS hardware poses possible obstacles to connect with POS systems as well as peripheral devices such as receipt printers, barcode scanners, touch screens, etc. Moreover, if the warranty period of the hardware expires, you will have to invest a large amount of money to fix its possible problems.
On the other hand, if there are any problems with the new hardware, you can immediately send them back to the manufacturer along with your requirements without having to pay any extra costs.
Lack of modern features
Commonly, used POS systems are designed in order to best fit it with their previous owners. As mentioned above, these POS systems will take you a large amount of time and effort to be customized following new requirements.
In particular, the current market is constantly changing, which requires businesses to upgrade and optimize their process in every aspect such as inventory, supply chain, multistore and multi warehouse. Due to their lack of modern futures, old POS systems may fail in supporting you to compete against other competitors and thrive in the retail industry.
Limited payment process possibilities
Another disadvantage of used POS systems is that they may not be able to be accessed with newly introduced payment methods, some of which are becoming more and more popular among customers. The limited number of possible payment gateway will considerably prevent you from enhancing your customer experiences. As a result, in order to fulfill customer requirements, you may have to allocate a money budget for adopting other extra features.
Lastly
While a secondhand POS system can be a great idea in the early period of fledgling entrepreneurs to cut down operating costs. It is important that businesses carefully consider the disadvantages of used POS systems before having any decision.
ConnectPOS is one of the most up-to-date and robust POS systems. We offer retailers 3 reasonable pricing packages along with many features that fit with all size businesses. Besides, retailers are also offered a 14-day-free trial to get to know our solution. If you are interested in our product, don’t hesitate to contact us today!