Have you thought about approaching suppliers, dependant on yout nationality you may find one willing to trade them in , from a best value pov ebay may be a better route
None. You could probably sell your current machine for more than what you paid for it. Why??? Because, the price of a new X1C (and all Bambu printers) have doubled in price, thanks to Trump tariffs. However, only if you live in the USA.
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So what is the actual trade in value of a used printer?
Cell phones in 3D printers are completely different. I think there’s also probably more rare materials in the cell phone rather than the printer.
Plus the cost of shipping I think would be prohibitive.
I just wish the world had a better way to recycle electronics rather than sending them to Ghana.
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Cell phone upgrades are mostly facilitated by the carriers who do it so that you upgrade your plan, pay more money every month and extend your contract for 2-3 more years.
Bambu has zero incentive to do this. No where else in tech is anyone doing this. To expect it is ridiculous.
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I don’t think buyback is a gimmick. It provides a useful service to users who want to upgrade.
You say that, but you can’t match the spec and price of the current macbook airs. The big problem I have with “windows” laptops is the lack of a haptic trackpad, and awful speakers. But most people only look at the processor speed, and then wonder why they have carry around a bluetooth speaker and mouse with their “portable”.
(EDIT and my last HP had air vents underneath it as it wasn’t fanless, so you had to put a wooden board under it when you used it in bed, because the blankets would block the fan)
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There is a high demand on the H2D. They don’t need to offer a buy back option.
If previous bambu lab owners buy the h2d they will sell their old printer which widens rheir over all footprint. More users more consumeables sold, more users of their apps and communities.
There is no reason for them to offer buy back options as they would lose money and market share. They would have got rid of the old printers instead of selling new ones.
The only reason offer buy back is if you aren’t able to grow your market and beed old consumers to renew their still functional hardware.
Apple does this since they know their consumers don’t really need a new phone and they already have as good of a market share as they can get.
The problem is “how do you sell your old thing?”
Compared to trade in, it is very difficult, almost like a car.
Advertise it. Where? Now random people come to your house to look at it, or you have to work out how to ship a heavy and fragile item. And then the disputes that arise when the buyer either doesn’t know how to use it, or the courier breaks it etc.
Compare to trade in. You drop it off at an official store, they say come back in 1/2 hour, they offer you store credit.
edit While you might be able to navigate the second hand printer selling process, a lot of people can’t or won’t.
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I have sold between 10-15 3D printers to the second hand market. I have had no issue getting good value for my printers.
But of course if you sell now you will compete with the others that upgrade.
But… why should Bambu Lab care? They will just get more customers regardless. They can’t keep up production for their current demand. There is no reason for them to not take as much profit as they can.
I understand that it’s unfortunate for you, but that’s how business works.
basic economics
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to maximise profit you want to make it as easy as possible for as many users to buy a new machine. trade in helps here.
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you want to stop second hand sales, forcing people to buy a new machine. Trade in helps here.
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you want to get 2nd hand repair parts off the market, forcing people to buy from you. Trade in helps here.
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you get a cheap supply of warranty parts from breaking down the trade ins. often these are the old parts that are no longer made, making them the most valuable.
The reasons companies do not to trade in are (1) its difficult as the product is fragile or deteroriates, or (2) lifestyle product that they want people to build their identity around like ridiculous priced handbags
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Award: Most “tell me you don’t understand how the world works without telling me you don’t understand how the world works” thread on the form
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Yes, welcome to the second hand market, that’s how it works. Post good pictures and videos to reduce the time someone has to spend looking over the printer.
Exactly, do you think Bambu would somehow make this magically easier if it was for a trade-in? Are you willing to spend the time and money to pack and ship your printer back to them? You’re still going to have to ship a large, bulky, fragile object that’s going to be quite expensive and difficult for most consumers.
WHAT official store? Microcenter? Sure, let me pack up an X1C in it’s original box (which most people won’t have) and drive across 2 entire states (8 hours, 500 miles) to get maybe $300 off a new printer? Spending a hell of a lot more than that in time, gas, and frustration in that trip.
Then don’t. If you don’t want to figure out how to sell something locally, don’t push that on others who are willing to spend 10 minutes figuring out the best process for their area.
If you want the new H2D, but a $300 difference is enough to make it impossible for you, it’s probably best to save up and wait until you can actually afford it. And if you’re in the US? Just wait, it’s not worth the crazy increases right now
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