Buying a used washer, dryer, fridge or stove privately: what to check

A used appliance can save you hundreds of dollars, and plenty of them are sold for ordinary reasons: a move, a renovation, a new kitchen that came with its own. The risk is buying someone else’s repair bill. Nearly every expensive problem shows up if you see the appliance running and read its label, so those are the two things to insist on.

Read the label first

Every appliance has a rating plate with the brand, model and serial number. Ask the seller for a clear photo of it before you go: an honest seller sends it in a minute, and it answers three questions.

Where to find it:

• Fridges: inside, on a side wall or the ceiling of the fresh-food section, or behind the bottom grille.
• Washers: under the lid, around the door opening, or on the back.
• Dryers: inside the door frame, or on the back.
• Stoves: behind the storage drawer or on the frame when the oven door is open.
• Dishwashers: on the edge of the door or the tub frame.

How old is it? Use the serial number, not the model number. Most manufacturers encode the month and year of manufacture in the serial and explain how on their support pages. GE’s serial numbers, for example, start with two letters: the first is the month, the second the year. That year letter repeats about every 12 years, so GE suggests checking the print date in the owner’s manual too. LG, Whirlpool, Samsung and Frigidaire publish their own decoders. If the seller says “two years old” and the serial says twelve, you have learned something about the seller as well.

Has it been recalled? Search the brand and model in Canada’s Recalls and safety alerts database, then on the manufacturer’s site. Recalls often cover a range of serial numbers, so check the full number. Dryers, dishwashers and ranges have all had fire-related recalls over the years.

How much power does it use? New appliances in Canada carry an EnerGuide label with their rated annual energy use in kWh. Natural Resources Canada publishes searchable lists of rated models, so you can look up the model and compare it with a new one. An old second fridge can quietly cost more to run each year than the price difference you saved.

Fridge and freezer checks

A fridge needs time to show whether it cools. Ask the seller to have it plugged in and running for 24 hours before you arrive. If they won’t, or it has just been switched on, you can’t judge it.

1. Measure the temperature. Bring an appliance thermometer, or two. Health Canada’s food safety guidance is 4 °C (40 °F) or lower in the fridge and -18 °C (0 °F) or lower in the freezer.
2. Check the seals. Close the door on a sheet of paper or a bill: you should feel it grip as you pull it out. Look for cracks, gaps and mould in the gasket folds.
3. Look for frost. A frost-free freezer with a thick layer of ice on the back wall usually has a defrost fault.
4. Listen. The compressor should hum and then cycle off. Constant running, loud clicking or rattling are bad signs.
5. Test the extras. Ice maker, water dispenser and filter. Ask whether the water line and valve come with it.
6. Open everything. Cracked shelves, bins and door shelves are expensive to replace for their size. Check for rust on the cabinet and smells that cleaning hasn’t fixed.
7. Measure. Width, depth with the doors open, and height under your cabinets. Counter-depth and standard-depth fridges look similar in photos.

Washer and dryer checks

Washer

1. Run a short cycle with water. It should fill, agitate or tumble, drain and spin without error codes.
2. Look underneath and behind for leaks and water stains, and check the hoses for bulges or cracks.
3. Spin the empty drum by hand. Grinding or rumbling points to worn bearings, one of the costlier repairs.
4. On a front-loader, fold back the door gasket. Mould, tears and trapped debris are common. Check the door lock engages and releases.
5. On a top-loader, push the tub. It should move a little and settle, not bang against the cabinet.
6. Ask for the transit bolts. Front-loaders ship with bolts that lock the drum for moving. Without them, a rough trip can damage the suspension.

Dryer

1. Run it on heat for ten minutes. The air from the drum should be hot, and the drum should turn smoothly without squealing or thumping.
2. Check the lint screen is whole and fits snugly.
3. Gas or electric? An electric dryer needs a 240-volt outlet; check its plug matches your outlet (dryer plugs come in 3-prong and 4-prong types) or budget for a new cord. A gas dryer needs a gas line, and in Ontario, connecting one is work for a TSSA-registered contractor; other provinces have similar rules.
4. Plan the vent. Toronto Fire Services recommends metal ducting, rigid or flexible, rather than plastic or foil, which kink, sag and trap lint.

Stacked pairs need a stacking kit made for that model. Ask whether it is included.

Stove, range and dishwasher checks

Electric stoves. Turn every element to high. Coil elements should glow evenly and sit firmly in their sockets. On a glass top, look for cracks and chips, especially near the edges, and check every element heats. Check the controls, clock and timer.

Gas ranges. Each burner should light within a few seconds and burn with a steady blue flame. Smell for gas around the connection. Installing a gas range is work for a licensed gas fitter.

The oven. Set it to 175 °C (350 °F), put a thermometer inside and check it after 15 to 20 minutes. Check the door seal, the light, and, if it has one, that the self-clean lock engages.

The anti-tip bracket. Freestanding ranges are sold with a bracket that stops them tipping forward when someone leans on the open door, a real hazard with young children. Ask for it; if it is missing, buy one for that model.

Dishwashers. They are hard to test once disconnected, so ask the seller for a video of a full cycle before you go. In person, check the spray arms turn freely, the racks aren’t rusted where the coating has chipped, the door spring holds the door level, and the filter and seals are clean.

Microwaves. Health Canada advises against a used microwave with noticeable damage to the door or hinges. Heat a cup of water for a minute and check it is hot.

How to judge a fair price

Age matters more than anything else. A washer that is two years old and one that is twelve can look identical in a photo.

1. Find the age from the serial, as above.
2. Compare the same model and age across Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji. Search the model number as well as the brand and type.
3. Check what new costs. A comparable new model, and scratch-and-dent or open-box stock at appliance stores, set the ceiling. A used appliance with no warranty should sit well below both.
4. Discount for the work. You are moving it, installing it and taking the risk. Missing parts (shelves, transit bolts, a stacking kit, a power cord) come off the price too.

As a rule of thumb, many buyers look for washers, dryers and fridges under about ten years old, because repairs on older ones can cost more than the appliance is worth. How to tell if a price is fair and how to negotiate cover the rest.

Scams to watch for

Appliances are bulky, so most scams lean on delivery. Watch for “brand new in box” appliances at a fraction of retail with free delivery, stock photos, and a seller who wants payment or a deposit before you see it. Run the photo through Google Lens: if it appears on a retailer’s site, it isn’t the seller’s fridge. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre lists these patterns under merchandise fraud. Never pay before you have seen the appliance running.

Moving it home safely

1. Bring help, a dolly and straps. A fridge or washer is too heavy to carry safely alone.
2. Keep fridges upright. GE’s guidance is to move a fridge upright where possible. If it has to lie down, stand it upright for as long as it was on its side before plugging it in, and for 24 hours if it was down more than a day. GE says its French-door and bottom-freezer models must stay upright; check the manual for yours.
3. Lock the washer drum with its transit bolts if you have them, and drain the hoses before you load it.
4. Tape the doors shut and protect glass tops with a blanket.
5. Gas appliances go in by a licensed installer, never as a DIY job.

Searches and filters that work

• Brand and type: “samsung washer”, “lg front load”, “whirlpool dryer”, “frigidaire fridge”, “bosch dishwasher”, “ge gas range”.
• Features: “stacking washer dryer”, “counter depth fridge”, “induction range”, “apartment size fridge”.
• French: “laveuse”, “sécheuse”, “réfrigérateur”, “frigo”, “cuisinière”, “lave-vaisselle”.
• Words to block: “for parts”, “parts only”, “not working”, “needs repair”, “broken”.

Set a radius you can actually haul from. On Facebook, Delivery method Local pickup drops shipped listings.

With Sift on a computer

Sift has no appliance-specific kit, but its general tools do most of the filtering. Sift is a free browser extension for Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji; on a computer, in Chrome, Edge or Brave, it:

• hides broken listings with the Broken or for parts pack (“for parts”, “parts only”, “broken”, “not working”, “needs repair”, “as-is”, and French terms such as “pour pièces” and “ne fonctionne pas”). Some sellers of working appliances write “sold as-is”, so peek at what was hidden now and then;
• keeps results inside a real distance from your home, so you never message about a washer three hours away;
• marks price drops and Reposted listings, which tell you a seller is ready to deal;
• links any listing to Sold on eBay, Google Shopping and Search by image;
• watches a search for the model you want and notifies you of new listings as often as every 15 minutes on Kijiji (no faster than every 30 on Facebook).

Sift doesn’t test appliances, check their age or look up recalls. The label and the running test are yours to do. Furnishing a whole place? See buying used furniture and finding genuinely free stuff.

Brand names on this page belong to their owners. Sift is independent and not affiliated with any appliance maker, Meta, Facebook or Kijiji.