Adventures in Scratch & Dent: A New Dryer for Less than $180 Delivered

If you’re trying to get out of debt, you probably know more than anyone else that stuff breaks around your house at a ridiculous rate. It’s as if the large appliance, car, & home gnomes snicker to themselves, “Think you’re going to get ahead with your money? Think again.” And believe it or not, they don’t give it up even after you get out of debt. We have been “this close” to finishing our 3-6 month emergency fund more times than I care to count and then <BOOM> another unexpected expense rears its ugly head.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful we don’t have to go into debt to make the needed repairs. And I’m thankful that we are also beyond the getting out of debt phase, too. Still, I want to be sure that I’m getting the absolute best deal possible whenever we do need to get some fixed or make a major purchase. It always hurts when you part with a large chunk of change. I don’t care who you are or where you are in life.

Enter the last two weeks. I mentioned before that we had a flat tire, our truck overheated, a windshield wiper flew off while I was barreling down the interstate, and our dryer died {also this week an unexpected dental bill – yay fun!}. Honestly, I’m feeling a bit like I’m in the middle of a country song {and not the kind that makes you wan to Boot Scoot}.

But let’s focus in on the dryer.

1. First we tried to have it repaired. The repairs were going to cost more than we wanted to spend. So I asked the repair man what kind of dryer would he buy? What is it that he rarely fixes? His response: Avoid appliances with too many bells and whistles. You don’t need a light, a see-through door, or an electronic panel. More parts = more stuff that will break. He recommended sticking to a mid-grade Whirlpool appliance. He also recommended that the lint trap be on top of the dryer. Duly noted. He reminded us that we weren’t going to be watching the dryer dry clothes so it didn’t matter how pretty it was. Got it.
2. We began to look around at the major appliance stores – HH Gregg, Menards, Lowes, Sears, Home Depot. The cheapest dryers we could find ran in the $350-500 price range which was simply more than we wanted to pay. So I put out the bat signal on Facebook, asking friends who had purchased at a Scratch & Dent store before and what their preferred stores were.
3. The First Scratch & Dent Store was a total bust. It smelled very smokey {a big no-no for the severe allergies in our household} and the stock was questionable. HOWEVER, I’m glad we didn’t toss in the towel at that point.
4. We Scanned Craigslist. A Second Scratch & Dent Place had been recommended to us and most of their stock was listed on Craigslist. As I began to glance through the posts, I realized there were a ton of great dryers in our price range and I decided to make a trek of about 30 minutes to check them out in person. The store was not too far from a speaking engagement I had a couple of weeks ago and I stopped on my way home.
5. Big Props to Home HQ on East Washington. Per the recommendation of Lady Kathi from the Court of the Queen of Free, this was the store where we made our purchase. They had a TON of stock {including some models that had just arrived}. Everything was used {they employ Veterans training to be appliance technicians} but not smoke-filled or bedraggled. I stuck my head in 5 or 6 dryers, looking at seals and general maintenance. They had every appliance you could imagine, some furniture, and tvs too. Let’s be frank, it’s not high end shopping, but it was clean, safe, and the staff was great. There were higher end used appliances too. Appliances come with a 30 day warranty, but the sales person encouraged me to call if we had any questions.
6. I Asked for a Discount. Yep, I asked if they could knock off anything from the price of $150. They took off $15. Ah, the advantage of using cash.
7. They paid US for Haul Away. Since their business model rests upon reconditioning appliances, they tossed us $12 to haul away our dryer {which I feel better about being repaired and resold rather than sitting in a landfill somewhere}. We ended up spending $179 and change for a new-to-us dryer, delivery, & tax which is a far cry from the baseline of $350 retail price we were staring down in the store. And they hooked it up and installed it the next day. Bonus.
8. What I Didn’t Realize. The dryer was much nicer than my old one – with more settings and a bigger capacity. It did have a residual laundry detergent/softener scent but a box of baking soda knocked it out, no problem. It only takes 30 minutes for me to dry most loads. I’m guessing our old dryer had been on its last leg for quite sometime.

Have you ever gone the Scratch & Dent route? What’s your best appliance repair or purchase advice?

Related posts:

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipe + Tips and Tricks! 4 Strategies to Save at Fresh Thyme Farmers Market (Sponsored) Thanksgiving Shopping Tips Video 31 Debt Free Missions: Stop Your Money Leaks