How to Buy a Used Pottery Wheel

Looking for a great deal on a cheap used pottery wheel for sale? Before you spend hard earned money on an electric pottery wheel or pottery kick wheel review these essential tips.

How to Know What You Want

When looking for a used pottery wheel, it's important to know what you want in a wheel. What attributes are important to you?

Consider price, power, quality, features, and portability. Create a profile of your perfect wheel. What do you absolutely need? What could you do without?

There are a lot of wheels out there. By creating a profile of your perfect wheel, you'll avoid wasting time looking at wheels that don't suit your needs.

Test Drive

I recommend taking any prospective wheel for a test drive, if possible. This gives you the opportunity to get a feel for that particular wheel. This is particularly important when looking at a used pottery wheel because you get a chance to identify any damage or issues with the wheel.

If you can't arrange to throw with it, at least arrange to plug it in and get it turning (if it's an electric pottery wheel). You can tell a lot just by seeing and hearing it run.

You can often tell a lot about what you'll be getting by the person who is selling it to you. Do they seem honest?

Do they know the history of the wheel, or did it they find it on the side of the road after it "fell off the back of a truck," as my friend likes to say about people selling stolen merchandise.

Ask why they are selling it.

If they just bought a new version of the same wheel because they love the wheel but the old one isn't shiny enough anymore, then you're probably getting a good wheel.

I bought my electric pottery wheel before I started teaching. I found it in an online bulletin board.

The guy selling it taught pottery. He had several used pottery wheels, but his own work was leaning more toward hand built projects. He gave me a great deal on the wheel just to make room in his studio.

We stayed in touch for some time afterward via email. He gave me a lot of good pottery advice and helped inspire me to start teaching.

Where to Look

Pottery wheels are everywhere. Look on the internet. Craigslist and are good places to start. As I mentioned, I found my favorite pottery wheel on a random ceramics internet bulletin board by doing a search under pottery wheel.

Network with other potters. Is there a pottery school, studio, or ceramic supply store nearby? Ask around. Someone always has a pottery wheel they aren't using. I frequently hear from students about a wheel or a pottery kiln for sale that has been sitting in someone's basement collecting dust.

Ask for a Discount

So let's say you find your perfect wheel. New, your perfect wheel sells for $900.00. The seller is offering it for $700.00. Awesome, you're saving $200.00, right?

But wait a second. Could you be saving $400.00? That extra $200.00 would buy a LOT of clay.

Ask for a discount. "Will you take $500.00 for it?" Again, why are they selling it? If they're tired of lugging it around or tripping over it every time they go in the garage, they'll probably say yes.

Free Pottery Wheel

That's right, I said it, Free Pottery Wheel. Maybe you don't even need to buy a pottery wheel. Maybe you know someone who would let you use their pottery wheel for free. It doesn't hurt to ask.

If not, maybe you could barter. They can use your space and you can use their wheel or the other way around.

My first pottery kick wheel wasn't actually mine (and no, it didn't fall off the back of a truck). I helped my friend build it. He provided all the materials and the woodworking know-how. He let me use the wheel in exchange for teaching him how to use it.

Great Deal on a Pottery Wheel

If you are looking for a truly great deal on a new pottery wheel, the Shimpo Aspire portable potter's wheel is a bargain.

It is small and lightweight, which makes it less expensive to ship and easy to transport with you wherever you go.

It is powerful enough for throwing small to medium pots for the recreational potter.

The price is almost impossible to beat, even if you are looking at a used wheel.

For a great wheel at a great bargain this little wheel is perfect.

Also, check out these deals on , always a good place to check for cheap used pottery wheels.

So, whether you're in Houston, Seattle, or Toronto Canada, to find the best deal on a used pottery wheel, talk to people. Also, look in classified listings, and keep an open mind about creative options.

Who knows, you might even make some new friends and learn some new techniques in the process. Good luck, thanks for reading, and Happy Bargain Hunting.

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