The cost-of-living crisis is driving more Brits to consider buying second-hand large domestic appliances, but only one in five (20%) would bother to take the simple safety step of registering that appliance with the manufacturer before installing it, a survey has revealed.

According to AMDEA, consumers are missing out on a free and easy way to help ensure the safety of their homes by failing to register home appliances – both new and second-hand – via registermyappliance.org.uk. 

The survey, carried out by AMDEA to mark Register My Appliance Week (January 23-27), showed a significant surge in people thinking about buying a second-hand large domestic appliance, due to the current increasing cost of living.

Now one in four (25%) of people say they are likely to consider buying a second-hand appliance online, compared with just one in six (16%) four years ago.

For Millennials, two in five (37%) are now likely to buy pre-loved online, with the over 55s least likely at 12% percent.

Many have already bought a large domestic appliance second-hand. As many as one in four (24%) have done so online or from a shop.

Saving money was the principal motivator for buying previously used. When asked their reasons for considering it at any point in the future, 70% said to save money and 39% because it would be the only way to afford to replace an essential appliance.

However, environmental motives and saving resources also scored well: 39% cited environmental reasons for taking the pre-loved route. This rose to almost half (46%) for Millennials.

But when respondents were asked what they would do before installing or ‘adopting’ a second-hand appliance, only 20% said they would register the machine with the manufacturer in case of a recall.

This is despite most manufacturers enabling simple and easy registration of older appliances. Most (54%) said they would find the manual online, 42% would check installation instructions and 31% would even have it checked by a qualified technician, presumably with the implied cost of doing this rather than the free and simple act of registering.

Commenting on the survey,  AMDEA CEO,  Paul Hide, said: “Buying second-hand may be a tempting route to cut costs, and registering these pre-loved appliances will avoid skimping on safety.  We urge anyone with an old or new appliance – whether a brand-new bargain picked up in the sales or installed a while ago – to register all their appliances so they can be contacted in case of any safety notifications, repairs or recalls.

“Most manufacturers accept registrations of machines up to 12 years old, and there’s no need for a proof of purchase. It’s completely free and easy to do – it’s a win-win for keeping your home safe and possibly increasing the life span of your machine.”

Those questioned were more apt to spend extra money by fitting door locks or installing a camera doorbell rather than taking the free step of registering their appliances.

When asked which three safety measures are most important for their homes, 83% said fitting good locks, and 20% said installing a video doorbell ahead of the 15% who cited registering all their appliances. Least likely to consider registering important were Gen X (12%) with Gen Z the keenest (20%).

By far the most popular place for people looking to buy pre-loved were online marketplaces (60%), again with Millennials (71%) the most eager. Second-hand or charity shops (45%) were also commonplace locations to look.

Register My Appliance is a web portal developed by AMDEA to improve ownership data by making it quicker and easier for householders to register old and new appliances.

Offering access to over 60 of the nation’s leading brands, the vast majority of manufacturers on the site welcome registration of products up to 12 years old or even older.

Handy tips guide the user through how to find the important model details, meaning all the user needs to supply is their name and address. This data then goes directly to the manufacturer for use exclusively in case of a recall.

Other results of the survey included:

When asked to imagine they had bought or adopted a second-hand appliance, people said they would do the following before installing it in their home:

• Get it checked out by a qualified technician: 31%
• Find an online user manual: 54%
• Check installation instructions: 42%
• Register it with the manufacturer: 20%
• None of these: 14%
• Don’t know: 12%