You have to be very careful when buying second hand safes. In over 110 years of history, we have seen countless scams when it comes to buying second-hand safes.
Here are the main risks when buying a second-hand safe
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Changing combination codes: The first thing to do when purchasing a safe, whether new or second hand, is to change the combination key. Many people are unaware that mechanical combination codes can be changed, so there is a clear risk of fraud on the part of the seller, as he knows the code of the safe and in the event that it is not changed, he will have the code to open the safe.
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Duplicate keys by the seller: You never know how many keys the safe has, so the seller has been able to make a copy of the keys to the safe. With a copy of the keys and knowledge of the combination key, the safe can be opened in a matter of seconds.
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Who is the seller? We do not know who the seller is and his true intentions. This seller may be a swindler or a thief. And of course we do not know what he is selling us.
What are we buying when we purchase a second-hand safe?
There is a general lack of knowledge of what is being bought by both the seller and the buyer. Second-hand safes are usually damaged safes that have been badly repaired, so the level of security is always greatly reduced.
Damaged safes often have a double risk:
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The most important risk is that they are often safes with defects or even that have been opened by thieves and repaired by unqualified personnel.
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Holes concealed by drilling. On occasions we have seen safes that have been drilled and the holes have been concealed with putty and paint, causing the greatest risk when depositing goods inside.
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Defects in the locking of the safe, for which the seller is of course not responsible.
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Comparison between a new safe and a second-hand safe
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Benefits of new safes: High resistance safes with materials in continuous evolution. Safes are continually improving by applying new manufacturing techniques and new materials with better and better performance.
Manufacturer’s certification and warranty.
Second-hand safes have the benefit over new safes in that they tend to be cheaper, but we must clearly consider the risk involved in purchasing a safe from an unknown seller and without a guarantee that the product is safe. At Gruber we never recommend purchasing a safe from an unknown seller and without a manufacturer’s warranty.
Altered safes. There is a serious risk that the safe is altered or that there are duplicate keys and knowledge of the key to the safe that we do not know. Second-hand safes have a high risk of theft.
Safes manipulated by third parties. Many thefts from these safes are due to a third party tampering with the safe. Holes are drilled into the locks, then putty is applied and the safe is repainted. In these cases, the safe is completely unprotected.
The general conclusion if you are considering buying a second-hand safe is not to do so, as the cheaper price does not compensate for having a security system that is useless in the face of attacks by thieves. The risk of fraud on the part of the seller is too high for us to take on the adventure that such a purchase can entail.
