Inspection & Verification
Verification is cheap before the transfer and expensive afterwards.
Condition grades, functional and safety test records, authenticity checks and the cross-border documentation that regulators expect on a used device.
- 28 verification articles
- Test records and grading language
- Grey-market and counterfeit controls
Grade the condition in language both sides accept
A published grading scale turns a negotiation about adjectives into a comparison of two numbers.
Condition grades and what they mean
Cosmetic grade and functional grade are separate judgements and should be recorded separately. A device described as excellent that has never had a functional test is an unknown quantity with a flattering label, and the label is what the buyer pays for.
Test records to request
Functional performance against specification, electrical safety to the applicable standard, and where relevant performance verification rather than calibration alone. Each record should carry a date, a method and the name of the technician who signed it.
Authenticity and grey-market controls
Counterfeit stock reaches clinics through legitimate-looking intermediaries, not through obvious back channels.
Verifying a device and its parts
Check part numbers against the manufacturer, inspect packaging and seals, and refuse stock whose origin cannot be stated in writing. On instruments and consumables this single control removes most of the exposure, because counterfeits live where verification is skipped.
Device-specific verification
High-value consoles carry their own checks: usage counters, error history, software version and accessory completeness. Verification for a specific model is a checklist, not a judgement call, and it is worth building once and reusing.
Documentation regulators expect
On a cross-border used sale, the document set is part of the product.
Cross-border document set
Decontamination statement, export and import documents, and evidence of the device’s regulatory status in the destination market. A missing decontamination statement stops a shipment as effectively as a missing licence, and it is the one buyers most often forget.
Placing pre-owned devices on the market
In the EU, placing a pre-owned device on the market brings it under MDR obligations, including the economic operator role. Confirm who carries that role before shipping, because it cannot be assigned after the fact.
Four records that make a used device verifiable
Each one is a document with a date and a signature.
Functional test record
Performance against the specification, dated and attributable.
Electrical safety test
To the applicable standard for equipment in service, not a generic check.
Condition grade
Cosmetic and functional recorded separately, on a published scale.
Decontamination statement
Required for cross-border movement, and the document most often missing.
Where to go next
Adjacent topics in this set. Each one is a hand-written guide to the same depth.
Inspection questions
What test records should I ask for on a used device?
Are condition grades standardised?
How do I avoid counterfeit parts?
What documents are needed to ship used equipment abroad?
Who is responsible for a pre-owned device in the EU?
Send the test records you have
Tell us the device and what documentation the seller provided. We will tell you which records are missing and which checks protect the purchase.