Used palletizers

Where used palletizers sell, listing prices from $21,600 to $225,900 for machines and cells, what to inspect, controls and safety upgrades, and the risks.

Updated October 2, 2026

A used palletizer can cost far less than a new one. It can also hide worn parts, old controls, and guarding that doesn’t fit your floor. This guide covers where used machines sell, what real listings ask, and what to check before you buy. For new-machine prices, see palletizer cost.

Where used palletizers sell

There are four main places to look.

Auction terms to read first

Auction terms can add a lot to the hammer price. Harry Davis & Company sold a Top Tier palletizer in a December 2024 auction. The lot listed an opening bid of $20,000. It also listed a $5,200 rigging fee and an 18% internet buyer’s premium. Items sold “as is, where is and with all faults.” Buyers had to use the named rigger, and self-removal was not allowed.

Robot maker programs

Some robot makers rebuild used robots. These programs cover the robot arm and controller. They do not cover the conveyors, pallet dispenser, or guarding around it.

• ABB sells remanufactured robots from stock. ABB says each one is tested “under nominal load for a minimum of 16 hours.” ABB lists a “24 month warranty.”
• FANUC America offers robot reapplication services for robots you already own. Its full re-certification comes with “a full, one-year, parts and labor warranty.” The page does not offer used robots for sale.
• Columbia/Okura runs a Robot Replacement Program for its older palletizing robots. It names the A730, A700I, A1500, and A1600 as candidates. The package includes a new arm, a new control cabinet, and safety parts upgraded to “CAT 3.” It offers trade-in credit. This is a new-robot upgrade, not a used-machine sale.

We did not find a used or refurbished machine program on the Premier Tech palletizing page. Ask makers directly. Many buy back or rebuild their own machines without listing them. Our palletizer manufacturers list has links to each maker.

Used palletizer prices we found

These are asking prices on listings we opened in October 2026. Each is in US dollars. None of them includes freight, rigging, installation, or startup unless the listing says so. Asking prices are not sale prices.

The spread is huge because the listings are not alike. A bare robot arm needs a gripper, a cell, guarding, programming, and conveyors before it can stack a pallet. The two Ex-Factory systems include most of that. Compare the full scope, not the price.

Many dealers post no price. Frain Industries lists a Columbia FL100 and an Alvey 942 by quote only. The Alvey listing rates it “up to 160 cases per minute.” Speeds in listings are rated or claimed, not proven output on your line.

What to inspect before you buy

See the machine run if you can. Bring your own cases and pallets. If it is already unhooked, ask for a video of it running in its last plant. Use this list.

Hours and history

• Ask for run hours or cycle counts. Robot controllers often log these.
• Ask why it was taken out of service. A product change is a better story than repeated failures.
• Ask for maintenance logs and a list of parts replaced.
• Check what it ran. Case size, weight, and pallet patterns should be close to yours.

Controls and PLC support

The PLC is the programmable logic controller. It is the industrial computer that runs the machine. Many older palletizers use Allen-Bradley PLCs from Rockwell Automation. Some of those are no longer sold new.

Rockwell’s SLC 500 page says “Some SLC 500 Bulletin numbers are discontinued.” It urges a move to CompactLogix 5380. These parts still show up on used listings. A PAI 4500 palletizer listed in October 2026 runs on an “Allen-Bradley SLC 5/04 CPU.”

A discontinued PLC can still run fine. But replacements get harder to find, and fewer people can support the code. Ask these questions:

1. What is the PLC, HMI, and robot controller model? The HMI is the touchscreen the operator uses.
2. Does the seller have the PLC program and HMI files on a backup?
3. Can your team or an integrator open and edit them with software you can buy today?
4. What would a controls upgrade cost? Get a quote before you buy.

Check robot controllers the same way. Ask the robot maker whether it still supports that controller and stocks parts for it.

Safety system

Guarding on a used cell was designed for a different floor. It may also be built to an older standard. The US robot safety standard is now ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025. It is “a revision of ANSI/RIA R15.06-2012.” It is the US adoption of ISO 10218 Parts 1 and 2. Older cells were built to the 2012 edition or earlier.

OSHA’s technical manual on robot safety quotes the 2012 standard. It says “each robot application should have an RA performed and documented prior to commissioning.” RA means risk assessment. A move to a new plant is a new application. Plan for a new risk assessment by a qualified integrator.

Check these items:

• Fencing height, gaps, and distance from the robot’s reach.
• Light curtains and area scanners. These are sensors that stop the machine when someone enters. Check they work. Have a qualified person measure the machine’s stopping time and recalculate the safety distance for the new layout (ISO 13855, ANSI B11.19). Check that pallet-exit muting does not let a person walk out beside the pallet.
• Door interlocks. These are switches that stop the machine when a guard door opens.
• Emergency stops at every operator station.
• The safety controller or safety relay, and its rated category.

Never bypass a guard, interlock, light curtain, or area scanner. That includes testing a used machine at the seller’s site.

Some used cells are cobot palletizers. A cobot is a robot built to work near people. But “collaborative” is not a label that comes with the robot. It depends on a risk assessment of the whole application, under ISO 10218-2:2025 and ANSI/A3 R15.06-2025. The 2025 edition now includes the collaborative guidance that used to sit in ISO/TS 15066. Older cobot cells may have been assessed to RIA TR R15.606-2016, a cobot technical report. Treat that as a historical reference for older cells, not the current basis. A new site means a new assessment.

Wear parts

Look at parts that wear out with use. Price the ones you will likely replace.

• Gripper parts. These include vacuum cups, foam pads, fingers, and air cylinders. The gripper is also called the EOAT, or end-of-arm tooling.
• Vacuum pumps and air valves.
• Conveyor belts, rollers, chains, and bearings. See palletizing conveyors for the parts around the palletizer.
• Robot reducers and cables. A backlash test can show worn gears. FANUC lists backlash and repeatability tests in its evaluation service.
• Hoist chains, layer plates, and stripper plates on conventional palletizers.

Documentation

Missing papers can cost more than worn parts. Ask for:

• Electrical drawings and a wiring diagram.
• The PLC program, HMI files, and robot backups.
• Operator and maintenance manuals.
• Parts lists with maker part numbers.
• The original risk assessment, if one exists.

The Langen LCR-700 listing says it includes “All Available Books and Manuals Including Complete Blueprint.” The high infeed listing says the control wires are cut and the wire diagram is not available. Those two machines need very different work.

Re-commissioning a used palletizer

Re-commissioning means getting a used machine running and accepted in your plant. Budget time and money for each step.

1. Removal and freight. Plan rigging, crating, and transport. Label every cable before it is cut or unplugged.
2. Layout. Fit the machine to your floor, conveyor heights, and forklift paths.
3. Utilities. Match the power and air. The PAI 4500 listing calls for “480V/3ph/60Hz” and “15 cfm @ 60 psi.” Have an electrician check your service. Check the panel’s short-circuit current rating (SCCR) against your available fault current. UL says the SCCR goes on the nameplate under NFPA 79. Look for a UL 508A or other NRTL (nationally recognized testing lab) label. OSHA accepts electrical equipment only if “approved” (29 CFR 1910.303(a)). A used or imported panel without a label may need a field evaluation before your inspector signs off.
4. Controls. Load the program, update it for your cases and patterns, and test every sensor.
5. Guarding and risk assessment. Rebuild or change the guarding for your layout. Then do the new risk assessment.
6. Lockout/tagout. Write machine-specific energy control steps under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147. That standard covers servicing where “unexpected energization or start up” could hurt someone. Lock out power and air before anyone enters the cell or clears a jam. Tell affected workers before you lock out and before you restart. Also block or pin raised hoists, layer heads, and pallet elevators, and bleed air and vacuum lines. The standard says stored energy “shall be relieved, disconnected, restrained, and otherwise rendered safe.” On a vacuum gripper, set the load down before you remove air or vacuum, or the load drops. Ask the seller or maker for the mechanical lock points.
7. Acceptance test. Run your own products at your target rate for a set number of hours. Record good pallets, faults, and stops. The buying guide covers acceptance tests.
8. Training. Train operators and maintenance staff on the machine and its lockout steps.

Retrofitting guarding

Guarding often needs the most new work on a used robotic cell. The old fence was cut to fit the old plant. Your infeed, outfeed, and pallet exit points will be in new places.

Expect some of these changes:

• New fence panels and posts to fit the new footprint.
• Light curtains or muting sensors where pallets leave the cell.
• New door interlocks, rewired to the safety circuit.
• An updated safety controller, if the old one is discontinued.
• New signs and floor markings.

Columbia/Okura lists “Compliance with the latest safety standards and requirements” as a reason to replace an older robot rather than keep it. See the current safety standards in more detail.

Risks of buying used

• No warranty. Auctions and many dealers sell as is. The maker programs above are the main exception, and they cover the robot only.
• Hidden costs. Freight, rigging, guarding, controls work, and startup can add up fast. Add them before you compare a used price to a new palletizer quote.
• Fit. A machine built for one case size or pallet may not handle yours. Check the case size range and load height on the listing against your products.
• Parts and support. Discontinued PLCs and robot controllers get harder to repair over time.
• Missing know-how. The people who built and ran the machine are gone. Without drawings and backups, your team starts from scratch.
• Safety gaps. An old cell may not meet the current standard or fit your layout.

A used robotic palletizer or conventional machine can still be a good buy. Get the seller’s answers in writing. Price the upgrades before you bid. Have an integrator look at it if you can’t inspect it yourself.