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4 The common ways of buying office supplies are:  In a store  Online  Mail order

5 Office equipment is often bought through specialist type retailers as well as general retailers.

6 Office furniture can be bought:  Ready made  Custom made

7 Second hand office equipment and furniture generally comes from three sources:  Personal/business  Second hand retailers  Auctions

8 The advantages of second hand equipment are:  Price  Availability The disadvantages of second hand equipment are:  No product support  Risk  Cosmetics

9 The advantages of refurbished equipment are:  Price  Guaranteed  Like new The disadvantages of second hand equipment are:  Cosmetics  Missing items

10 The advantages of leasing or renting equipment/furniture are:  No major outlay  Short term needs  Credit  Upgrades The disadvantages of renting or leasing are:  No ownership  Long term cost  Repairs

11 In smaller organisations the purchasing decisions are generally made by the business owner. In larger organisations the purchasing policies and procedures may look like this:

12 Proper planning when acquiring business equipment and resources will take into account:

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