Most of the printer advice online is about what to buy new. That is fine if your budget allows it, but it misses half the market. Good resin printers from 2023 and 2024 are sitting on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and local hobbyist groups for a fraction of their launch price. Some of them are better miniature printers today than a lot of newer machines at twice the money.
This article is about which second hand printers are worth buying in April 2026, which ones are not, and what to check before handing over money for a machine that someone else has already used.
Why second hand is worth considering
Resin printer technology has advanced quickly, but the advance is narrower than the marketing suggests. An 18 micron pixel printer from 2023 prints sharper miniatures than most 2022 printers, and the gap between 18 micron and the latest 14 micron flagships is very hard to see without a magnifier at 32mm scale.
What has changed more noticeably since 2023 is the feature set. Tilting VATs, auto levelling, heated chambers, and wifi are all newer additions. None of those features print the model. The screen and the pixel size print the model. A 2023 printer with a good screen will produce prints that look identical to a 2026 printer with a good screen, minus some convenience features.
That gap between “features” and “results” is where second hand buying pays off. You get the results of a newer printer at the price of an older one.
The second hand printers worth chasing
Elegoo Mars 3 Pro
For a long stretch the Mars 3 Pro was the beginner printer I pointed everyone at. 35 micron pixels, tempered glass screen protection, a carbon filter with replaceable carbon. As long as you understand that the Mars 4 at a very similar new price prints sharper, the Mars 3 Pro is a perfectly fine second hand option at around $60 to $80. The tempered glass alone is worth it.
The thing to check is whether the previous owner replaced the LCD screen at any point. If the hour count is high and the screen has not been changed, factor in a $30 replacement screen to your budget.
Elegoo Saturn 2
A genuine beast in its day. The handling was a huge improvement over the Saturn 1, the pixel size of 28.5 microns is still comfortably sharp for miniatures, and tempered glass screen protection was standard. I have been running mine for years.
Second hand price sits around $100 to $150. For a big build plate printer that can handle infantry batches or scenery, that is remarkable value. Check the screen for burn in and the VAT film for damage.
Elegoo Saturn 3
The Saturn 3 is still in production and available new, but supply has been inconsistent and second hand units come up regularly. If you see one in good condition for $150 to $180, that is a better deal than the $230 new price. The Saturn 3 has no smart features, no speed tricks, and no generational weak points. A quiet, reliable machine.
The thing to check is the VAT film and the build plate surface. Replacement parts are readily available from Elegoo, so minor wear is not a deal breaker.
Elegoo Mars 4
Harder to find second hand because owners are rarely looking to sell, but when a Mars 4 appears for $90 to $110 the value is outstanding. 18 micron pixels, no smart features, no complications. For a beginner looking for their first machine, this is often the best used buy on the market.
UniFormation GKtwo
An interesting second hand option if you find one. 30 micron pixels on a Saturn sized plate plus a heated VAT that solves a long list of cold room problems. Second hand prices are falling as the GK3 line takes over, so this used to be $650 new and can often be found second hand at $300 to $400. For someone who wants a printer that works reliably in a cool workshop, that is a strong buy.
Check that the heater still works. It is the feature you are paying for. Also check that the seller has the original screen protector installed or available.
The second hand printers to avoid
Not every cheap older printer is a bargain. Some are simply old.
Anything from the original Mars line
Mars 1, Mars 1 Pro, Mars 2, Mars 2 Pro. These were important in their day. They are museum pieces now. The pixel size is too large for crisp 28mm miniatures, and the non mono or early mono screens have limited remaining life. Even at $40 on a marketplace, you will get prints that feel a generation behind.
Anycubic Photon Mono X and Photon Mono X 6k
The pixel size is too large for miniature work and the ecosystem is moving away from this line. Anycubic has quietly stopped supporting older firmware updates for some of these, which makes troubleshooting harder than it should be. Skip.
Any Creality resin printer from 2023 or earlier
This is not personal. Creality’s resin quality control has been inconsistent, and their resin focus has shifted almost entirely to FDM in the last year. Second hand Creality resin printers come up cheap because original owners often had frustrating experiences with them. The price is low for a reason.
First generation DLP machines
Anycubic Photon Ultra, Anycubic Photon D2. I like DLP printing. The first generation consumer DLP machines were not good enough to be worth the second hand price, and the parts are now hard to source. Wait for newer DLP technology rather than chasing legacy.
Anything with an unknown screen hour count
LCD screens in resin printers are consumables. They last around 2,000 hours of exposure time. If a seller cannot tell you how many hours are on the screen, assume the worst and factor in a replacement screen to the price.
What to check before you buy
Treat a second hand printer purchase like a used car inspection. Ask for or inspect the following before handing over money:
- Hour count on the current screen. Most printers track this in the machine’s settings menu. If it is over 1,500 hours, budget for a replacement screen.
- Build plate condition. Look for scratches, dents, or flatness issues. A dented build plate causes levelling problems that are hard to fix.
- VAT film condition. A cloudy, stretched, or punctured film needs replacing. Replacement films are cheap, but factor them in.
- Screen for burn in. Power the printer on and look at the LCD. Persistent dead pixels or image burn in are signs the screen is at the end of its life.
- Original accessories. Scraper, funnel, spare VAT films, gloves, and especially the original resin bottle. Missing accessories suggest a seller who did not take care of the machine.
- Original manuals and software. Some older Anycubic and Creality machines need specific firmware versions for certain slicers. Original software is useful.
- Physical condition of the chassis. Scratches are cosmetic. Rust on internal components is a problem. Check for resin spills that were not cleaned up, which can damage motors and rails.
If the seller is local, ask to see the printer run a short test print before you buy. If they refuse, walk away. A seller unwilling to power on the machine is usually a seller who knows something is wrong.
Where to look
eBay is the largest market but also the most picked over. Prices on eBay are usually within a small margin of what the unit is actually worth.
Facebook Marketplace and local hobbyist groups consistently produce better deals because the sellers want the printer gone and are willing to negotiate on price. Meeting locally also lets you inspect before buying.
Reddit has dedicated hobbyist buy and sell threads (r/resinprinters and others). Prices tend to be reasonable because sellers are usually hobbyists themselves rather than resellers.
Avoid Craigslist for mid to high priced items unless you are able to inspect in person. The scam rate is too high at the $300 plus mark.
The bottom line
A 2023 Saturn 2 for $120 is a better miniature printer today than a 2026 budget machine at twice the price. A 2024 Mars 4 for $100 is an extraordinary value. The printers to chase second hand are the ones where the screen and pixel size still match the current market, and the features you are missing are convenience features rather than print quality features.
For the new printer picks in April 2026, see the best printer buying guide. For the case for buying new right now, and why the 2026 market is worth buying into at all, read why 2026 is still the best year to buy a resin 3D printer. For what actually matters in a printer before you start spending, read the clean beginner setup article first so you are not paying for features you do not need regardless of new or used.