is a clogged Epson Stylus Photo R3000 (A3+) printer worth anything to a buyer?

Hi All,

tl;dr Epson Stylus Photo R3000 head is dried out/clogged, would anyone find it worth buying as it is?

So, I used to print a lot for clients, but my work changed long ago, and my Epson Stylus Photo R3000 has been sitting so long that the heads have dried out, and no attempts with declogging cycles have worked.

I need to get rid of it (I'm moving, and it's huge), so I'm wondering if anyone would want to buy it, in order to fix it. I've been assured by a printer-reseller I met at a recent trade show that the printer can be taken apart and the head cleaned (I bought a cleaning kit, in a fit of optimism). I personally don't want to go through the entire disassembly-fix/reassemble process (packing up the house is taking enough time already), so I'm wondering if it's valuable enough that it might be attractive to a buyer as it is.

Worst case, I give it away (worst-worst case, I throw it out, which would suck, for so many reasons).

Cheers!

Chas

Chas,
That printer is now 5 generations old. I don’t even know if you can still buy ink for it. There have been some threads on dpr printing forums regarding selling 3880 s in mint shape. It seems nobody is interested. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I just don’t think there is any value there. You might consider giving it away for parts, or just take it to the recycler. (I ended up having to do that with a clogged up P700 I had).

Good luck
Alan

Recently SOLD prices on eBay for working -and- for spares.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Epson+Stylus+Photo+R3000&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

Shipping anywhere is expensive nowadays.
Maybe try Craigslist or Facebook market place.

Might be worth trying to soak the head on a wet cloth for a few days and retry a cleaning cycle. I succeeded to revive a 3880 that had been neglected for over 5 years and gave it to a colleague whose 4800 suffered from failed paper transport. Selling the old girl will be difficult, I think.

I've seen broken printers make pretty decent money, but this one is both broken and old, so by the time you pay shipping I doubt there's much money in it I'm afraid.

Probably not.
I have a 3880 which has been temperamental in the clog department since I got it. You can try a head restore by setting the heads over a cloth dampened with Windex for a day, and then checking to see if that resolves the clogs, which might, or might not, buy you some time with it. But that has variable results, in my experience, and can be only a temporary fix.

Unfortunately, I came to the conclusion that my 3880 needs to hit the recycler as soon as I can find someone to carry it out of the house for me. I wish someone could use it, but I don't think so. I think your printer might be in the same spot, unfortunately.

Hi Everyone, thanks so much for answering! Sorry to not check this thread earlier, the forum seemed a bit under-populated, and I didn't expect any replies :-)

Looks like there is very little hope of a buyer (though @Greg does give me a little hope). No worries, I was expecting that. I hate to throw it away, so I may just keep it, and see if I can revive it (I have quite a bit of ink left over, and a massive stack of really good quality paper).

You might try local charities.

One took my R3000 with a non-functioning switch valve.

Good idea, thanks :-)

I gave my non working R3000 to a local charity that gets money for recyclable electronics like printers, computers, modems, etc. Loved that printer and hated to give it up so spent more time than I should have trying to bring it back to functionality.