What to know before you sell a Canon or Toshiba system: the documentation to gather, the specs almost every buyer asks for, and the issues that come up again and again during de-installation. This guide is a work in progress and will keep growing.
This page is a working draft. It covers the essentials today and will be expanded over time with more detail, modality-specific guidance, and real project examples. If you have a question this page doesn't answer yet, reach out directly.
These are the items that shape timeline and value the most. Sorting them out early avoids delays once a buyer is lined up.
Confirm the equipment is owned outright, or that any lease or loan balance is understood, before marketing it for sale. A system with a lien against it needs that resolved before it can transfer to a new owner.
Any patient data stored on the system needs to be wiped in line with HIPAA requirements before it leaves your facility. Ask your IT or compliance team to confirm what's stored locally and how it should be handled.
Depending on your state and modality, decommissioning a system (especially anything with a radiation-producing component) may require notifying your state's radiation control or health department.
Door widths, floor loading, elevator access, dock availability, and stairs all affect how a system comes out and what it costs. Flag anything unusual early so it doesn't surface as a surprise on removal day.
Coordinating de-installation, transport, and buyer logistics takes time. Know your hard deadline (if you have one) and share it upfront so the plan can be built around it.
Any service contracts, PM records, or known issues should be gathered ahead of time. Systems with clean, available history typically move faster and hold value better.
Having these on hand when you first reach out speeds up valuation significantly. Not every field applies to every modality, but this covers what comes up most often.
None of these are dealbreakers, but they're the most common reasons a sale slows down. Knowing about them early keeps the process moving.
Systems without PM records or service history aren't disqualified, but buyers weigh this heavily. Whatever documentation exists, gather it before you start the process.
We occasionally find out mid-process that a system still has a balance owed on it. Confirming ownership status upfront avoids a stalled deal later.
Tight doorways, no loading dock, upper floors without freight elevators, or unusual gantry weight all add time and cost. These details change the removal plan significantly if they surface late.
Local storage on the console or workstation needs to be wiped in accordance with HIPAA before the system leaves the building. This should be planned for, not handled as an afterthought during de-install.
Helium level and boil-off history matter for MRI de-installation planning. A system that's been sitting unmonitored for an extended period needs to be evaluated before a removal date is set.
Radiation-producing equipment often requires notifying a state agency when it's decommissioned or transferred. This is easy to miss if it isn't flagged early.
Rigging crews, freight, and export documentation all take real time to coordinate. We can move quickly, but "tomorrow" is rarely realistic once every step is accounted for.
Whatever condition the system is actually in, tell us upfront. It changes the plan, not the outcome, and finding out on-site slows everyone down.