Ball machines can help you take your tennis game to the next level. You don’t have to wait for a coach or a partner to hit the court.

But ball machines are expensive and not everyone needs a new machine or can afford one. Ball machines are very durable and can last for many years. Picking up a used ball machine is a good choice for most people.

How to buy a used ball machine

Buy Local

Craiglist, Facebook Market Place, Nextdoor, Offerup are good places to buy locally. This allows you to check out the machines before you buy. All of these websites allow you set e-mail alerts for specific keywords.

Buying locally allows you to haggle for a better price. Local sellers don’t have too many buyers and are more likely to lower their prices compared to stores.

Watch out for scammers on these sites. Never send any money electronically without getting the ball machine.

eBay

eBay is a good place to buy used items. It’s no different for used ball machines. Before you buy, look at the buyer’s rating to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable buyer.

Note that eBay charges fees to the seller that could be up to 10% of the sales price. Even though it is the seller who pays the fees, expect that to be passed on to you.

Amazon

Many people are not aware that you can buy used items at Amazon. Amazon shows the new product on top but if you scroll down, you can see used items. Amazon gives you the quality of the used product and the return policy.

Manufacturers

Manufacturers have demo machines that they have to get rid of. You can save 20 to 25% by buying used machines directly from them. Here’s the link to buy used ball machines at Sportstutor.

How to get the best deal on used ball machines

Buy from private sellers (and haggle)

Private sellers are usually willing to negotiate prices. Unlike manufacturers, these sellers are not professionals and don’t have a good understanding of the market for ball machines.  You use that to your advantage by doing your own research on the prices of used ball machines.

Be patient

The best deals don’t come every day. Set an e-mail alert on your favorite local shopping portal and be patient. Within a few weeks, you will get an idea of the price and availability of used ball machines in your local area.

Buy local

Ball machines are bulky and are costly to ship. Buying local allows you to save on shipping costs.

Brand is not that important

Do your research and pick up a ball machine that has good durability. Don’t be too tied to a brand. This will give you options as you shop around for the best deal.

Test the ball machine

Throw in a few balls and test out the machine to make sure that it is fully functional. You don’t want any surprises down the road.

Tennis can be played on a number of surfaces. These surfaces have their own characteristics. The materials used to make the surface impact the speed of the court, initial costs, and maintenance costs.

What are tennis courts made of?

Hard Courts

Hard courts are the most common tennis courts. More tournaments are played on hard courts than on any other surface.

Hard courts are made with concrete or asphalt foundation. Acrylic or synthetic layers are added on top. The speed of the hard courts can be changed by varying the amount of sand in the acrylic or synthetic layer. More sand results in higher friction and lower bounce and slower speed.

Australian Open and US Open are played on hard courts. There are multiple brands of hard courts.  For example, the Australian Open uses the Greenset brand while the US Open uses Laykold.

Asphalt courts

Asphalt courts have asphalt foundations but no synthetic or acrylic layers on top. Because of that, they tend to deteriorate over time, especially with exposure to the sun.

Asphalt they are cheaper to build. Some public tennis courts are asphalt courts. But the long-term maintenance costs can add up when asphalt courts start developing cracks.

There are no professional tennis tournaments played on asphalt courts.

Concrete courts

Concrete courts have concrete foundations but no synthetic or acrylic layers. These courts are cheaper to build but suffer from the same disadvantages as asphalt courts.

There are no professional tournaments played on concrete courts.

Clay

The court is built with multiple layers of stone, gravel, and brick. At the French Open, the clay consists of five layers that add up to 80 cm.

Bottom to top, the five layers are stones, gravel, clinker, limestone, and finally a thin layer of crushed brick. It’s the crushed brick that gives the courts the red color.

Clay courts can are red or green. Red clay courts are popular in Europe and South America. In the US, you will find several green courts. In general, red clay is slower than green clay. The slowness of the clay leads to long rallies and favors baseliners.

Clay courts are cheaper to construct but are expensive to maintain. The clay must be rolled often and water content must be balanced.

Artificial Clay

Artificial clay is made of synthetic carpet that imitates the characteristics of natural clay. The carpet has sand infills with fibers that make the balls bounce just like on a regular clay court.

These courts are approved by the ITF and can be used for tournaments, though no tournaments are played on this surface.

Grass

The fresh lawn court on day 1 of Wimbledon is one of the most beautiful sights in tennis. Grass court is very short and only a handful of professional tournaments are conducted on grass.

Grass courts are fast. But grass courts are expensive to maintain. The ball bounces low and the points tend to be quick. Until the last 10 years or so, grass courts favored serve-and-volleyers.

The grass is grown on hard-packed soil and must be watered and mowed regularly. Maintenance costs are high for grass courts.

Currently, Wimbledon is the only grand slam played on grass. The US Open and the Australian Open used to be played on grass. The US Open was played on grass until 1974 and the Australian Open until 1987.

Carpet

Carpet courts consist of a foundation layer made of asphalt with a removable carpet or mat on top. Carpets can be made of rubber or artificial turf.

Carpets courts are fast and favor big servers. Carpet courts are no longer used at ATP and WTA tournaments. A few lower-tier tournaments still use them.

Indoor

Indoor courts have a roof but in terms of the playing surface, they can be any of the court types discussed above. Indoor courts permit tennis to be played when temperatures are cold outside or when it’s raining.

Indoor courts tend to be faster than outdoor courts due to compressed air. The lack of wind means that players’ shots are more accurate. Bounces are also lower in indoor courts.

Many courts used at grand slams have retractable roofs. When the roof is closed during a match, you will notice that it sometimes shifts the momentum of the match because indoor courts behave differently from outdoor courts.