That $50 Instant Pot from a garage sale turned out to be a rusted mess inside

Picked up what looked like a clean Instant Pot last Saturday for fifty bucks, guy said it was barely used. Got it home, opened the lid and the inner pot had rust spots and the sealing ring smelled like old dishwater. Had to spend another $25 on replacement parts just to make it usable. Anyone else get burned on used kitchen gear that looked fine on the outside?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixlane6d ago

Did you check the heating element underneath or just the inner pot? That's where the real problems hide.

robert_ross956d ago

Yeah marybutler is right, I learned the same way after my garage sale blender looked perfect but the motor was full of rust.

marybutler6d ago

Wait, did you try scrubbing the rust off before buying parts? I used to think most used kitchen stuff was perfectly fine with a good cleaning, but I got burned on a secondhand Instant Pot last year where the heating element was actually corroded underneath the base. It took me way too long to figure out why nothing would pressurize right, and by then I was stuck with a dud. Now I always ask to see the inner pot and check the seals before handing over cash, learned that lesson the hard way lol.