Electrical Marketplace
Buying & selling safely
The marketplace connects buyers and sellers; it does not inspect, test or certify equipment, and it does not verify anyone's electrical licence. Used electrical gear carries real risk - these checks help you decide what a licensed electrician needs to verify before anything is connected or energised.
Inspect the equipment
- •Match the make, model and rating label to the listing. Ask for clear photos of the ratings plate, terminals, busbar contacts, cable insulation, and any burn marks, arcing, corrosion, cracked mouldings or tripped-and-repaired damage.
- •Used protective devices are the real risk. A breaker, RCD or RCBO can look perfect and no longer trip at its rated current. Treat every second-hand protective device as unproven until a licensed electrician has tested it - a passing test on a bench is the only evidence that matters.
- •Treat a scorched terminal, a swollen or melted enclosure, a filed-off serial or rating stamp, a missing earth pin or a device that will not reset as unsafe. Never energise unknown equipment to see what happens.
It must be installed by a licensed electrician
- •Installation, connection and alteration of electrical equipment must be carried out by a licensed electrician. DIY electrical wiring is illegal in Australia. Buying a part here does not entitle you to wire it in yourself.
- •Confirm voltage, current rating, poles, phase, breaking capacity (kA), curve type, frame size and busbar or DIN compatibility before paying. Two devices that physically fit are not necessarily electrically interchangeable.
- •Used gear may not comply with the current AS/NZS 3000 wiring rules. Have any second-hand protective device or switchboard component inspected and tested by a licensed electrician before it is connected or energised. A listing, invoice or seller statement is not a certificate of compliance or an electrical safety certificate.
Pay and collect carefully
- •Inspect before paying where practical. For a switchboard, a length of cable drum or bulky gear, agree in writing what is included and who disconnects, loads and transports it.
- •Never pay a deposit because a stranger creates urgency. Avoid gift cards, cryptocurrency and international transfer requests.
- •Keep the listing, messages, receipt and photos of the ratings label and serial. Business and trade sellers may owe consumer guarantees that do not usually apply to a one-off private sale.
Counterfeits, recalls and salvage
- •Counterfeit and grey-import breakers, RCDs and cable that do not perform to their markings are a known problem. Buy recognised brands, be wary of a price that is too good, and cross-check the make and model against the ACCC Product Safety recall lists at productsafety.gov.au before you buy.
- •Second-hand solar and battery gear (panels, inverters, DC isolators, battery modules) carries its own fire and shock risk and must be assessed by a licensed electrician - and, for grid-connected work, an accredited installer.
- •The site verifies nothing. Listings are seller-supplied and neither Electrical Marketplace nor NearMe inspects, tests or certifies any item or any seller's licence. If an item is recalled, counterfeit, illegally modified or unsafe, report the listing rather than relying on a salvage-only description.
Use a licensed electrician for the work
Electrical licensing is state-based - Queensland through the Electrical Safety Office, New South Wales and Victoria through Fair Trading and Energy Safe Victoria, and equivalent regulators in every other state and territory. A licensed electrician must issue a Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (or your state's equivalent) for fixed wiring, and grid-connected solar and battery work also needs an accredited installer.
Confirm a contractor's licence with your state regulator before work starts, and have any second-hand protective device tested before it protects a circuit.
Something look wrong? Read the listing rules or use the report link on the listing.