Why the Encore is a great used buy
Ask anyone serious about home coffee which upgrade matters most and you'll get the same answer: the grinder. The Baratza Encore has been the default recommendation for entry-level burr grinders for over a decade, and that popularity is what makes the used market for it so good. There are always Encores for sale, and most of them have plenty of life left.
A few things make it a safe secondhand buy:
- It's built to be repaired. Baratza sells virtually every internal part (burrs, drive gears, hoppers, switches) and publishes its own repair guides. Most small kitchen appliances are disposable by design. The Encore is the opposite, and even a rough example can usually be brought back with a part or two.
- Burrs are the main wear item, but not the only one. The 40 mm conical burr set stays sharp through years of home use, and replacements are readily available and simple to swap. The plastic drive gear is the other part that gives out — it is designed to fail before the motor does, which is why Baratza sells it — and the motor itself is a replaceable part too, so treat noise or stalling as a repair to price rather than proof of a dead grinder.
- The used supply is full of upgrade casualties. The classic story: someone buys an Encore as their first real grinder, gets into espresso a year later, and sells a perfectly good machine to fund something fancier. The grinder isn't worn out. The owner just moved up. Those are the listings you want.
The Encore holds its price well new, so the used discount is where the real value is. It shows up secondhand at a meaningful discount all the time. Check what's available today using the links below.
What to check in the condition notes
Read the seller's condition note before you buy. On this machine, the details that matter are:
- How much was it used? "Opened, barely used" or "used for a few months" is common, and usually true (see the upgrade story above). Years of heavy daily use means budget for a burr swap.
- Hopper and lid. The plastic hopper is the most commonly cracked part. Make sure the note (or the photos, on eBay) shows the hopper intact and the lid included.
- Grounds bin included? It tends to wander off in moves. Replaceable, but worth confirming.
- Any mention of noise? A healthy Encore hums steadily. Notes about rattling, squealing, or slow grinding usually point to a worn drive gear. That's repairable, but factor it in.
- Know your grades. On Amazon, "Used – Like New" is frequently an opened-box return, which is the sweet spot for this grinder — though "lightly used" is the seller's characterisation, not a verified fact, and a grinder's real history is in how much coffee went through it. "Good" or "Acceptable" can still be a fine workhorse if the note is specific about the wear. Our conditions guide breaks down what each grade actually means.
- Renewed counts too. Amazon also lists the Encore under its Renewed program (professionally refurbished units). Worth comparing against the regular used offers.
Should you buy one used?
If you brew drip, pour-over, French press, or AeroPress and you're still on a blade grinder or pre-ground coffee, a used Encore is about as safe as secondhand appliances get. It is a simple machine, Baratza publishes repair guides and sells the parts that wear, and the manufacturer expects you to fix it rather than replace it. Check the specific part you might need is actually in stock before assuming a repair is cheap — availability moves. Note also that Encore and Encore ESP are different models with different burr and settings behaviour, so match the variant before comparing prices.
The part you can't control is timing. Good used offers on the Encore appear and disappear fast. Check the current listings below, or save the Encore to your early-access watchlist and we'll email you when Amazon availability alerts go live.