• The Ohaus scales are sometimes missing the pan, which costs about $18 + shipping to replace.
• If you seriously drop or crush one, the beams are cast aluminum and can easily bend and/or break.
• Sometimes people take apart the hanger which uses #9 shot to 'zero' the scale. If you lose some of the lead shot (which is easily replaced) then it won't zero again.
• Mostly the knives get rusty from being in long term storage. Just clean them up with a sharpening stone and apply waxy case lube to ward away further humidity.
• Rarely some fool will oil the knives and that gets oxidized and gummy. A cotton swab and alcohol on the gem stones fixes that.
• The magnetic flanges can get loose, but you can epoxy or LocTite those back onto the beam.
The main thing is to make sure all the pieces are there, that the beams are straight, and that the decals with the numbers aren't missing or illegible. Everything else is repairable.