LotCaliperTest & lab auction diligence
Analysis snapshotSnapshot decision:REVIEW

HERAcell 240 / 240i Identity-Conflict CO₂ Incubator — Auction Analysis

GSA lists a repairable HERAcell 240i, while supplied representative photos show an older Heraeus-style controller rather than the current touchscreen design. The unresolved generation, function, interior condition, contamination, and freight risks leave a $0 blind ceiling.

Analysis snapshot · Historical — observed August 29, 2026. The scheduled close date of September 3, 2026 has passed. The price, evidence, economics, and recommendation remain exactly as recorded and are not current.

Decision at a glance

RecommendationREVIEW
Maximum hammer bid
$0

The auction bid ceiling supported by this analysis, if one is defensible; see costs below for buyer-premium treatment.

Why this decision

REVIEW with a $0 blind ceiling: under the lower-value legacy HERAcell 240 branch, $1,500 conservative resale cannot meet the $500 profit floor after seller-repairable, identity, interior, function, contamination, and freight risk.

What to verify before bidding

  • Seller 240I metadata and the pictured older controller do not align cleanly.
  • Repairable condition and no operating evidence leave temperature, CO₂, alarms, circulation, and decontamination performance unknown.
  • Interior completeness, contamination, corrosion, seals, and chamber material are unresolved.
Review all risks and unknowns

See costs and maximum bid for the displayed assumptions and buyer-premium treatment.

Snapshot auction state
No bid displayed at observation
Bidders
0
Blind-model resale
$1,500
Snapshot provenance and timing · observed August 29, 2026 · scheduled close September 3, 2026

GSA Auctions sale 1-1-QSC-I-26-273, lot 014 · Washington, DC
Snapshot observed August 29, 2026
Scheduled close September 3, 2026
Analysis prepared August 29, 2026
Published August 29, 2026 · page updated August 29, 2026

Prepared and published by Oleksii Udod for LotCaliper.

Continue after this auction

This auction snapshot is historical. Continue with related research, or review a relevant published analysis whose recorded scheduled close has not passed.

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These are individually prepared, time-stamped analyses with recorded scheduled closes. Verify the official auction before acting.

Auction snapshot

At the August 29, 2026 open-auction observation, no high bid was displayed and the supplied no-bid snapshot recorded zero bidders. It is not a final auction result.

A seller model field and representative photo can point to different product generations; choosing the higher current-generation comp tier before plate confirmation can manufacture a false spread.

Review and correction history

Independent review not recorded for this legacy analysis. No corrections recorded.

View review and correction details

Independent review not recorded

Published before the current independent-review gate; no completed independent review is recorded.

How independent review works
How evidence is classified

Seller facts, photo-derived observations, manufacturer context, unknowns, and LotCaliper assumptions remain explicitly separated.

Source Confirmed

Seller-confirmed

  • Seller lists one HERAcell CO₂ incubator, model 240I, in repairable condition.
  • Representative photos show a Heraeus-branded HERAcell cabinet with discrete displays, membrane keys, and visible alarm, auto-start, cal, and 90°C controls.

Photo Derived

Photo-derived

  • The pictured controller is visually inconsistent with the current 240i touchscreen design and appears consistent with an older HERAcell generation.
  • The cabinet and main door appear present, but no interior configuration is confirmed and surrounding property is excluded.

Not Established

Not established

  • Actual generation, readable plate, photo-to-property correspondence, power-on, temperature/CO₂ performance, alarms, sensors, interior completeness, contamination, calibration, service history, and decontamination-cycle performance.
  • Current-240i options, copper chamber, IR sensor, O₂/tri-gas control, shelves, accessories, or usable service paperwork.

Manufacturer Context

Independent context

  • Thermo Fisher describes current HERAcell 240i units as 240 L incubators with touchscreen control; manufacturer-origin legacy documentation describes older roughly 238 L HERAcell 240 units and 90°C decontamination context.
  • Legacy 240 and current 240i dealer asking tiers are kept separate and neither asking tier is treated as a realized sale.

Lotcaliper Assumption

LotCaliper assumptions

  • $1,500 conservative resale under the lower-value legacy HERAcell 240 branch only; approximately $1,200–$2,000 broader legacy range.
  • $900 non-acquisition burden excluding selling fees and hammer; $0 blind maximum under the standard profit and ROI profile.

Equipment identity

Laboratory · quantity 1

Thermo Fisher / Heraeus HERAcell CO₂ incubator; seller model 240I / exact generation unresolved

Identity confidence: Medium

Identity evidence

  • Seller identifies one HERAcell CO₂ incubator, model 240I; representative supplied photos show a visually inconsistent older controller.

    GSA Auctions · Text · observed August 29, 2026

Configuration

Actual HERAcell 240 versus current-generation 240i identity

Not established · no source evidence establishes presence or absence

Configuration evidence

  • Seller model says 240I, but supplied representative photos show older discrete displays and membrane keys rather than the documented touchscreen interface.

    GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 29, 2026

Inner glass door, shelves, reservoir, chamber material, seals, fan/circulation components, gas fittings, calibration accessories, and service paperwork

Not established · no source evidence establishes presence or absence

Configuration evidence

  • The supplied evidence does not establish interior completeness or accessories; surrounding equipment is excluded.

    GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 29, 2026

Current-240i option package, copper chamber, IR sensor, O₂ control, tri-gas capability, and sensor configuration

Not established · no source evidence establishes presence or absence

Configuration evidence

  • No readable plate or direct configuration evidence establishes current-generation options.

    GSA Auctions · Image · observed August 29, 2026

Condition

As-is / repair risk

Seller marks the incubator repairable. Dark displays are neutral, but no power-on, temperature stability, CO₂ control, alarms, circulation, decontamination cycle, calibration, or contamination assessment is demonstrated.

Evidence confidence: High

Condition evidence

  • Seller repairable condition and supplied photographs do not establish core incubator operation or chamber condition.

    GSA Auctions · Text · observed August 29, 2026

Market evidence

Market evidence strength

Low Medium

Public auditability

Limited Legacy

Evidence recency

Not Recorded

No structured comparable-evidence metadata was preserved for this dated snapshot. Public auditability is limited; the numeric resale snapshot cannot be independently audited from comparable records on this page.

Legacy evidence counts were not preserved. Unknown is not reported as zero.

Sensitivity and robustness

Requires Verification

The scenarios show potentially workable economics, but the stated verification gate must be resolved before bidding responsibly.

Legacy-branch blind model

Max hammer
$0
Gross resale model
$1,200–$1,500

The $500 profit floor leaves negative $125 at $1,500 conservative resale after selling, logistics, testing, and uncertainty reserves. A plate-confirmed current 240i requires a separate re-underwrite.

Costs and maximum bid

Transaction / operating costAmountBasis
Selling Fees$225LotCaliper assumption: 15% of modeled gross resale.
Shipping$250LotCaliper pickup, packing, rigging, and inbound-logistics reserve; not a carrier or GSA quote.
Testing Repair Reserve$250LotCaliper functional-test and diagnostic reserve.
Risk Buffer$400Identity conflict, repairable condition, interior/completeness, contamination, sensor, return, and 180–190 lb-class freight uncertainty.
Buyer premium
Not modeled
Return requirements
$500 minimum profit · 30% minimum ROI
Computed bid constraints

Profit floor: $0

ROI floor: $81

Binding: Profit floor

Snapshot blind/as-is max hammer
$0
Modeled result at recorded bid
No bid recorded

This is a reseller ceiling, not a prediction of the auction's closing price. Any buyer premium or other unquoted acquisition charge must be deducted before bidding.

Identity conflict, incubator verification, and legacy-branch economics

GSA's 240I model field is preserved, but the supplied photos may be representative and show an older Heraeus-style controller rather than the touchscreen interface documented for current 240i equipment. Neither source resolves the exact property without a readable plate.

The lower-value legacy branch is the only defensible blind basis. Repairable status, interior/completeness and contamination uncertainty, temperature/CO₂ verification, and bulky freight consume the potential spread before any positive hammer is justified.

  • Obtain a readable plate and current photos of the actual lot before using any 240i valuation evidence.
  • Inspect the full chamber and demonstrate stable temperature/CO₂ control, alarms, circulation, seals, decontamination, and sensor performance before assigning working-system value.

Recommendation and rationale

Snapshot decision

REVIEW

REVIEW with a $0 blind ceiling: under the lower-value legacy HERAcell 240 branch, $1,500 conservative resale cannot meet the $500 profit floor after seller-repairable, identity, interior, function, contamination, and freight risk.

Confidence

Identity
Medium
Configuration
Low
Condition
Low
Market Support
Low Medium
Costs
Medium

Market support assesses how well the available evidence supports the resale assumption. Exact third-party marketplace records may be omitted when source-use rights are unclear. Each dimension uses the published methodology rubric; a confidence label measures the strength and boundedness of its evidence, not the likelihood of a profitable outcome.

Risks and unknowns

High · Model Generation Unresolved

Seller 240I metadata and the pictured older controller do not align cleanly.

Representative-photo warning prevents either source from proving the delivered unit's generation.

High · Functionality Unverified

Repairable condition and no operating evidence leave temperature, CO₂, alarms, circulation, and decontamination performance unknown.

A working display would not establish stable calibrated incubation performance.

High · Chamber Condition Unknown

Interior completeness, contamination, corrosion, seals, and chamber material are unresolved.

Those factors can materially change resale value and safe reconditioning cost.

Medium · Heavy Logistics

A bulky roughly 180–190 lb-class incubator can consume a low-thousands resale spread.

The $250 reserve is a LotCaliper assumption, not a freight quote.

Sources

View cited public sources