On many occasions it is possible to buy used equipment, in good working condition, for much less than new prices.

I want to say the opposite. Watch the prices very carefully. Yes you can get a HP (Keysight/Agilent) product for 1/10 the new price but a new, non-HP may cost less.
Some things like oscilloscopes have new functions never thought of 5 years ago.

 

Certainly pricing of non-HP equipment should be considered. And certainly SOME other equipment is very good. And just as certainly there is junk-quality equipment on the market.
My best purchase was an inoperative HP frequency counter for $1. the repair was replacing an obviously burned input series resistor. The compromise is that now the 50 ohm input termination is not available.
The second best acquisition was a dual trace scope that nobody wanted because the case screws were all missing. It was free! complete with two probes. The total repair was providing about 20 small metric screws.
My point being that some used equipment is good .

 

I found a 60Mhz arbitrary waveform generator on Ebay for a little over $100.
FY6900 60MHz DDS VCO Signal Generator Arbitrary Wave Frequency Meter Pulse

Would this be a good buy?

 

Certainly an arbitrary waveform generator will be able to provide the basic waveforms, but take a close look at the limitations of that model from that manufacturer that are discussed in those earlier posts.
The limited output at higher frequencies might be a big limitation for some uses. Or maybe not.
I am not at all familiar with the quality or durability of products from that manufacturer so others will need to provide that information. Certainly durability to survive use matters a great deal to one just starting to acquire equipment.

 

I found a 60Mhz arbitrary waveform generator on Ebay for a little over $100.
FY6900 60MHz DDS VCO Signal Generator Arbitrary Wave Frequency Meter Pulse

Would this be a good buy?

Go back to post #10 and read the next x number of posts.

 

The limited output at higher frequencies might be a big limitation for some uses.

Here is the specs.
Frequency≤5MHz: 1mVpp~24Vpp;
5MHz<Frequency≤10MHz: 1mVpp~20Vpp;
10MHz<Frequency≤20MHz: 1mVpp~10Vpp;
Frequency>20MHz: 1mVpp~5Vpp
The 20mhz output is only good to 5Vp-p because the output amplifier has slew rate limitations. It simply cannot move the output 24V that fast. This is pretty common.

I am not at all familiar with the quality or durability of products from that manufacturer so others will need to provide that information. Certainly durability to survive use matters a great deal to one just starting to acquire equipment.

I have a $15,000 ARB and a $100 ARB. There is a difference in the case as I said. I rented an Agilent ARB for a week and then bough the Chinese ARB because it cost much less than rent.
Recently I wanted to upgrade a network analyzer. I got a $130 "toy" that does the job and did not pay the $35,000. I have to pay out of my pocket.
Keep your eyes open to all possibilities including e-bay. If this is a hobby don't spend big money on something that will not return money.

 

Many years ago I was given a logic analyzer. I accepted it because it has a very nice case and a good looking CRT display. Never used it, not even sure what it would do for me. It might make an interesting "something else" if I ever played with it.

 

I think I'll buy the FY6900-60 arbitrary waveform generator on Ebay.