10 Things to Know Before You Buy Refurbished Electronics

The reason for buying refurbished technology rather than brand new equipment is simple – to save money. It’s also good to avoid sending yet another gadget to the landfill . Added bonus: If you opt for refurbished, it won’t be subject to shipping delays like brand new equipment.

The problem is that refurbished products have a life before they come to you. Maybe it was a short existence with an attentive original owner, but maybe not. All you know is that the product was sent back, and it was overhauled to make it usable again, or at least inspected to make sure it worked.

This all happens under the original product warranty – a warranty you may not inherit. You may also have to give up the device’s original accessories and deal with physical defects.

Here’s a quick rundown of what you should know before hitting the buy button on your updated or improved hardware. If you can’t answer these questions satisfactorily, stick to brand new if possible.

1. Is it refurbished or returned out of the box?

A typical open box product is one that is purchased and opened but returned before use. Perhaps the buyer or recipient decided they didn’t want it, or the packaging was damaged, so it was returned unused as a precaution.

In my opinion, to be truly refurbished, the unit should need some kind of repair, cleaning or touch-up. Legally, however, there is no real definition of “refurbishment.” It can mean what the supplier or seller wants it to be. You may also see terms like “used” and “refurbished,” which are synonyms until they’re not. Regardless of condition, all returned products for resale tend to be mixed.

Thank goodness US law prevents companies from selling returned products as if they were brand new. You benefit from this because once the refurbished label appears on the product, the price will drop. Ask the seller about the provenance of the product, and hopefully get an unboxed product; you may not be the first owner, but you may be the first user.

2. Who performed the renovation?

Not all fixes are created equal. It can be performed by the original manufacturer, but it may be that a third party has done the work and resold the product. In general, sticking with your old company is a wise move. It will have the correct packaging and parts to make the product as close to new as possible. Look for “factory certified” or similar nomenclature.

That said, you can get real savings from third-party refurbs. Keep in mind that this is an arena that some have described as a Wild West, and there’s no real way to ascertain the quality of a product before you buy it. Buyer beware.

3. Does it come with everything?

Unboxing an iPhone and not being able to find a charger is a sad experience (especially if the item is brand new, but that ‘s a different issue ).

Refurbished products often do not have the accessories that came with buying new. That’s another reason to try to find refurbished products from the manufacturer; you’re more likely to get all the accessories. You can also keep the product in close to original packaging if that’s important to you.

4. Is there any warranty on the product?

Do not purchase any product that is marked “as is” as this will void any implied warranties that may come with the product. The buyer runs the risk of getting hardware that may not even work properly. Just because a device can be turned on doesn’t mean it can get online, get a signal, etc.

By law, used products in many states do have an implied warranty. Equipment must be able to perform for the purpose for which it was designed, even when sold. Cell phones have to make calls (phones still do, so I’m told). The laptop must be powered on and connected to the internet. A webcam is best to make you look good in a Zoom meeting .

Your best bet is to ask the seller directly if there is a warranty or guarantee. This is more likely if the device was refurbished by the original manufacturer. Discounts may not always be worth the risk if there is no warranty. Also, please confirm the warranty period. Six months is risky for devices that originally had one year of protection.

5. What does “like new” mean?

There are no rules on how to grade a refurbished product, other than the fact that a seller can’t say it’s brand new. However, it can say it’s “like new”.

This probably means that the item has never been used. It could also mean that the product was refurbished to this condition after a hard life. For example, maybe a scratched or cracked screen was replaced . If you can figure it out, it’s worth knowing exactly what “like new” means.

After “like new”, the options are all “used” in some form, from “lightly” down. You’ll find these lists vary by site and provider.

6. What is the return policy?

It takes a while to notice the problem in some products. You want a return window of at least a month (not much to ask for when a company selling jumbo mattresses gives you 100 days). The same should be true for refurbished products. If you can’t use a product for at least two weeks with the option to return it for free, don’t bother. Many will say “the sale ends”, and you don’t want that (unless the savings are truly astronomical).

Buying refurbished is exactly the type of transaction you should read the fine print . After receiving the product, please check it thoroughly when you open it. You might want to take advantage of that return policy now.

7. What should I not buy refurbished?

This is ultimately up to you, but we recommend that you avoid the following:

• Items that frequently come in contact with the skin (headphones and earplugs)
• Mechanical Items ( Keyboard) )
• Hard drives or solid-state drives (they can’t actually be reset to factory settings.
• TV (hard to tell how old and used the TV was.

Some of these purchases may be okay if you trust the company behind the product renewals. Instead, you should only buy refurbished from certain companies as they are too expensive when new .

8. Is my credit card guaranteed?

possible. Many credit cards extend warranty coverage, assuming some kind of warranty already comes with the product. In most cases, this includes renovations. 2022% of cards will cover refurbished products with pre-existing warranties (up from 66% in 2017), while 42% of cards will extend warranties purchased separately (down from 47%).

Extended warranties are a perk of many cards, but not all. Obviously, you’ll need to use that card to make purchases. At Citi, Chase, Capital One, Amex, and quite a few others . (Discovery killed it in 2018. There are even a few free cards that offer it.

Before you buy a refurbished product, especially a high-end item like a smartphone or laptop, call your credit card company to make sure it supports you. When purchasing, keep a copy of your receipt and original or refurbished warranty. You may need a repair estimate to fix the equipment in order to file a claim.

9. Are refurbished products always cheaper?

No. Do some price comparisons. When you find a cheap refurb, go to another refurb site to see if the same or a similar model is available for less. That said, don’t let price dictate everything. Sometimes, you may trust a website or vendor enough to pay a little more.

10. Which companies do the refurbishment?