Learn how to buy refurbished products, save money and help the environment. Refurbished or reconditioned electronics are a great way to save money on your favorite gadgets such as laptops, mobile phones, smartphones and just about anything you can think of that has a chip in it.
In addition, customers who buy refurbished products may not know but they’re also doing good for the environment.
Even though cell phones are relatively small items these computers in your pocket actually have a large environmental impact. Each phone can cause up to 16 kg of CO2 emissions, and that’s just when they’re being manufactured at the plant. This waste is equivalent to the same weight as a beef product. Moreover, less than half of the materials used to manufacture a cell phone are even recycled.
As you can see buying a refurbished device not only saves you money but you are also reducing your environmental impact by eliminating the need to manufacture another electronic product.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – always buy products that have been serviced by the manufacturer.
When you buy a refurbished product the device will be completely disassembled, it will be cleaned internally and externally, and the needed repair will be performed.
You will generally have a better experience refurbishing products when they’re refurbished by the manufacturer, with the warranty that is supported by the retailer which is selling the product.
Buying electronic products which were refurbished privately, not by the manufacturer can be problematic. Refurbished products which are not serviced by the original manufacturer will have avoided warranties, unknown refurbishing practices, and typically lack good warranties to protect your purchase.
According to Consumer Reports, Amazon, Best Buy, and game stop are the recommended retailers to buy rehab products from when you can’t find them from the manufacturer.
How to buy refurbished products
Buying refurbished products is an excellent way to save money on your purchases oh, that being said there are a few things to know before you enter the world of refurbished electronics.
Listed below is a series of various tips and tricks to safely purchase refurbished items. this will help you avoid getting scammed, ripped off we’re simply purchasing poorly refurbished products.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Is your product an actual refurbished product or is it an open box returned item?
When shopping on and searching for discounts you will see many offers for the same product some at much larger discounts than on other sites, especially manufacturer’s website prices. you must first determine what type of product you are purchasing, is it an open box item or is it refurbished.
most open box products were previously purchased and opened but typically not used. the customer may have realized that they didn’t really want it or when they open the box the product was damaged, so the customer returned the product.
Personally, when I see open box items for sale oh, I do not think of them as refurbished products. refurbished products are typically cleaned serviced and repaired by an expert service technician by the manufacturer. When you buy an open box item, likely, the product has not been repaired or serviced. Most likely this item was just visually inspected and possibly cleaned.
A lot of consumers may not know that there are laws in the US that stock companies from selling returned items in products as if they are brand new products. Despite these words of warning refurbished products and even some open box items are a great way to save money on your next Electronics purchase.
Be sure to always ask the seller about the product’s Origins, and find out whether it is an open box product or a refurb and if you are the first owner of this product.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Find out who performed the refurb?
As you will see not all refurbs are the same. A refurb could be performed by the original manufacturer, it could be performed by an authorized servicer of the product or private third-party refurbishment service.
Personally, my first try to buy my refurbished products from the original company or manufacturer. In my opinion, this is the safest way to purchase refurbished products. the manufacturers and Companies selling the product are always the most familiar with the product and typically offer warranty or have a factory certified guarantee.
If you do decide to shop for third-party or privately refurbished items, and you’re willing to take that risk, you might be able to enjoy some steep discounts on your favorite tech items. Just remember it the risk is real and you can definitely get scammed, lose money or purchase a product that was was poorly serviced.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Are all the original materials and accessories included with the refurbished product?
When you purchase an item that has been refurbished or is it an open box you want to read the seller’s description carefully and see if it is missing any of the normally included accessories which typically come with that product. For example, when you open an iPhone box, a charger is included. if you purchase that same product refurbished or open-box, the item does not necessarily include all of the original accessories normally provided.
This is the main reason that I typically like to purchase my electronic products directly from the vendor or company. Buying directly from the vendor is definitely your safest bet for a good experience. if you’re just getting started in the world of reefer products, a line from the original manufacturer is a great bet.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Check to make sure the product still has a warranty?
When buying a product online and you see it is labeled quote as is, this means that you likely do not have any recourse as the implied warranty it’s not active. Finding a product as is could mean when you receive it it does not work properly. You may very well be purchasing a product that is Dead on Arrival.
Always ask the seller if a warranty or guarantee is included with the purchase. Asked if the device what’s refurbished by the original manufacturer? Personally, if I see a refurbished product without a warranty, I typically pass on that purchase.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – What condition is your refurbished product in?
Is often up to the buyer to determine the condition of the product they are purchasing in Reading the seller’s description in detail do you understand what you were purchasing.
Refurbished sellers often use words such as, – new, gently used, and works great. while these descriptions might give you some confidence, you should read the descriptions break carefully and ask the seller any questions about the product, what’s included, and who and how to service the item.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Find out what the seller’s return policy is?
When buying refurbished products it is especially important to understand what the return policy is for that product. in general, you want to buy a refurbished product from a seller that gives you a decent amount of time the return. Sometimes buyers will not realize or find a defect in the item that they purchased until a month or even months later. it fits a 14-day return policy then you may not have enough time to find that defect and repair for that issue might be fairly expensive.
Always read the fine print when your purchase refurbished products any time spent today reading through the fine print inspecting the pictures and reading the description carefully will save you money and headache down the road.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Are there any refurbished products or categories that you should have not typically not buy?
I purchased many types of refurbished products with varying levels of success, but in general, I would recommend not purchasing some of the following products:
- Any item that you wear on your skin, like headphones, earbuds, and watches.
- Items that have mechanical parts in them, such as a keyboard, or a mechanical mouse.
- I typically avoid hard drives or solid-state drives because they can’t be reset to the original factory settings.
- I also typically avoid TVs because it’s very difficult to tell what condition the display is or how many hours it’s been used.
- Products like printer cartridges should not be purchased as refurb.
One caveat I should mention is that if you’re buying this product directly from a manufacturer such as Apple, Samsung, and LG you are more likely to get a high-quality repair, there for buying a product from the list might not be a bad decision at all.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Find out what protection your credit card offers?
Many credit cards today offer extended warranty protection, assuming the product which has been refurbished still has a warranty in place. according to research over 50% of most credit cards offer protection or refurbished purchases When they include an existing warranty.
Some credit cards offer perks such as extended warranties, should try to use credit cards that offer this perk. Credit card companies Citi Bank, Chase, Capital One, and American Express will extend warranties of the products you purchase.
personally, whenever I purchase a refurbished item oh, I will check with my credit card company to find out what additional warranty I got with the purchase. New one
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Is a refurbished product always cheaper?
Refurbished products always being cheaper is a widely held belief which is not always true. If you find a great deal on a refurb please try to check online or your favorite price comparison engine just Google to see if that purchase price is a real discount.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – What are the best vendors to buy rehabs from?
As you have learned, not all vendors are equal in terms of the product quality of their refurbs. I’ve had good success purchasing rehab products from the following vendors:
- Apple
- Samsung
- Microsoft
- Dell
- LG
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Buying refurbished products from retailers
Bricks-and-mortar businesses also offer refurbished products. the advantage of buying a refurbished product from a retailer is that you get to visually inspect the product as well.
Here are some retailers both online and in-store that offer open box items and refurbished items what’s good customer service.
- Best Buy
- Amazon
- Walmart
- Verizon
- Target
How to Buy Refurbished Products – Retailers which only sell refurbished products
There are places online that exclusively sell refurbished products. You can typically get a good price on these products and moreover, they even include a reliable warranty.
- BackMarket
- Gazelle
- eBay
- DeCluttr
How to Buy Refurbished Products – One of my favorite ways to buy Apple products
Now that you know the impact of buying new electronics on the environment and the money you can save purchasing refurbished products. You’ll definitely want to learn more about the Apple-certified refurbished program. (And yes you can even get Airpods there)
Apple sells refurbished products exclusively online. You’re able to buy a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone, an Apple watch Apple TV, and much more online with a limited warranty and a great discount. More over they are cleaned and serviced to the point in which they are in a new condition.
Just browsing through Apple’s refurbished section I can find a refurbished Mac mini Apple and one ship within a core CPU and a core GPO for only $759. That’s a savings of $140 off the retail price. I am also able to buy a refurbished 13.3 inch MacBook air with the M1 chip and then a core CPU and the seven core GPU probably $849. That’s a savings of $150 off of Apple’s regular online price.
I’ve personally purchased many of these refurbished products from Apple and to this day I haven’t had any issues with the products aside from normal wear and tear.
Always byproducts that have been serviced by the manufacturer.
When you buy a refurbished product the device will be completely disassembled, it will be cleaned internally and externally, and the needed repair will be performed.
You will generally have a better experience refurbishing products when they’re refurbished by the manufacturer, with the warranty that is supported by the retailer which is selling the product.
Buying electronic products which were refurbished privately, not by the manufacturer can be problematic. Refurbished products which are not serviced by the original manufacturer will have avoided warranties, unknown refurbishing practices, and typically lack good warranties to protect your purchase.
According to Consumer Reports, Amazon, Best Buy, and game stop are the recommended retailers to buy rehab products from when you can’t find them from the manufacturer.
How to Buy Refurbished Products – In Conclusion
Buying refurbished products is a great way to save money help the environment. You can start buying refurbished products from the manufacturer, the environment in your wallet will not regret it.
