For some reason, the idea of purchasing refurbished electronics has held a negative stigma, though I really do not understand why.
For the purposes of this article, let me clarify some things.
The art of refurbishing something is to repair an item for the purposes of resale. Now, this tag has been applied to everything from home appliances to pocket calculators. The funny thing is refurbishing is not singular to just these items.
Think about it for a second…
If you have ever remodeled your home in any way, that is refurbishing. Ever change the furniture or install new carpeting? Have you ever had a repairperson come and fix your refrigerator, washer, dryer, or dishwasher? That is refurbishing.
If you have ever taken your vehicle to a repair shop, that is refurbishing. Some components on your vehicle are typically replaced by remanufactured, (refurbished), components. A vehicles alternator is a perfect example. Unless you purchase directly from a dealership, or the factory, chances are that someone else turned in the alternator you purchase from the auto parts store and it was sent out to be refurbished.
To continue the car comparison, if you have ever purchased a used vehicle under five years old from a dealership, it has probably been refurbished. The term they like to use now is "Factory Recertified" or, my personal ironic favorite, "Certified Pre-Owned", (I have never understood why a car company needed to certify that someone else owned your vehicle before you bought it), but I digress.
Terms like these are only fancy ways of letting the consumer know that the item they are interested in has been refurbished to some degree.
That being said, lets continue to home electronics.
There are two major types of refurbished electronics:
The most popular are the older units that are updated or upgraded to current specifications. In the world of home computers, these are the older computer units that are purchased second hand, given software and some hardware upgrades and resold. Typically these can be units that you would find online at various auction sites, or some stores.
As long as you trust the seller, there is usually nothing to worry about. In fact, many businesses recycle old workstations in this manner by recycling (selling) them to second hand stores to be resold to the public. The buyer should understand that they are not going to be getting a top of the line unit, but they will get something functional.
Another thing that the actual manufacturers will do is resell returned units. Despite quality controls, the occasional "bad apple" manages to make it to the consumer, or something is damaged during the shipping process. Many newer home electronics use fragile components and those components can be damaged during shipping to the stores, (my personal favorite are the LCD screens on newer televisions).
So, what happens to those returns and damaged stock? They are sent back to the manufacturer and the manufacturer usually repairs those units.
Since those units are still good, they can be refurbished and sold again, however, because they are sent back to the manufacturer for repair, they cannot be sold as "new", even if they've barely, or never been used.
Those units are then re-sold at a discount, sometimes as much as 90% off.
The way it usually works is like this: The manufacturer receives damaged or defective units back from the stores and sends them to the appropriate department to be repaired. The repaired units are then re-sold back to the public in a variety of ways such as discount warehouse stores or websites.
Now, most people believe that purchasing anything electronic in this manner means that the item is unreliable or will not perform to their expectations.
It is a common misconception. In fact, factory refurbished electronics are usually as good as new since the actual company that made the item does the repairs. The refurbished item usually has the standard, (90 day), factory warranty and typical peripherals like technical support, etc.
If you want to check out some of the potential deals, you can find on refurbished items, you can go to several websites. My two personal favorites are:
www.dailysteals.com (register for their daily newsletter - deals usually last one to two days)
www.icemonkey.com (is tied to daily steals but uses a "for sale till sold out" format)
As with anything you shop for online, be sure to read ALL the product information before purchasing and be sure to be familiar with their support and return policies if you happen to run into a problem.
Happy bargain hunting!
P.S. Just a quick side note: There was a storm in my neighborhood recently. Afterward, people were disposing of damaged items. I happened upon a 32-inch LCD television sitting curbside. I took it home and discovered that the LCD screen was cracked. A quick search on eBay, a little hard work on my part, and I now have a new TV/monitor for my computer. What was the total cost for my new refurbished 32-inch Jensen LCD TV?
$155.78
Retail cost of the TV new. $844.00 (Amazon.com)
Food for thought…
For the purposes of this article, let me clarify some things.
The art of refurbishing something is to repair an item for the purposes of resale. Now, this tag has been applied to everything from home appliances to pocket calculators. The funny thing is refurbishing is not singular to just these items.
Think about it for a second…
If you have ever remodeled your home in any way, that is refurbishing. Ever change the furniture or install new carpeting? Have you ever had a repairperson come and fix your refrigerator, washer, dryer, or dishwasher? That is refurbishing.
If you have ever taken your vehicle to a repair shop, that is refurbishing. Some components on your vehicle are typically replaced by remanufactured, (refurbished), components. A vehicles alternator is a perfect example. Unless you purchase directly from a dealership, or the factory, chances are that someone else turned in the alternator you purchase from the auto parts store and it was sent out to be refurbished.
To continue the car comparison, if you have ever purchased a used vehicle under five years old from a dealership, it has probably been refurbished. The term they like to use now is "Factory Recertified" or, my personal ironic favorite, "Certified Pre-Owned", (I have never understood why a car company needed to certify that someone else owned your vehicle before you bought it), but I digress.
Terms like these are only fancy ways of letting the consumer know that the item they are interested in has been refurbished to some degree.
That being said, lets continue to home electronics.
There are two major types of refurbished electronics:
The most popular are the older units that are updated or upgraded to current specifications. In the world of home computers, these are the older computer units that are purchased second hand, given software and some hardware upgrades and resold. Typically these can be units that you would find online at various auction sites, or some stores.
As long as you trust the seller, there is usually nothing to worry about. In fact, many businesses recycle old workstations in this manner by recycling (selling) them to second hand stores to be resold to the public. The buyer should understand that they are not going to be getting a top of the line unit, but they will get something functional.
Another thing that the actual manufacturers will do is resell returned units. Despite quality controls, the occasional "bad apple" manages to make it to the consumer, or something is damaged during the shipping process. Many newer home electronics use fragile components and those components can be damaged during shipping to the stores, (my personal favorite are the LCD screens on newer televisions).
So, what happens to those returns and damaged stock? They are sent back to the manufacturer and the manufacturer usually repairs those units.
Since those units are still good, they can be refurbished and sold again, however, because they are sent back to the manufacturer for repair, they cannot be sold as "new", even if they've barely, or never been used.
Those units are then re-sold at a discount, sometimes as much as 90% off.
The way it usually works is like this: The manufacturer receives damaged or defective units back from the stores and sends them to the appropriate department to be repaired. The repaired units are then re-sold back to the public in a variety of ways such as discount warehouse stores or websites.
Now, most people believe that purchasing anything electronic in this manner means that the item is unreliable or will not perform to their expectations.
It is a common misconception. In fact, factory refurbished electronics are usually as good as new since the actual company that made the item does the repairs. The refurbished item usually has the standard, (90 day), factory warranty and typical peripherals like technical support, etc.
If you want to check out some of the potential deals, you can find on refurbished items, you can go to several websites. My two personal favorites are:
www.dailysteals.com (register for their daily newsletter - deals usually last one to two days)
www.icemonkey.com (is tied to daily steals but uses a "for sale till sold out" format)
As with anything you shop for online, be sure to read ALL the product information before purchasing and be sure to be familiar with their support and return policies if you happen to run into a problem.
Happy bargain hunting!
P.S. Just a quick side note: There was a storm in my neighborhood recently. Afterward, people were disposing of damaged items. I happened upon a 32-inch LCD television sitting curbside. I took it home and discovered that the LCD screen was cracked. A quick search on eBay, a little hard work on my part, and I now have a new TV/monitor for my computer. What was the total cost for my new refurbished 32-inch Jensen LCD TV?
$155.78
Retail cost of the TV new. $844.00 (Amazon.com)
Food for thought…