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Should I Buy Refurbished Electronics?

Say you’re in the market to buy a new laptop. The one you’ve got your eye on is the MacBook Pro, but you can’t find a new one for less than $1,300, which is out of your price range. As you hunt online for a better price, you come across several offers for older secondhand MacBook Pros — some for less than $400.

That sounds like a fantastic deal, but you hesitate. You suspect that if someone else is getting rid of this computer, it must be a dud. You worry the laptop won’t work at all or will break down within a week or two, leaving you out $400 with nothing to show for it.

Fortunately, there’s a third option. You can buy a refurbished MacBook Pro from a reputable site and get a laptop in like-new condition for around $600. Refurbished electronics can be the best of both worlds, with lower prices than new equipment and lower risks than used — as long as you know how to shop wisely.

Refurbished Electronics vs. Used Electronics

“Refurbished” isn’t just another word for “used,” though the terms are related. Used goods, also known as secondhand or pre-owned goods, are products another person has bought, used, and sold. Refurbished goods, also known as reconditioned or remanufactured goods, are products another person has purchased and returned.

Generally, when selling refurbished items, the retailer or manufacturer checks each product for functionality before resale. It may also make minor adjustments or fixes, such as giving the device fresh packaging or a new battery.

Basically, all refurbished electronics are used — but not all used electronics are refurbished.

Returned devices aren’t necessarily faulty. Sometimes, people return a product because of damaged packaging or minor blemishes that only affect its looks. In other cases, they simply have buyer’s remorse, meaning they change their minds after buying it. In cases like these, buying refurbished can get you a completely unused gadget for a bargain price.

In other cases, refurbished products, or “refurbs,” have been returned because of malfunctions — some minor, some major. When you buy a refurb, there’s typically no way to tell what was wrong with it before it was returned. But it shouldn’t matter since a reputable refurbisher fixes all problems with a returned device before resale.

Merchandise listed as refurbished has several advantages over those sold as used or secondhand:

• Like-New Condition. Sellers of refurbished items repair everything that’s damaged, then test the device to make sure it’s working properly. They also clean it and, in many cases, replace worn exterior parts, such as the faceplate or buttons. That means when you buy a refurb, it should both look and run like new.
• Warranties. Many refurbished products come with a warranty, though the length of the warranty depends on who did the refurbishing. If the original manufacturer fixes and resells a product, the warranty is likely to be at least a full year. But products refurbished by a store have shorter warranties of 30 to 90 days.
• Support. In many cases, refurbished devices from the original manufacturer come with the same tech support as new products. However, that feature is often available only for current models. If you buy a recently discontinued product, don’t count on getting manufacturer support unless the sale listing specifically mentions the benefit.

Technology experts are enthusiastic about refurbished electronics. They say as long as you buy from a reputable source, you can get a product that works just like new for a fraction of the cost.

But they also stress that it’s crucial to do your homework first. The more you can learn about both the product itself and the seller, the better your chances of avoiding an unpleasant surprise when your package arrives.

Buying refurbished is just like buying secondhand — but with more protection. It takes a little more work, and you have to examine both the goods and the seller with care. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, it’s a suitable way to save money.