Saturday, 30 January 2010

• Refurbished Goods: Not Just the Rejects

  
  

  I'll admit to previously turning up my nose at refurbished goods, particularly electronics. All I could focus on was the fact that they were ...*gasp* USED, and I didn't want someone else's rejects!

  But that was also back when I wouldn't even consider shopping at a thrift or consignment store. Obviously, I've seen the light since then. But it did  take me a little bit longer to accept that something being refurbished didn't automatically mean it would break as soon as I received it. I always thought these were the defective products that got sent back to the company that they tweaked a little and shipped right back out just to avoid losing the money on them. I assumed they were inherently inferior.

  I started looking into refurbished electronics more and realized how wrong I was. While it's true that some refurbished items were opened and returned to the company, those don't comprise the entire refurbished world. Products sold as "refurbished" can be orders that were canceled and never shipped out, items shipped out but never opened, or demo products. Companies like Dell and Lenovo actually let you choose which type of refurbishment you want to buy. For example, Dell has  "Previously Ordered New", "Certified Refurbished" and "Scratch and Dent" (cosmetic blemishes that don't affect performance) products. So even if you're still squeamish about buying used, this can help ease you into the whole thing. 
  

  A couple months ago, my boyfriend I picked up two Sandisk Sansa mp3 players off of newegg.com. They're 2 GB and only cost $20 each because they were refurbished. They retail for about $50 each brand new. We have older hard drive mp3 players, but we wanted flash mp3 players to go running with (they hold up to the jostling of running a lot better). We've been using them multiple times a week since and they've both been working beautifully.  I feel better about refurbished items because they go through a lot of retesting to make sure their up to snuff. That amount of individualized attention is reassuring for me.It certainly helps that you can save a couple hundred dollars by buying refurbished. For example, brand new Apple Macbook Airs start at $1499 at the online Apple Store. Refurbished Macbook Airs, with similar specs, start around $1199.  Straight from Apple's website, here are their steps for refurbishment:
  "Each Apple Certified Refurbished Product:

  • is fully tested (including full burn-in testing).
  • is refurbished with replacement parts for any defective modules identified in testing.
  • is put through a thorough cleaning process and inspection.
  • is repackaged (including appropriate manuals, cables, new boxes, etc.).
  • includes the operating software originally shipped with the unit and the custom software offered with that system. See each products "Learn More" for more details.
  • is given a new refurbished part number and serial number.
  • is placed into a Final QA inspection prior to being added to sellable refurbished stock.

  Refurbishment procedures follow the same basic technical guidelines as Apple's Finished Goods testing procedures."
  

  Have you ever bought a refurbished item? Would you?

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