And some manufacturers refurbish devices themselves and sell directly to the customer. While you can buy refurbished products directly from the folks who fix them up, you can also buy them from big retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target - but you need to read the fine print to know what you’re getting.

Shopping How to buy an unlocked phone, according to a tech expertĮvery manufacturer and store is different, however.

Plus, you get that slightly-warm-and-fuzzy feeling having kept one more item out of a landfill, which is crucial in the age of “disposable” phones and laptops. However, as someone who’s bought many used and refurbished products over the years, I’ve easily saved enough over the long haul to pay for the one or two duds that have come my way. It may, however, have some minor cosmetic imperfections, and it won’t always come with the same warranty that a brand new product could boast. This allows you to get a fully working, virtually new product at a sizable discount. Since the product isn’t new, retailers don’t price it as new, though it should function just as well. “It can mean whatever someone wants it to mean.”īroadly speaking, he explains, a refurbished product is usually a used or returned product that has been repaired, cleaned up and tested to be in good working order. “I hate the word ‘refurbished,’” says John Bumstead, a longtime MacBook refurbisher based in Minneapolis. There are no universal guidelines that define the word “refurbished,” which can make things a bit confusing for anyone looking to wade into these uncharted waters.

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