6 Things to Know Before You Buy Refurbished?

A second hand or repaired mobile or laptop can come at a modest cost, but don't go into it blind. These tips will help you with getting it and keep away from losing cash while buying any restored workstations, TVs, phones, and other devices.

There's a direct reason to buy refurbished  tech as opposed to brand new one   — that reason is pricing. Additionally, the chip deficiency won't influence the home delivery of your preferred gadget. In case you go for a refurbished  thing, it will not be subject to transportation delays, since it's at this available with the seller  there in inventory to buy.

The issue is that refurbed things presumably was in use by someone before it  came to you. Maybe it was a short period for which the device was used by  the  primary owner, or  maybe not. Whichever is the case, the device was in user for sometime so  that it  was sent back and given an upgrade to make it workable, or on the other hand if nothing else a cosmetic change was performed on it  to guarantee it becomes re-usable for a longer duration and is also saleable at a better price. 

You may also have to do without few original accessories and deal with several real imperfections on   the device like the marks of use, blemishes on display, slow key pads etc. 

Here is the  synopsis of what you should know before you click the buy button on a restored/re-tried piece of gadget. 

Is It a Refurb or Open-Box Return?

A typical open-box thing is one that was ordered and opened, but was returned by the buyer before it was  used. Maybe the buyer or recipient didn't require it, or maybe the packaging was bad or not packaged properly so it was returned as a protection, probably the device in this case was working fine and was in great condition. As a matter of fact, I'd contest  that to be a certified refurb, because to be a certified refurb  a device needs a support, cleaning or the some hardware replacement or cosmetic cleaning . Legitimately, there's no universal definition of "refurbished." It can infer anything a shipper or seller portrays it to be like on their platforms. 

In United States, the government has framed laws that legally prevent such resellers to sell returned products as brand new and  hence they are bound to place these goods under the category of refurbs. 

You may in like manner see terms like "utilized" and "reconditioned," "re-newed" which are synonyms and most commonly used for refurbs. All returned things that get traded again will frequently get accumulated  together, no matter what the condition. Get some data about a refurbs products originality and you can only speculate that the product is open-box and not a damaged refurb which internal replacements. Here, you may not be the first to order the device but you will be the first one to use it. 

Who refurbished the device?

There are different categories to this. A manufacturer refurbished like we have iPhone officially selling these refurbished devices in United states or it can be an outsourced refurb device which was refurbished by someone in a refurbishment center. 

From this statement, one can figure out that to buy from the original manufacturer is the best purchase decision. So go for manufacturer certified  devices.

Now if the device was refurbished by a third party, the price should be lower if compared to the device refurbished by the original manufacturer for the simple reason that any replacement done in the device will be with original components in case of a manufacturer refurb, which may not be the case with a third party refurb device. 

Does it come with all the accessories?

This question becomes more significant because if you buy an high end mobile like iPhone or mac book, you expect original charger, earbuds etc. since buying them again will burn a hole in your pocket.

There are high chances that you will not get the accessories as someone who returns or sells their iPhone doesn't typically sells  in the earphones or charger. That is another reason to look at refurbs in a general sense from the verified vendor or original manufacturer. You will undoubtedly get all of the accessories in the case from them. Original packaging is also an important aspect when buying refurb device as it suggests the seller has sold the device released by the original manufacturer itself  and not a A or B copy of the same device has been sold to you.

How does warranty/guarantee work with a refurbish phone?

In case of second hand users selling their mobiles, laptops or smart watches or any other accessories online, you may come across such users who have the product still under original manufacturers warranty or guarantee. I believe Quiker and OLX can be a good platforms for such purchase but given the dubious nature of the sellers on such platforms and no manual or otherwise intervention of the online platform itself makes it difficult for the buyer to reach to genuine sellers who have such products up for sale. Please check the device physically. Expecting it's a phone, it better make choices. If it's a PC, it better boot up and go on the web. Expecting that it's a webcam, it better do a good job for you on that Zoom meeting.

Your most intelligent decision is to ask the seller directly if another warranty is set up.. Without an assurance, the refurb assets may not commonly meet  the work for which it is designed. Similarly, insist the duration of the assurance. A half year on a device that at first had one year isn't a very good deal at least that is how I feel but this may vary from person to person.

What is the condition of the device?

There are no rules to determine the exact condition of the refurbished device, Why?, well first of all you have no way to know which component of the device  has been changed or replaced  and hence you can only check the functionality of the refurb at the time of buying it that too if you are buying it from a store. On purchase from online platforms it is impossible to check the functionality of the device. Probably to deal with this objection online platforms like  Cashify  & Croma have ventured into opening stores in our neighborhood where you can touch, feel and use the device before actually placing the order. 

Always watch out for the claim made by the online seller regarding the grade or condition of the device. They generally claim the refurb to be  "like new" or also called as 'Mint' condition. 

But in this case also, you will find minor blemishes on the screen, a few hard to catch scratches on the screen or back-screen.

What's the Return Policy?

The return policy of a product could last from 10 days to 30 days depending upon the day or time when the refurb was delivered to you. So make sure to review the product on the platform from where you bought it and also to check for all the minor look, feel and functionality details so that in case the product should be returned it is done asap without any delay. Make sure to write the seller about it so that you have a written document as proof with their acknowledgement on it.