Some of these PCs can be bought at very low prices and most of them are either totally new or almost new. That begs the question, why are they so cheap? Is it because they don't have a life-span that could be as long as those of the other computers you buy new? Can someone please explain to me the logic behind this because instead of buying a used PC I'm seriously considering a refurbished PC because according to rumors:
I have a refurbished Dell computer that I paid $230 for. The reason it is so cheap is that it was formerly leased by an office. Once the office's lease was up, the company returned the rented computers. My refurbished "off-lease" computer works great and looks new. The only reason it is so cheap is that it was formerly an office's work computer. I bought my refurbished PC at Walmart.com and I recommend a refurbished computer, especially a Dell, because my previous Dell is 10 years old and still alive, but I retired it because of the end of support for XP.
Several years ago, I buy a refurbished ThinkPad from Staples. I still have it and it runs. I paid about $400 for it which was 1/3 the price of a new one. I consider it to be one of my best computer purchases.
I'm not sure why they are so cheap. Maybe they're just not popular enough to stay in the market. There is really no difference in refurbished and new that I've found though. I got my refurbished Iphone 5 a few months ago and you would never know it wasn't new. I always buy refurbished when I can. I feel like many people just prefer new because they naively equate new to "shiny" and they think of refurbished as used.
Yes. Buying a refurbished computer will save you money. Initially. However the problems that you are going to run into with a refurbished computer in the future will cost you more in the long run. Refurbished. Just means the computer already had a problem, and they fixed it. That fact alone should already be alarming to you. That problem is sure to show up again, and it is not worth your time. A refurbished computer will save you a little money initially, but it will really cost you in the long run. I would not recommend it.
The price is low because any way you look at it, it's still used. Yes, they went through and reformatted it or replaced some hardware, but it's still used. Refurbished/Used -- marketing semantics for those who think "used" is a dirty word. I buy refurbished electronics. Not all used devices are accepted for refurbishing so there is some quality control going on. Many of these devices were on lease to companies and schools, not the dude up the street who habitually clicked on bad links. I'm sure there are the occasional lemons; but for the most part, it's a good deal.
I've had great experiences buying refurbished goods, game systems, iPods and computers. I wouldn't be surprised if the cost in the long run is greater than the money saved short terms, when it comes to computers. Up front, you are 100% saving money.
It largely depends really. I mean, it's a luck of the draw sort of thing. You might be getting a brand new iPad that's only fresh out of the box, but was sent back. They can't sell it again as new, so they have to sell it as refurbished. On the other hand, you might get unlucky and get an ipad that has been used for a year or two, and was sent back. They'll clear it out, check it's working right, and send it onto you. It is unlikely they'll fix everything that is just wear and tear though, so battery life can be lower than you expected.
As cheap as computers are these days, I probably wouldn't go with a refurbished model. At best you would only be saving maybe $150-$200 on a computer that may be retailing for $800 new. Plus you are likely without a warranty, you have no idea how the computer itself was handled - even if there are no scratches on the outside, they may have shaken the laptop around when transporting it, damaging the hard drive - and if you do need some tech support on it out of warranty within the first year, you will easily spend what you saved to get it serviced. So not only did you not save any money, your computer was still used and was never brand new. I feel like this made more sense about 10 years ago or more, when computers were a lot more expensive. One of the laptops I bought back in 2004 wasn't even a top of the line system at the time and I still spent $2,500 on it. If they cost that much these days then I would be more inclined to purchase a refurbished model and take the risk.
I noticed that there's a wide price difference between a brand new and used product, so the fact that they have been used before guarantees that it's way cheaper than brand new ones. The only risk of buying refurbished pc's and other products is that they can conk out shortly after you bought them.
I will say that it just depends on the condition of the computer. If you get a computer that is factory refurbished, then you can be sure that it will serve you well and it runs like new. Be cautious as some people might just replace a few broken components and sell you the product which has issues.
It's cheaper because its either been used before or has been tinkered about and made it look and run as if it came right out of the box. I bought a refurbished Alienware about three years ago, its still runs like a race car (save for the quite unusually loud fan noise) and I paid half the price compared to the original markups in the store.
While I'm always hesitant to trust refurbished machines, I had a tech explain something to me once that made a big difference. He told me that sure, many of the items are ones that were sent back because they needed a repair. But sometimes, that repair was simply replacing a keyboard or a screen that was cracked and had nothing to do with with actual mechanisms. He also told me that a large chunk of them had nothing wrong with them at all! He said that once an item leaves their warehouse, they can never sell it as "new" again. So if someone gets the product and decides to turn it immediately, even if it hasn't been opened, they have to call it "refurbished" at that point.
It might, but I wouldn't want to do it. The good news is that computers have come down in price significantly in recent years. There's really no reason to buy a refurbished computer when there are so many brand new computers out there for such low prices.
I bought a refurbished pc two years ago and it is going well and strong till this day. I do think that it is a good idea. It is almost the same thing as buying some thing second hand, but it would not have suffered the same amount of use as a second hand car. I think that if there is an option to buy something for a good price and it is refurbished, then go ahead.
Depending on what you're looking for, it can save you lots of money. If you're just the average surfer who doesn't do much besides check Facebook and send email, then I would recommend a refurbished computer for you. You'll pay significantly less than for a new product of the same calibre and most of the time you can just upgrade it whenever.
I definitely would consider a refurbished device, but I'd only ever buy it from a reputable store. I think they are so cheap because when you buy something brand new, a big part of your expense is in fact getting the item brand new wherein you get to open the box straight from the factories, and it's the reason why when you first open the box you immediately lose a big chunk of its resale value and will continue to lose more the more you use it. I think refurbished devices are priced low because of the knowledge that it's already been passed around and used, even if most of the parts are brand new.
