What Does Refurbished Electronics mean?
Surely, the word “refurbished” must have popped up one time or the other when you were looking to buy a new electronic gadget. For most people, refurbished describes products nobody wants.
However, if you consider the real definition of refurbishment, it simply refers to the process of reconditioning a returned product to be a like new product and reselling. Because refurbished electronics are cheaper, there is usually a common misconception that they are defective. But that can’t be any farther from the truth.
Still on common misconceptions, it is very easy to wrongfully replace the word refurbish with the words renewed and used. So, to better explain what refurbished products are, we would start by discussing the difference between; renewed, used, and refurbished.
Difference between Renewed, Used, and Refurbished Electronics
The word refurbished is used in electronics to describe a product reconditioned to work well and is now being resold.
Looking at this definition, one can be quick to say it’s a direct synonym of renewed. But before you jump to that conclusion, let’s take a minute to discuss it, shall we?
Renewed vs. Refurbished
So, right off the bat, let’s go-ahead to say; you were right. Renewed and Refurbished products are indeed very similar.
In fact, in some online stores, you would easily find the two words being used interchangeably.
For example, on Amazon, there is a program called “Amazon Renewed,” where refurbished products that have been professionally tested and inspected to work are sold. This can be a bit misleading in understanding the difference between renewed and refurbished, but if we go by the definition of the two words, the difference becomes clear.
To be more correct in description, a renewed product is a product that has had some of its parts replaced by new parts from the manufacturer. Such a product is said to be refreshed because it has been made anew into its original specs with brand new parts from the factory.
This cannot be said of every refurbished electronic. Some refurbished electronics are remade with upgraded parts and third-party replacement parts. In fact, a local electronics repairer can make refurbished electronics by simply repairing broken products into their proper working form.
Which means it is only electronic gadgets that have been refurbished with brand new parts from its manufacturers we can call renewed. That is, all renewed electronics are refurbished. However, not all refurbished electronics are renewed.
I hope that makes a lot of sense.
If a refurbished electronic is said to be “factory certified,” it means it has been officially tested and approved by the manufacturer or a credible authority as being up to standard. Certified refurbished electronics usually have a labeling/tag that identifies them as refurbished.
These certified refurbished products are sold by third-party sellers and are usually called renewed because they have been remade with brand new working parts from the manufacturers.
Used vs. Refurbished
The main difference between “used” and “refurbished” electronics is this. Refurbished electronics have gone through reconditioning and have been tested to work properly without defects; used electronics aren’t reconditioned and may or may not have any defects.
In simpler terms, a used product is a product that has already been used by a previous customer and is now being resold without replacing or repairing any parts of the product.
In some cases, a used product may still work perfectly, but in most cases, the product is usually defective one way or the other. Regardless of these, no form of reconditioning or upgrade has been done on a used electronic in any case.
Once some work is done on a used product to make it work correctly, it can now be called a refurbished product.
With all the explanations that have been done to differentiate these three terms, I think we can now move on to talk more about Refurbished electronics and where they come from.
Where do Refurbished Electronics come from?
Refurbished electronics are items that being returned for various reason .
These used products come from different sources, but usually, they come from electronics customers have returned for all kinds of reason.
Some of the other types of products being refurbishment includes:
- A product that got damaged during shipping or transport
- A product that the consumer received but don’t like it after tried it on
- Display Demos in retail shops
- Old Electronics once donated to a non-profit organization or charity that is now being sold for refurbishment.
- Electronic gadgets sold to buyback companies.
- Leftover Electronics from a shop sold to a third party refurbisher.
Should you buy Refurbished Electronics?
The straight-up answer is yes! You should buy refurbished electronics. The first advantage that comes with buying refurbished electronics is cost-saving. A refurbished electronic gadget is the best buy for anyone with cash-constraints.
If you buy a refurbished headphone, you might end spending just half (or even less) of what you will spend when you decide to buy a brand new one. here is a example, you can buy a refurbished Beats studio 3 wireless at Walmart with 159 USD / Pair while a brand new one in Apple store cost you 349.9USD / Pair.
Like we said, refurbished electronics like headphones have been tested to work perfectly, so you don’t have to worry about buying a defective product. Refurbished gadgets do not only go through a process of detailed repair; refurbishers also make them well enough to satisfy the requirements of a brand new device.
If you buy a refurbished headphone, you are more or less buying a brand new headphone in a cheaper form factor.
Interestingly, by buying a refurbished electronic, you are silently advocating for a sustainable environment. E-waste has a horrible effect on the environment. Electronic gadgets are made of non biodegradable material such as metals, plastics, raw materials and chemicals that contribute largely to the pollution of landfills and the environment in general.
When products meant to be thrown away are recycled by refurbishment, it is a way of saving the environment. Buying a refurbished gadget makes you a part of that process.
Conclusion
If you didn’t know about refurbished electronics before, I’m pretty sure you know a lot now. Hopefully, with this article, we have been able to give you all the information you need to know about them.
Here at J-27, we sell refurbished headphones of top headphones companies from around the world. We sell certified refurbished(renewed) Apple, Bose, Beats, JBL headphones at the best price possible.
Feel free to go to our products page to order all the refurbished headphones you want at an amazingly low price.