Holy crap, that’s a great deal!
How do I know it’s not a dud?
Hey guys!
Welcome to DIY in 5.
I’m Trisha Hershberger and today I’m going to give you a few tips that will make buying
used or refurbished PC gear feel a little more like a win and a little less like planting
your money in the ground and hoping it turns into a beautiful money tree.
If you find this video useful, go ahead and subscribe so you don’t miss any of our future tips.
So what exactly does ‘refurbished’ mean?
There’s no agreed upon definition for it, but generally any tech you see listed as refurbished,
reconditioned, pre-owned or even used meaning that it cannot legally be sold as new.
These items are sold at a steep discount - usually 30-50% the MSRP - great!
But what’s wrong with them?
While most of our brains jump to the conclusion that something must have been wrong with this
product and that’s why it was returned –
Is this thing missing a hard drive?
That’s not always the case.
The original owner could have had buyer’ remorse or found a better deal elsewhere.
The item could have been set out as a display in a store.
It could have been failed to meet the manufacturer’s quality test
and was rebuilt before it even left the factory.
You never know and you will never find out.
If there was something defective about the product, someone somewhere probably ran some
diagnostics, wiped the hard drive and did a fresh OS install and put it back in the box.
Again, you never really know.
Because of this, it can be a little terrifying to spend so much money on refurbished tech,
even though the seller assures you it’s good as new.
First thing I recommend is only buying refurbished PC gear from a trusted retailer or even directly
from the manufacturer if possible - not eBay, craigslist or from Uncle Joe.
Bigger retailers usually have some type of warranty or certification for restoring products
and are more likely to stand by their work.
If you can buy directly from the manufacturer, that’s even better.
Not only will you have a manufacturer’s warranty, but any defective parts
that were replaced will be originals and the refurbished product
will be put through the same testing as the brand new products.
Microsoft even has their own standard, MAR, Microsoft Authorized Refurbished,
guaranteeing legitimacy of their products with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Next, if not purchasing directly from the manufacturer, check that warranty and return policy!
How long is your gear covered?
Who covers it, the manufacturer or some company you never heard of?
How are repairs handled if there is an issue?
How long do repairs take? Etc.
Knowing you are covered should you have an issue offers huge peace of mind and shows
that the seller stands behind the quality of the product being sold.
It used to be the case that ‘recertified’ implied some kind of warranty coverage,
while ‘refurbished’ meant sold ‘as is’ but that’s not always the case.
A little trick I love when shopping for used tech is to take the model number of the purchase
I’m considering and compare it to a brand new model, if possible.
If the specs are different, then chances are
the item was refurbished with third party or inferior components.
Then, compare the warranties!
Sometimes you’ll find a similarly spec’d machine for the same price but with a longer warranty.
Some refurbished retailers will use an A to C grading scale for used products
to let you know the condition the product is in, with A being the best condition and C being ‘heavily-worn’.
Take all of this into consideration when doing your research.
If you are considering buying a fully built, refurbished PC, see if it comes with peripherals,
power cables, an operating system sometimes they don’t
and then that low price tag starts to make a lot more sense.
But, if you already have those things, it can be a great way to save money!
And, if there is an OS installed, does it come with a valid license?
Buying refurbished PC gear can be a great deal if you know what to look out for.
I’ve even found refurbished tech that had only been out a few months!
I’ve also purchased refurbs that had issues, but were under manufacturer’s warranties,
thank the PC gods.
Do you buy refurbished tech?
Why or why not?
Let us know in the comments.
If you want to buy new, remember Kingston makes killer PC components like these!
You know I couldn’t NOT mention that since this is the Kingston channel and all.
Alright, that’s all.
See ya next time guys, bye!