Market For Refurbished Devices Jumps
With a shortage of some components driving
up costs of consumer electronics, refurbished devices are an attractive alternative
to buying new.
·
Rising
prices of consumer electronics due to component shortages are encouraging
buyers to consider refurbished and used devices.
·
The
global second-hand electronics market is expected to reach around $153 billion.
·
Refurbished
products can offer significant savings with minimal compromises.
·
Lower
prices compared to new devices.
·
Access
to premium products at affordable rates.
·
Many
refurbished devices are nearly new or returned products in excellent condition.
·
Test
all major functions before purchase.
·
Check
the display, speakers, buttons, ports, camera, and battery.
·
Ensure
the device is not locked by passwords or corporate management software.
·
Prefer
certified refurbished products from manufacturers or trusted platforms.
·
Choose
sellers offering warranties and return policies.
·
Reliable
options include:
o Apple Refurbished Store
o Amazon Renewed
o Back Market
o VIP Outlet
·
Buy
devices launched within the last two years whenever possible.
·
Brands
such as:
o Apple
o Samsung Electronics
o Google
provide software updates for up to seven years on many devices.
·
Verify
battery condition before purchase.
·
Research
battery replacement costs.
·
Check
repairability ratings through resources such as:
o iFixit
·
Products
such as earbuds may remain linked to previous owners' accounts.
·
Hygiene
and functionality issues are common.
Avoid buying used:
·
Large
TV screens.
·
Printers
with worn-out components.
·
Smartwatches
with heavily used bands.
·
Inspect
for scratches, cracks, dead pixels, dents, and water damage.
·
Verify
that all accessories are included and functional.
·
Avoid
expensive purchases from unknown sellers with no return policy.
·
A good
return policy can save money if defects are discovered later.
Buy
refurbished devices from trusted sellers, inspect them carefully, verify
battery health and software support, and avoid heavily used personal
accessories.
Used and refurbished
gadgets can provide excellent value, especially during periods of rising
electronics prices. By purchasing from reputable sellers, checking device
condition, and ensuring long-term software support, consumers can save
substantial money while still getting reliable technology.
[ABS News Service/13.06.2026]
A
few months ago, when Apple unveiled new MacBooks, I loaded the Apple Store website
with my credit card ready. My wife’s ancient laptop was on the fritz, and a modern
machine would make a nice gift. I found a MacBook Air for $760 — a bargain! — and
ordered it with gusto.
Plenty
of us are reeling from ever-rising prices of consumer electronics driven by industrywide
shortages of memory components, so I’ll let you in on a secret.
On
March 3, Apple started taking orders for the $1,100 MacBook Air with its latest
M5 chip. That day, I ordered the previous model, the MacBook Air with the M4 chip.
Instead of buying a brand-new computer, I went to Apple’s refurbished section to
get about $240 off the original price.
A
few days later, the refurbished laptop arrived in Apple’s signature, meticulously
designed packaging. The laptop’s screen was covered in protective plastic, and the
typical accessories, a charging brick and a cable, were included.
Coincidentally,
around the same time, The New York Times had shipped me a brand-new M4 MacBook Air
for work. When I compared it side by side with my wife’s laptop, the machines were
indistinguishably pristine. I had a hunch that the refurbished one was either an
untouched return or unsold new inventory.
Apple’s
refurbished products, according to the company, undergo a rigorous refurbishment
process to ensure that customers receive a product with the level of quality they
expect from the brand.
Similar
to used cars, secondhand electronics are a booming industry
that could grow to about $153 billion this year, according to research by the firm
Global Market Insights. And with a global computer memory shortage driving up costs
of items like game consoles, smartphones and computers, used electronics may look
increasingly attractive to consumers hoping to replace old hardware within their
budgets.
I
mostly stopped buying brand-new electronics a few years ago after realizing that
the cost savings were so substantial and that the downsides were trivial. I’ve purchased
used hardware including Macs, iPads and a high-end iPhone from multiple sites, including
Amazon and Facebook Marketplace. The experience hasn’t been perfect — I once ended
up with a pair of shoddy AirPods. But with most of my purchases, I had no regrets.
There’s
a smart method to buying secondhand electronics. Here
are the lessons I’ve learned.
Thoroughly Inspect the Purchase
Two
years ago, I finally decided to retire my home computer, a 13-year-old iMac, and
searched for another option. I concluded that Apple’s miniature desktop machine,
the Mac Mini, which retailed for about $600 to $700, would be the cheapest replacement.
Plenty were posted by individual sellers on Facebook Marketplace for half the price,
so I decided to try my luck buying a computer there for the first time.
After
messaging a few sellers, I got good vibes from John, a young hospital worker, who
agreed to meet me at a cafe in San Francisco. He kindly brought a display, a keyboard
and a mouse to connect with the computer to demonstrate that it worked; he even
walked me through the setup process to show that the device was not locked down
by a password or any corporate management software. I opened some apps and also
tested the speakers and power button.
Everything
checked out, and my cheap Mac Mini remains my workhorse for this column.
Avoid Buying Certain Products
Used
I
confess I was less thorough with a different product, a pair of refurbished AirPods
labeled “like new” by Amazon for $80, about $100 less
than the retail price. Months after using the product, I realized that “Find My,”
a software feature used to locate the AirPods in the event that they went missing,
was not working properly because the earbuds were still linked to the previous owner’s
account. Fortunately, Amazon gave me a partial refund.
This
experience illustrates how a good deal can sometimes lead people to make bad decisions.
In hindsight, buying used earbuds — a product that has touched another person’s
body — was obviously not a great idea, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Nathan
Proctor, a director of U.S. PIRG, a consumer advocacy nonprofit, added other examples
to the list of products to avoid: television screens that tend to be bulky and fragile,
printers that wear down over time and smart watches with bands that deteriorate
from other people’s sweat.
Choose a Seller Carefully
While
I felt comfortable buying a low-cost computer on Facebook, I preferred buying higher-priced
products like tablets and smartphones from bigger brands, which offered protections
including generous return policies.
When
Apple announced the iPhone 17 last September, I decided it was a good opportunity
to find a deal on the previous year’s high-end iPhone, the 16 Pro. I found one on
Amazon labeled “refurbished — excellent” for $800, a $300
discount from the retail price.
A
few days later, the product arrived in an unremarkable brown cardboard box. While
inspecting it, I noticed a light scratch down the center
of the screen that was impossible to ignore.
Annoyed,
I clicked a button to chat with an Amazon customer service agent. After I described
the problem, Amazon agreed to deliver a replacement of the same phone the next day.
With
the second iPhone, I won the lottery. It was flawless, and from checking the device’s
battery history, I could see that it had been recharged only once, meaning it was
probably a barely touched store return. I wouldn’t have been so lucky if I had purchased
this phone online from a random seller who lacked a generous return policy.
Plenty
of reputable resellers of refurbished goods, including Back Market and VIP Outlet,
have good return policies, according to U.S. PIRG, which published a guide to buying
used electronics.
To
reduce the odds of getting a lemon, the safest bet is to buy a refurbished product
directly from the big brand that manufactures it, like the way I bought my wife’s
MacBook Air from Apple’s web store for refurbished goods.
Check for Longevity
To
get the most value when buying used, you want the device to last. But all tech products
have a finite life. Companies eventually stop giving them software updates, components
such as batteries wear out and some devices are too difficult or expensive to repair
when parts such as screens break.
Apple,
Samsung and Google generally issue software updates for phones for up to seven years.
So a simple rule of thumb when considering a used product is to look for devices
made no more than two years ago. That guarantees the device still has at least five
remaining years of support from the company.
As
for replacing batteries and general device maintenance, France now requires companies
to publish scores for their products based on the ease of disassembly and getting
parts. (The iPhone 16 Pro, for example, has a rating of 8.1, on a scale from one
to 10, with 10 being the easiest to repair.) Third parties like iFixit, a site that
publishes instructions on repairing products, also give products such ratings.
If
perusing those scores sounds like too much work, do just one thing: Before you buy
any used laptop or phone, do a quick web search on the cost of a new battery and
the process of replacing it, said Kyle Wiens, the chief executive of iFixit.
“That steers me toward one product or another,
which can reduce some of the stress with buying something used,” he said.