Cheap Factory Refurbished Laptops

A method of getting really cheap deals is by finding refurbished laptops for sale. It's possible to get systems for as much as 40-50% off the 'brand new' price. This article looks into whether it's worth buying cheap, refurbished laptop computers.

One of the common concerns with purchasing factory refurbished products is whether or not they are safe (i.e. whether they will break down soon after buying).

People are concerned about this for any product, although it's an especially big concern when it comes to electronic products.

Fortunately, the short answer is: yes, they are safe! It's perfectly safe to buy cheap factory refurbished laptops as long as you take note of the following tips in this article.

A factory refurbished laptop is one that falls into one of the following three categories:

  • Certified Refurbished: The system was sold by a large retailer but failed/didn't work properly. It was then taken away, completely fixed as appropriate, and then run through all the standard quality assurance tests (and then only sold once the retailer is sure it's been completely fixed.)
  • Stratch and Dent: A large retailer noticed that a system's outside case had stratches and/or dents which don't affect performance in any way, and thus aren't able to sell it as a brand new system.
  • 'Amateur' Refurbishment: This is where an individual - or a smaller, local shop - buys up a faulty computer and repairs it, then resells it on as a refurbished product.

Option 3 might be a safe option - especially if the individual/shop is well respected in your area - however remember that such a refurbishment wouldn't be subject to the same strict quality assurance tests that factory refurbished laptops would go through (as in the cases of 1 and 2 above).

Hence we would suggest to stick with a factory refurbishment carried out by a large retailer, such as Dell, HP, Toshiba (etc). As mentioned in the above list, systems in these cases are subject to a lot of testing and in some cases would undergo more tests than new laptops would since the manufacturer would want to ensure that the customer is happy with their purchase.

Also some retailers will sell such laptops with a warranty too (sometimes they are only 90 day warranties, although some refurbished laptops have a 1 year standard warranty). Therefore in this case you can't really go wrong: the systems will be much cheaper, subject to the same quality assurance tests as new products, and comes with a warranty to protect your purchase. A win-win!

Be sure to read the description of refurbished laptops for sale thoroughly. This is because sometimes refurbished laptops are simply orders which got cancelled with the manufacturer after purchasing but before being used for any great length of time by the buyer. When this happens, the item is essentially brand new with no previous faults, but the box has been opened and as a result, some retailers will sell the system as a factory refurbished product regardless (i.e. since it's already been opened). Hence be sure to read the description because when this happens, you can get a system which is essentially brand new, but for a sizeable discount.

In short, there are a few different reasons why a laptop will end up being sold as refurbished. And if it falls into the first two categories in the list above, we'd recommend that you strongly consider buying the system because it should be just as safe as new laptops, but it will be available at a discounted price!


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