Kyle Wiens has a soft spot for misfits.
He purchased a dented and scratched fridge from a local discounter and has also bought refurbished laptops and phones.
“What haven’t I bought refurbished?” says the CEO of online repair resource iFixit.
Refurbished products are second-hand items ranging from appliances to electronics and sometimes even clothing, which have been restored so they’re close to or as good as brand new again. Buyers often seek them because they come with savings—Wiens’ fridge was $1,000 cheaper—and help divert items from landfills.
But when does it make sense to purchase refurbished and what should you know before you buy?
Wiens argues there’s little reason to buy most things new because the testing and extra TLC refurbished items can get often make them as good as or better than the new product, but he says shoppers should do their research before opening their wallet because every company handles refurbished items differently.
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“There are a variety of standards. Some are good, some are bad,” he said. “It’s a wild west.”
Many items wind up being sold as refurbished after they’re returned by buyers who had a change of heart or noticed a defect. Some manufacturers, retailers and third parties give them a cursory look and put them back on shelves marked as “open box.”
Others test and fix the item, so it performs as it was intended. That refurbishment process can involve cleaning the item, tinkering with hardware and software, and replacing the item’s casing, broken parts or zippers.
The trickier part is that “the degree to which we know what exactly has been done will depend on who the refurbisher is, who’s doing the selling” and how much they disclose to potential buyers, said Alissa Centivany, an assistant professor of information and media studies at Western University in London, Ont.
While some companies offer individual descriptions of their refurbishment efforts for each product, others provide catch-all frequently asked question pages or no explanation at all, leaving a patchwork of standards for customers to navigate.
Apple, for example, tells customers refurbished iOS devices will come with a new battery and outer shell, along with all its accessories, cables and operating systems.
Meanwhile, BestBuy Canada promises every device it sells is tested for 100 percent functionality and inspected by a third-party refurbisher. Refurbished products it sells are assigned a rating ranging from excellent (bearing few to no signs of wear in non-visible areas) to fair (could have visible signs of damage anywhere on the item) condition.
Apparel company Arc’teryx has other standards, ranking items it refurbishes as like new (pristine, no visible wear), excellent (practically new and never worn outside), great (only minor visible wear) or good (used for a season with moderate signs of wear).
On top of asking what work may have been done to a refurbished item, Wiens and Centivany agree shoppers should seek information about what will come with their purchase.
“If you were to buy a refurbished item directly from the original equipment manufacturer, you’re probably more likely to get those cables or peripherals included, but in other cases, that’s definitely part of the fine print that consumers would want to check,” Centivany said.
Warranties and return policies are equally important to investigate because some sellers will treat refurbished goods as final sale and leave you on your own for repairs they may eventually need.
Manufacturers are more likely to offer warranties and support for repairs that are the same or close to what they would be for new items, while third-party sellers run the gamut, said Centivany, who has bought refurbished phones for her teenage daughter for about $300.
If you’re going to buy something refurbished from a third-party seller, she and Wiens recommend people read reviews about the company and find out as much as they can about its reputation, the quality of its work and its warranty and return policies.
“If you’re buying from a manufacturer, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, but if you’re buying from a third-party refurbisher, then you have to treat each seller independently,” Wiens said.
But even once you’ve done your research, Centivany said the ultimate determiner of whether you buy something refurbished or not comes down to whether you feel uneasy about the purchase.
“Maybe we would be comfortable buying a refurbished phone, but maybe we wouldn’t want to buy refurbished sheets for our bed,” she said, noting many people draw the line at items that come into close contact with their body like earphones.
“People have different levels of comfort with used items, so they have to make the decision that is right for them.”
