Should You Buy Refurbished?

About 15 years ago, I went shopping at an outlet center in Riverside County. The center had a Sony outlet store, and I needed an alarm clock. I went for the cheapest thing - a $6 refurbished alarm clock. I still use the alarm to this day - every day to wake me up for work - and have not had one incident with it in all of the years that I have had it.

Now, this was an alarm clock. Let's say you are interested in buying a refurbished computer or some other, much larger electronic. Should you go with refurbished or new? A lot of consumers don't understand what refurbished means, so here are some things to know in helping you make your purchase decision.

"Used": And I use quotation marks since a lot of times, the term "refurbished" implies that a product was used. This is not always the case. The first step to understand when deciding whether or not to buy a refurbished electronic, is to know that a majority of the time, the item is never used.

In fact, it is only called used, because someone opened the box and then decided to return the product. Oftentimes, people will buy something, can't figure out how to use it and get frustrated. Then they decide to send it back to the store, which has no choice but to label the product used even though it works and is in excellent condition.

So, get over the stigma of the word "refurbished." It doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means.

Reputation: Nowadays, a lot of stores are offering refurbs, including Target and Amazon. Target offers "pre-owned electronics," including Apple iPods. Dell and Sony are also other options and because these are larger companies, you have the relief that you are buying from reputable sources that will oftentimes give you a warranty plan.

Certification: Before you buy a refurb, look for the manufacturer's certification, so that you know that what you are buying is legitimate. If you still don't feel comfortable, refer back to the above tip about buying from national retailers, or buying directly from the source. You can't go wrong there.

Reconditioned: The term reconditioned is not the same as refurbished. A refurbished product means that something may have been used only slightly or repaired. Something that is reconditioned means that it was used for a longer amount of time and was repaired (possibly by a third party).

Reconditioned items, while cheaper than refurbs, some times posit the greatest risk to purchase because you are not dealing with something brand new and the manufacturer may not have even been the one to repair the product. Plus, an electronic can't talk to you to tell you what sort of wear and tear has been done to it, so you never really know. Avoid buying expensive or large items that have been reconditioned.

Warranties: Check to make sure that what you are buying comes with a U.S. warranty and understand what the warranty is all about before buying. In some cases, you can extend the warranty, but you may have to do so at a fee. Some times it is worth it to make the investment.

Also, find out what the seller's return or exchange policies are before you commit to purchasing something that can't be given back later.

Market: What market was the product you are buying intended for? Ask to see if it was intended for the U.S. market. Don't forget, each market has it's own set of standards of what is acceptable (maybe in terms of quality, parts, etc.).

Think Before you Buy: Don't get sucked into buying something because the price is so low. As with anything that's being offered at a drastically reduced price, it is best to act fast if you want the deal. However, you should also carefully evaluate the product before making any hasty decisions.