We’ve covered everything you need to know about buying a refurbished laptop online in this article, including the best locations to look.
If you’re in the market for a new laptop but have a limited budget or simply want to get the most performance for the money you have, you should look into used laptops.
In general, certified refurbished products appeal since they imply that you may acquire the same product for less. I went through a few cheap blenders before settling on an Amazon-purchased refurbished Vitamix blender. I didn’t want to spend more than $500 on a blender, but I also knew I’d be back in the same situation in a few months if I bought another inexpensive blender. So, instead of buying a new Vitamix blender, I decided to buy a refurbished one. For the past four years, that blender has worked flawlessly.
However, just because you may get a good bargain on a refurbished blender or any other refurbished device doesn’t imply they’re all worth it, including refurbished computers. It really comes down to the pricing of the refurbished laptop and who is selling it.
We’ll look at whether or not refurbished laptops are worth it, and if they are, how and where to find a decent price on one in this article.
Are Refurbished Laptops a Good Investment?
It may be worthwhile to get a refurbished laptop. However, as I previously stated, whether or not you should purchase a reconditioned laptop is dependent on a number of things.
1. The Refurbished Laptop’s Price
If the used laptop in issue does not offer a large savings over the brand new one, it is not worth it. However, if the refurbished model comes with a large discount, it might be worth it.
Is it really worth it, for example, to pay $1,500 for a gaming laptop when you can get it reconditioned for $1,400? Personally, I’d rather spend the extra $100 on a brand new laptop, which will most likely have a longer guarantee. (Of course, you could always pay for a Square-Trade third-party warranty.) If that identical refurbished gaming laptop cost $1,100, it would be a substantial enough savings to persuade me to go with the refurbished alternative.
Another factor to consider is that, while a used laptop may appear to be a good deal because it is substantially less expensive than a new laptop, it may not be when compared to competitive options.
Although many of the used laptops on Amazon are less expensive than the new version, they are still not a good value because a competitor manufacturer may provide a laptop with similar or better specs and features for the same price.
Consider the $1,100 refurbished laptop from the previous example, which has an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 1060 GPU. While the laptop costs $400 less than the brand new version, there may be another brand new laptop for $1,100 that comes with an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 1060 GPU from a competitive manufacturer. Obviously, at the same price, you’ll want the brand new laptop with the newer generation processor.
So, just because a refurbished laptop comes with a significant price reduction does not guarantee it is a good value. You must analyse the entire market and compare the price and hardware of the refurbished laptop to comparable solutions.
2. Where can I get a refurbished laptop?
If you come across a ‘bargain’ on a reconditioned laptop on www.toogoodtoobetruelaptopdeals.com, you should definitely pass. A certified refurbished laptop is one that has been restored to like-new condition by a specialist. In addition, most certified refurbished computers should include a warranty. But, if you buy your laptop from an unknown source, how can you be sure that A) the laptop has been certified refurbished and B) the warranty will be honoured?
If you buy a refurbished laptop from Amazon, however, you’ll get a lot more protection. Not only do Amazon’s refurbished laptops come with warranties, but the company also has a 30-day return policy.
Ultimately, buying a reconditioned laptop entails a little degree of risk. As a result, there’s no reason to increase the risk of your transaction by using an unknown website.
What Stores Sell Refurbished Laptops?
Newegg, in addition to Amazon, is a reliable online shop that sells reconditioned laptops. Additionally, refurbished laptops are available on eBay. Amazon, in my opinion, will provide the most piece of mind of the three. Their 30-day return policy is pretty reasonable, and they make it very easy to return products. Furthermore, most refurbished laptops on Amazon come with an extended guarantee in addition to the 30-day return term.
However, you might be able to get a better offer on eBay. Furthermore, eBay has improved its protection of buyers from scammers. You may also use the “Manufactured Refurbished” filter on eBay to limit your search to solely refurbished laptops from the manufacturer.
If you’re looking for a good deal, Newegg is a good place to go. They were recently taken out by a foreign firm, and many clients have noticed a drop in customer service since then.
If you prefer a refurbished laptop than a new one, your best chance is to look at all three of the internet sites mentioned above. I’d definitely go with Amazon, but I wouldn’t rule out eBay or Newegg if the price was appropriate.
Conclusion: Certified Refurbished Laptops Are a Good Investment
While a brand new laptop is usually the ideal option, if your budget prevents you from purchasing the laptop you need, or if you want to squeeze as much performance as possible out of your money, a used laptop may be worth considering.
However, just because a refurbished laptop costs less than the same laptop when purchased new doesn’t imply it’ll be a good deal in the long run. You should compare the reconditioned laptop to other similar-priced solutions. It’s possible that a brand new laptop from a competitor is available for the same price and with the same hardware/features.
However, if you locate a used laptop at a steep discount from a trustworthy online shop that has superior hardware than any other option in that price range, it’s well worth considering—assuming the price difference is large enough to save you a significant amount of money.
