Getting a Good Value on a Refurbished Computer / Why Buy Refurbished??

Hello everyone, and welcome to the XBit blog, where myself and perhaps others will be posting on occasion.

Today I wanted to talk about the refurbished PC market, and when to know that you're getting a good value for the computer you're buying. To get started, why don't we define what a refurbished computer is, and why it's better to buy refurbished as much as you can.

A refurbished item is an item that has been previously owned or used by someone, resold by a refurbisher. Refurbished items are typically inspected, cleaned, and thoroughly tested by the refurbisher to ensure that the item still performs as intended. Refurbished products may show signs of wear such as scratches, dents, stray marks, etc. 

"OK Rick, but why would I want to buy something that's already been used?" A great first question! There's a few reasons why you may want to rethink about buying refurbished items versus a brand new item. Here's a few:

• Refurbished products are almost always cheaper than a brand new product
• Refurbished items reduce electronic waste by having us re-use equipment
• Refurbished items could be upgraded or modified to perform better than even some newer products on the shelves for a fraction of the price
• By saving money on refurbished products, you can allocate those saved funds for accessories, add-ons, and other things that you otherwise wouldn't buy with a brand new item. Think extended service plans, accessories you may need to get the most out of your product. Or even better, just pocket the money and use it for something else. Perhaps another refurbished item!

By this point, you may be wondering if it's safe to buy refurbished products. It sounds too good to be true: items that can do what you need them to do for a fraction of the price, that may be modified or upgraded and be an overall better value than even a brand new product. How can you be sure that you're safe?

You need to be careful, to say the least. You don't want to buy expensive items like computers from just anybody! You need to read product descriptions, compare specifications, and just be wary of who you give your hard earned cash to. 

Let me give you an example. A seller on eBay has a Dell Latitude 3330, with 320GB of storage versus my 250GB. RAM (memory) is the same, 4GB. Processor is the same. Features are the same. It's the exact same computer. Yet they're selling their model for $98, and I'm selling mine for $179. 

What a bargain they have for you, dear consumer! They even say the computer has a good battery! But if you read the description of the eBay listing you'll find that:

1. The warranty is only 30 days.
2. No returns or refunds at all, unless the auction states it.
3. That "good battery" is considered "good" so long as it holds a charge of at least 30 minutes. 30 minutes is the bare minimum they are offering you. It's nice to know they have a minimum, but who wants a laptop that only lasts for 30 minutes? Keep in mind that is a minimum. They're selling a bundle of these computers, some having better batteries than others. But the part that is bad for the customer is that you can't pick and choose which one they pull from their stockroom to ensure you get a good battery that will last at least an hour or two.

While the price is hard to argue with, you're really getting what you pay for.

• They only want to offer after-sales support for 30 days. 
• Battery life is a gamble.

And let's not forget: we don't even know if they're using  a genuine Dell battery or a cheap generic brand!

With that said, I am dedicated to offering the very best products to my customers. That's why I test the hardware on my computers before selling them. Even more, I offer a 90 day warranty on parts and labor for all computers sold via www.xbit.technology. I'll even cover the product for a whole year for a small, one-time fee.

And as for the batteries, I try my hardest to sell laptops that last at least a full hour before needing to be plugged in. Of course, battery time can vary greatly depending on how you use a laptop and whether or not you're using power save options or not.

Regardless though, if you get a Dell laptop from me, it will have a genuine Dell battery and genuine Dell charger. I'm not selling the cheap generic brand chargers and batteries. It's for your safety, and to give you better bang for your buck!

Anyways, before I sign off here, let me just reiterate that you need to be careful and watch out for the gotcha's of buying refurbished products of ANY kind.

• What's the warranty? How long is it? Does it cover parts AND labor or only one or the other?
• What's the return policy?
• Are they using genuine parts or are they cutting corners?

Thanks for reading, and I'll be posting again soon! If you ever need to contact me, you can either email me at rickyayoder97@gmail.com or by calling and leaving me a message at 484-509-0550. You may also text me at that number and I will get back to ASAP.

Have a great day everyone!