Why Buying Refurbished Tech May Benefit Your Business

Since the dawn of the age of the 1930 Baird Televisor – well maybe not that long ago, but at least since the early 2000’s, there seems to be a stigma surrounding purchasing refurbished technology. As a business owner, you may think to yourself, “Why would I invest in ‘refurbished’ anything, no less technology? Won’t my ROI be greater when I purchase new?”

I can honestly admit that I am totally guilty of turning my nose up to refurbished phone systems, monitors, tablets, CPUs, etc…  but it wasn’t until I understood the reality, quality, and cost-effectiveness of buying refurbished that my boss, and my wallet began to thank me.

Let’s take a quick look at why refurbished or “Refreshed” technology is the way to go:

Quality: It’s Pretty Much Brand New

Believe it or not folks, the term “refurbished” doesn’t mean “used”. A refurbished product is simply a product that has been returned to the manufacturer for one of several reasons; some of which may be that:

• The product was a floor model at a retail location. So it has some finger prints on it? Big deal.

• The product was unused, but returned by the purchaser. Don’t tell me you’ve never returned an item that you just didn’t like when you got it home.

• The item has a minor internal defect or part missing upon arrival. If a product is labeled as Certified or has a Warranty, it has typically gone through a thorough inspection process and has been brought back to near “brand-new” standards – it’s just been handled by two or more people in the process.

Cost Effectiveness

The average cost savings for a consumer when they buy a refurbished product is on average around 15-30%. So this could take, let’s say, a $5,000 office phone system upgrade and possibly knock it down to only $3,500. That’s $1,500 dollars back in your pocket… or maybe for a new pool table in your employee lounge. The bottom line is that if you’re on a budget, in which most successful businesses are, saving money is key – and that will be totally accomplished when going down the path of purchasing refurbished products.

Be Careful

Not all items are refurbished equally. Be leary of items that do not offer warranties, return policies or are stated in “as is” condition. You want to know that your product will work when it arrives, and if not, you can get a new one.

KEY TAKE AWAY: Purchase wisely and don’t let silly stigmas or ideas prevent you from saving money.

Stay savvy my friends.