Refurbished computers - are they worth the risk ?

Posted by Abdullah Mahmood on October 21, 2008 with No comments

Refurbished computers - are they worth the risk ?

Surfing across the internet I have somehow come across many people who wouldn't really think of or even imagine themselves using computers that are used, second-hand or refurbished as you may call it. They often have doubts in their minds regarding as to "why the computer was returned in the first place ? "


To some extent I would agree on the fact that when you buy a refurbished pc, I too would simply have some repercussions because there is no certain proof as to if your purchases are going to be as delighting as you saw in the pictures, or might be holding some kind of problem already. There is no such possibility for you to be sure of such a fact. This is the exact reason why some people fail to get what they desire. They never tend to look for proper, reliable sources for buying but simply because "e-bay" or "froogle.com" had provided them with people selling products for cheap appealed to them they would opt for it. Conclusion "you blow your whistle". You get dissatisfied with a piece of junk rolled up in frills for which you had given $200-300 bucks through paypal.

Now tell me is that your fault or the person selling it. Unless the seller possesses a physical "brick-and-mortar" abode as people would say, or for individuals that you recognize it is very stupid indeed to spill money on them. Otherwise they could simply fade away into cyberspace, leaving you with a smaller bank account and another headache.

Refurbished computers as the name states does not necessarily refer to other people's junk. Many a times I have found that friends & colleagues who are passionate about computing or just want a more faster/ trendier computer simply try to get rid of their older models. Their computers are many a time in mint condition, and not obsolete, these would be ideals to buy if you know someone like that. In cases where online stores and other marketplaces where people sell used stuff are often affiliated with multinationals or other contracted agenices who repostion their firms by doing away with old pcs for new ones. Such computers are often termed as off-leased rather than used.

Why I posted this topic was that this is a matter of great concern for everyone these days. People around the internet seem to be very hesitant when it comes to making decisions such as purchasing a computer for their own home. These stressful decisions just tend to add on when they start worrying about the performance.

Few Tips for Making Smart Purchases:
  1. Always opt for vendors or sellers that give a minimum of 30-day warranty
  2. See to it that you deliver your desired specifications to the seller
  3. Give preference to those products that give you more details about the product such as size, color weight condition etc.
  4. Opt for a known and reputable brand
  5. Check all devices installed such as graphics, sound cards for consistency
  6. See all applications boot quickly and correctly
  7. Seek for after sales services such as troubleshooting etc
Keep these tips in mind while making purchases and you'll definitely stand to see that a refurbished deal was worth saving lots of money after all !!