Image: Foundry
As a tech journalist who also runs a free tech advice newsletter, I maintain a pretty lean operation. I’m always buying more tech for “research purposes,” but I’m reluctant to pay anything close to full price when I do.
Waiting around for deals is one way to defray the costs. But what if I need something now? Or what if the deals aren’t good enough? That’s when I turn to the used, refurbished, and open-box markets.
Related: Why you should buy a refurbished laptop
If you know where to look — and what to look for — you can essentially will your own price cuts into existence and still get good-as-new gadgets.
Here are my go-to sources for acquiring used, refurbished, and open-box gadgets on the cheap. At the end of this article, I also share a few tips and warnings to be aware of before you go shopping.
This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to learn new tech tricks every Tuesday.
Best Buy’s Open Box deals
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
For an easy way to save money on practically any tech product, click the Open Box option on any Best Buy product page. This takes you to a Buying Options section with discounts for returned items. The Open Box Excellent option promises like-new condition with all original accessories.
The best thing about Best Buy’s open-box deals is that they factor in current sale prices. For example, if a brand-new iPad is on sale for $100 off, you still get that discount on open-box models. (I recently saved $194 on an iPad Mini using this method, and while the box it came in was a bit worn, the tablet itself was pristine.)
The Best Buy route pairs well with big-ticket items that are often on sale, such as laptops, monitors, TVs, tablets, and Apple Watches. If the quality of an open-box model isn’t to your liking, you have 15 days to return it for free (either in store or by mail). Open-box products also include a standard one-year warranty in case anything goes wrong.
Amazon’s Used section
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Like Best Buy, Amazon also offers used options on product pages — but unlike Best Buy, Amazon’s used products are seldom eligible for whatever deals are going on for their brand-new counterparts.
Even so, I’ve found the used options to be worthwhile when I need some sort of accessory — like a USB hub or Ethernet splitter — and can’t wait around for a sale.
Amazon’s 30-day return policy still applies to used gear, and the ability to drop off returns at UPS or Kohl’s stores is convenient. However, note that Amazon doesn’t offer any warranties beyond the return period.
Just look for the Save with Used option on any product page. If buying from a third-party seller, check that they have a high number of positive ratings. Also, note that some options may not include Prime shipping.
Swappa for cheap used gear
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Swappa is an online marketplace for buying and selling used gadgets. Sellers list their devices for however much they want to charge, and buyers can browse those listings to find products by type, brand, condition, color, specs, etc.
While Swappa is best known for smartphone deals, don’t sleep on its laptop page, where you’ll find big discounts on MacBooks, Windows PCs, and Chromebooks. The site’s smartwatch and tablet sections are worth a look as well.
The big caveat with Swappa is that you don’t get any kind of warranty with your purchase, and most sellers won’t accept free returns unless the item isn’t as described. (Even then, the back-and-forth can be a pain.) If you’re willing to shoulder that risk, the savings can be significant.
Tip: While Swappa doesn’t have a formal counter-offer feature, you can try haggling with the Contact Seller option. You’ll need to act fast if they do lower the price, though, because anyone else who sees the listing might jump on it before you do.
Good old eBay
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
Jared Newman / Foundry
eBay can still be a great way to get gadgets for less, but finding the best buying options can take some work. eBay’s default search algorithms don’t always show you the best deals, and its auction listings rarely end up cheaper than buying items outright.
So, my approach to shopping on eBay is this: search for a product using as many descriptors as possible, select the Buy It Now filter on the results page to hide auction listings, then sort the results by Price + Shipping: Lowest First. Then, I scroll through the results and use additional filtering options to find exactly what I’m after.
My best recent haul using this approach was a gently-worn Samsung Galaxy Watch4 for $60 versus the $200 it would’ve been at Best Buy. I also grabbed a couple of Anker MagSafe power banks for less than $25 apiece, which was about $15 off street price.
When shopping on eBay, beware of listings that say things like “PLEASE READ” or “LOOK,” as these items usually have significant defects. Also, avoid any listings that say “parts only.”
More options to check out
RefurbMe is a helpful site for searching across various sources of refurbished gear, including Back Market, Gazelle, and Apple.Back Market itself is worth a callout, as all its products include a one-year warranty (though its prices tend to be higher as a result).You can try your luck on Mercari, which is a used marketplace not unlike eBay, but I’ve seen some shady behavior there. If a seller has no ratings or the price seems too good to be true, skip it.
A few tips and words of warning
Buying used, refurbished, or open-box devices will always carry more risk than buying new. But if you’re smart, careful, and patient, then you can mitigate a lot of that risk and shop with confidence.
Here are several things you should be aware of before pulling the trigger on a used, refurbished, or open-box purchase:
Warranty coverage: Used products generally don’t include the standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty you get when buying new, but some sites let you buy additional warranty coverage.Battery health: Device batteries wear down over time, so used gear may not last as long on a charge compared to brand-new gear. You can either ask about battery health before buying or check battery health yourself after receiving the item. (See instructions for checking battery health on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.)Unscrupulous sellers: While most of my eBay and Swappa transactions have been pleasant, I’ve run into a few scenarios where the product was in worse shape than advertised. Sellers will typically work with you to avoid negative ratings, but this can still be a hassle.Grossness: For reasons best left unspecified, you should avoid buying used earbuds unless they’ve been professionally cleaned.
Looking to sell? Try these sites
Making money from your own used gear is easier than you might think, plus you’ll be putting it back into circulation for other folks to use. Some options worth knowing about:
Flipsy and SellCell aggregate buyback prices from a wide range of sources, so you can find the optimal selling prices for used phones, tablets, computers, and more.Swappa is less chaotic than eBay for selling old tech directly to other users. I’ve had positive experiences with it.Staples will give you rewards points for recycling tech, which you can do to reclaim value out of keyboards, printers, and other accessories that have little resale value otherwise. (You’ll need to join Staples’ rewards program first to take advantage.)
This story first appeared in Advisorator, Jared’s weekly tech advice newsletter. Sign up to learn new tech tricks every Tuesday.
Author: Jared Newman, Contributor
Jared has been a freelance technology journalist for more than 15 years and is a regular contributor to PCWorld, Fast Company, and TechHive, where he’s written a weekly cord-cutting column since 2014. His Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 subscribers, and his Advisorator tech advice newsletter is read by nearly 10,000 people each week. Jared has a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and specializes in making complex tech topics easy to understand, from streaming and cord-cutting to neat apps and useful tech tricks. He is based in Cincinnati, OH.
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