Refurbished mobiles: everything you need to know if you want to buy one

When buying a new mobile, there are many options, and not only because of the number of brands and models that are for sale, but also because there are even different states in which to buy a phone, including refurbished ones.

Buying a refurbished mobile is now easier and cheaper than ever, and also with much more guarantees than a few years ago, because there are top-level stores that sell them and offer excellent after-sales service, such as Amazon itself.

However, it is common for doubts to arise about these types of devices before buying them, questions that we are going to try to solve one by one, and who would not want to save when changing phones?

Obviously, buying a new mobile has its own advantages, although depending on the price, you may be interested in buying a refurbished smartphone.

Here are some examples of things you should know yes or yes before taking the final step.

1. What are refurbished
2. What risks do these products have?
3. Are reconditioned ones guaranteed?
4. Reconditioned and second hand: main differences
5. Advantages of buying a refurbished mobile
6. What stores sell refurbished mobiles?

What are refurbished

This is an obvious first step, as there are many people who come to an offer on a refurbished device without knowing exactly what it is.

The definition is quite simple: it is a device or product that has been previously sold but was returned by its purchaser, which may or may not have physical and cosmetic damage but in any case cannot be sold again as new.

Simple truth? That said, a few more questions remain, partially resolved in this law embodied in the BOE, although we will try to do it in a much simpler, more direct and didactic way.

Where exactly do they come from and who sells them?

Following the thread of the definition of what a reconditioned product is, it becomes clear that the larger a store, the greater the number of returns it will have to manage and, therefore, the greater the number of reconditioned products that it must dispose of.

This means that Amazon is the one that sells the most products of this type worldwide, and it has millions of returns every year of products that are in a state that is not acceptable to be sold again. He does it from his category Amazon Warehouse.

There are other stores specializing in these products, such as the French Back Market, which buys products returned from other distributors to sell at their own risk.

What dangers do you assume when buying a reconditioned product?

The reality is that today, buying a refurbished product is quite safe if you do it in a trusted store, since most of them expose the guarantees they offer to their users.

Nevertheless, there are some that do not clarify exactly what damage the product in question presents, if you have it. Amazon, for example, does, although not in detail. For example, you can state that there are “aesthetic defects of medium importance (less than 2 cm) in the upper part of the item” and then you decide whether to buy it or not.

Buying guide for new mobiles: keys and tricks that you should know

You always risk that the damage that the device has, such as a dead pixel, is totally unaffordable for you, that’s why it is key to buy refurbished products in stores that offer the possibility of an immediate return. Amazon does, although it must also be clarified that by law all purchases of this type have the right of withdrawal to return it if it does not meet expectations.

Then there is the obvious disadvantage of buying a reaco mobile: instead of the three-year warranty that marks the new regulations approved in 2021 for new products, you would only have one.

The million dollar question: do reconditioned products have a guarantee?

Yes, the answer is a resounding yes. This market is regulated in the same way as the second-hand market, and that means that all products sold have at least 12 months warranty required by law, even more if the store wants to expand it.

With that and the right of withdrawal, it is more than enough to buy with all the guarantees that the experience will not end in fiasco as long as, we insist, the product comes from a trusted store.

What is the difference between a refurbished mobile and a second-hand one

For many users, there are hardly any differences between refurbished mobiles and second-hand mobiles, but they do exist and they are important.

The main one is that a refurbished product does not have to have been used before, since in many cases these are purchases that the user has rejected because they have found it cheaper in another store or simply because they have regretted the purchase.

In stores like Amazon, the products defined in the state Like New they are usually those that have not even been unsealed, although they are sold as reconditioned, so they are a real bargain.

On the other hand, second-hand models do tend to have some wear and tear, since they have been used to a lesser or greater extent.

Summarizing: a reconditioned is usually in much better condition, especially if you are looking for one that does not have any aesthetic defects, although you should first worry about finding out.

On the other hand, as we have already mentioned above, both are protected by the same law, so they have the same year of mandatory warranty. There are no differences in that.

What are the advantages of buying a refurbished mobile

It may be that in your search for a new phone you have come this far because you are surprised at how cheap a refurbished mobile can be, and it is, since you lose two years of warranty along the way and you may find a defect such as a scratch or a blow to the chassis.

On the other hand, you can protect yourself with the laws that we have mentioned in previous sections.

The main advantage of buying a reaco mobile is that it is much cheaper than a new one, that is evidentIn addition to the legal advances produced in recent years, you do not have to keep it if its condition does not seem acceptable to you, making use of the right of withdrawal.

In addition, there is another key that becomes relevant in the current context: there may not be enough stock of a new smartphone just put on sale, but there is usually stock (albeit scarce) of said product sold as refurbished.

what stores sell them

Large supermarkets and general stores tend to distribute their own reconditioned products, a way of recovering a certain part of their cost, although not 100%.

In addition, brands like Apple or Xiaomi do the same with their catalogs, and the truth is that the possibility of saving can be quite important, especially if you do not need the latest mobile or laptop.

These are some of the stores that sell refurbished phones at good prices: