Why Buy Refurbished?

What does "Refurbished" mean?

The term “refurbished” has a range of meanings.
 
We at CruiseTech use it to refer to electronics which have been:
 
  • Checked and tested through the quality assurance process by our technicians.
  • We offer a range of stock, from new (Grade A), to the more used models (lower cosmetic condition, still performant).
  • They’ll have some return to base (RTB) warranty with us, for your peace of mind.
 
So now you know the “what”, why would you buy refurbished?

Quality, for Less

We offer a range of grading. Our "Grade A" range will typically be repackaged laptops which are cosmetically very similar to the new products. it’s a great way to save some money on a big purchase. That money could even be spent on accessories that you might not have considered getting otherwise!
 
We also offer a wide range of cosmetic grades. They'll go through the same QA checks (though may have more signs of usage & are priced accordingly). Generally, we intend to show more info on the product, in terms of the photos & the description, so you'll have a better idea what you'll receive.

Tested, by our technicians

Our detailed quality assurance (QA) process is a core part of our offering. This intends to ensure that you'll have a smoother experience with your product.

Every laptop will be tested for common tasks such as web browsing run, stress tests, etc - to ensure that our customers have a smoother experience when they receive it.

Wide availability of products

There tends to be a focus in retail, on the latest generation of products; once a newer model comes out, many retailers may often only stock the latest generation product - which will often carry a price premium (e.g. a Lenovo ThinkPad P15 Gen 1), over the most recent generations (e.g Lenovo ThinkPad P53 or P52).
 
  • Buying refurbished means that you’ll often have access to the previous models, which will often still be performance competitive with the latest range. Sometimes newer generations could have fewer features in order to be thinner & lighter (e.g. fewer ports, such as Ethernet ports). Between the old and new, there’s definitely something refurbished that’s right for you.
  • The latest models do gradually become available within a few months of release. These could be the unboxed / customer returned unit (which has since successfully passed the QA checks & has been marketed for re-sell).

Easily repaired again

Availability of components can also often be much better for refurbished products. That’s because they’ve been produced for longer and more of their components are likely to be in circulation. Refurbishers tend to offer products that they know they can repair if something does need attentions.

Get a rich set of features

Refurbished laptops would have started at a higher price originally (RRP); they would have been expected have the quality & feature (e.g. plenty of ports, etc) appropriate for that price range. Over time, whilst the price may become more accessible, the performance and feature set remains.
 

Similarly, the business & workstation range which we offer, are often designed by the manufacturer for a longer life-cycle (e.g. 3-5 years). Whereas buying new (with the same budget), could mean that you might be restricted to a lower-end consumer laptop (typically built for 1-2 years of use).

The Greener option

Buying a sparkling new laptop might sound more appealing than buying something that’s already been taken out of the box, but if you’re conscious about the environmental impacts, then you might wish to think twice.
 
Not only does each new laptop generate a carbon footprint for making and using it, but also the e-waste that gets made when it can’t be used anymore has to go somewhere, and not all the parts in a laptop are easily recycled.
 
Buying & using refurb: means that whilst the electronics do still generate a carbon footprint when they were first made (sunk cost) - you're effectively extending the time which the same set of electronics remain useful - thus extending the product life-cycle. It might seem little, but the little things we do will add up.

Warranty, on our products

A manufacturer used to sell a type of laptop you really liked, but they don’t sell them anymore, and there are none left on the market with a valid warranty. You really want to buy one, but the lack of a warranty has you paused for thought.
 
Refurbishers might not have as long of a warranty as the original manufacturer, but refurbishers will typically offer some peace of mind warranty period, onto any products they sell.
 
Even better, if you’re buying a more recent product, with some manufacturers you may also find it may have some of the original warranty, as well as that offered by the refurbisher.

Conclusion

While new customers might be apprehensive in buying a refurbished laptop, it’s important to keep in mind that refurbishers aren’t just re-sellers; the systems are tested and repaired to ensure that they will function well. Keep the usual buyer wisdom in mind and buying refurbished will be a great option for buying a computer.