It’s part of our mission at ICEX to change misconceptions about refurbished and repurposed devices. Why? It is our contribution to a circular economy whereby goods are prevented from going to landfill when they could be used many more times. When it comes to technical devices, we use them everyday but rarely understand their inner workings. So, when they appear to be faulty or ‘dead’, we often deem them as broken and look for the newest model with the longest life expectancy. This can be expensive and unnecessary.
Below are some of the most common misconceptions about refurbished tech. What is it? And why could it be a better option for buying devices.
- Preloved = shorter lifespan. Yes, not every component will get replaced but that doesn’t mean shorter lifespan. How long your device lasts largely comes down to how you use it and how well you take care of it.
- It is a gamble. For most of us, we put a lot of thought into buying tech without actually knowing the inner workings of the device we are buying. It’s also expensive for most, and usually considered a “big buy”, so it’s a gamble anyway. Because repurposed tech is individually analysed, it may be less of a gamble than a new device! We all know about Samsung’s disaster with a newly released phone blowing up on customers!
- The device has been extensively used or “worn out”. Anyone can state the condition of their item as “good as new”. Understandably, how do you know to trust their judgement? Firstly, these are individual sellers are selling USED items rather than REFURBISHED and it’s very important that we understand the difference. When devices are processed by accredited company like ICEX, it’s condition is properly analysed and graded. A refurbished device is fully tested, cleaned, reset and restored to operate at it’s maximum capacity again – just like new. 55% of all IT equipment that enters our facility is repurposed and reused.
- There’s left over data. What if there is data left over from the old user? Or worse, someone left a bug on it? This is absolutely not possible when it is processed by the right team. That’s why it’s best to buy from an ITAD service provider like ICEX.
- It’s not worth the savings. If we look at all the misconceptions above then there are really no downsides to buying repurposed devices except perhaps that stock fluctuates and so it may be more difficult to find a device you like. But it’s surely worth the extra time looking if you save money.