Buying refurbished electronics is not only a great way of saving a lot of money, but also helps you leave a positive impact on the environment by reducing e-waste while remaining technologically updated.
With refurbishing done by the manufacturers themselves or by their authorised units, the refurbished items are almost as good as the new electronics and the buyers enjoy warranties as well.
“While there are numerous reasons for the growth of the refurbished electronics market, the most prominent one for the increasing inclination specifically towards refurbished smartphones is affordability,” said Soumitra Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, XtraCover.
“Additionally, the wider access to the internet has also been a growth booster. More so during the pandemic and work from home phase, when cash flow was a major challenge; users extensively relied on refurbished goods to meet their needs at the most reasonable prices. Furthermore, the gradual shift from an unorganised market to a more organised and structured one has been an added advantage,” he added.
Here are some of the benefits of using refurbished electronics:
Environmental effect
Discarding electronic items creates e-waste. With very little recycling capacity of electronic waste, managing the e-waste is a big challenge for not only India, but also for the entire world. Moreover, precious and rare earth elements are used in manufacturing of many electronic gadgets. So, discarding a gadget prematurely means making the rare earth elements more scarce and exhausting the reserves quickly. So, for a positive environmental impact, it’s better to use gadgets for a prolonged period and use refurbished ones after the old one gets fully exhausted.
Saving money
Refurbished electronic gadgets cost almost half the brand new one. So, apart from having a positive impact on the environment, you will also be able to save a lot of money by preferring a refurbished gadget over a brand new one. With the refurbishing done mostly by the manufacturers or their authorised facilities, there are little chances that a refurbished gadget would fail.
Warranty on refurbished items
As the original manufacturers sell the gadgets after refurbishing, they generally provide extended warranties on the refurbished gadgets to make it appealing for the buyers. With the warranties extended by the manufacturers themselves, the buyers feel confident about buying a refurbished gadget, which also reduces the risks with the availability of after-sale support.
Technology updates
During the refurbishing process, a gadget also gets necessary hardware and software upgrades as well, making the refurbished gadgets compatible with brand new ones. So, the buyers of refurbished gadgets continue to have technological edge with the provisions of further software updates.
“With the evolving customer preferences and the looming cash crunch, the penchant for refurbished devices still remains dominant in the market and is likely to stay on top in the coming future too,” said Gupta.