Why in the world would you buy a refurbished laptop computer when you could buy a brand-new one that nobody is used before? A lot of reasons actually. Studies show that most people who have owned a refurbished computer and save significant dollars on the purchase will never go back to buying new again. In fact many refurbished computer sellers are so confident in these machines, they are willing to offer a full or partial warranty.

You may be wondering exactly how refurbished is a refurbished PC computer. In most cases, these computers are almost new if not brand-new. Reason being, manufacturers of desktop computers must offer a 30 day moneyback guarantee you will, and if this guarantee is exercised by the consumer, they cannot resell the computer as new. Obviously this leads to a substantial population of refurbished computers that have absolutely nothing wrong with them if not very little.

As a result, these systems can be purchased for about 80% off the retail price by savvy consumers who want to save significant dollars on one of the most expensive items that will probably ever buy. Of course, if someone simply returned the computer because the box was torn or significantly damaged, you won’t be seeing an 80% discount, however even 10% to 20% off the price off of the computer is welcome savings to many people.

It is difficult to know exactly why a computer is offered by the manufacturer in refurbished condition, however it’s wise to ask. Most manufacturers will explain. In fact many such as Dell Computer have online listings of their refurbished systems with a column indicating exactly why the discount is offered and if there are any defective parts or condition problems in most cases these systems are inspected, service, and tested heavily before being repackaged and sold at a discount.

So this begs the question, why would anyone pay for a new computer when most likely these refurbished systems are new or like new? Put simply, most people want brand-new equipment and won’t settle for anything less. However shortsighted this attitude is, at least in the US things are very consumer driven and people are used to buying new.

With the savings you’ll receive through buying refurbished, maybe you could even consider buying a more powerful system, or some additional peripherals such as, a printer, scanner, external hard drive or similar device as an add-on?

On a final note, an interesting fact is that most refurbished PC computers are actually more strenuously tested and inspected them new ones. And that one in 10 new computers have some sort of defect due to lower quality standards on the mass production line. So why not take a leap and purchase a refurbished machine the next time you’re in the market for a computer? You can always return it for another one if not satisfied.