Refurbished TV
For
the longest time I thought a refurbished TV and a used TV were
different terms for the same thing. In fact, I thought refurbished was
just a half-dollar word for used. I sure am glad someone set me
straight. Knowing the difference saved me from my own ignorance.
When
a buddy at work told me he'd just bought a refurbished set online and
gave me the store's website address, I just smiled, thanked him and
stuck it in my wallet. What I was thinking though was, man, things must
be tight for Doug if he's buying a used TV set. I'm really glad I kept
my mouth shut though and chose to say nothing. It would have made me
look stupid.
A couple of weekends later, I was at his
house. We'd gone inside for a cold one and I was looking around for the
set he'd gotten such a great deal on. The only one I saw was this
massive 52" plasma flat panel on the main wall of the living room. He
laughed at the stunned look on my face, but I couldn't hide the fact I
was impressed. The thing looked brand new.
He asked if I'd
been to the website he'd given me, and I had to admit I hadn't because I
thought it was for used TVs. So he explained to me that a refurbished
TV was not really used, it was one whose original factory seal had been
broken. Maybe somebody took it home for a few days and decided they
wanted a different size, or they may have realized as soon as they got
it out of the box that it wasn't what they wanted.
For
whatever reason, it came back to the store, where it could no longer be
sold as new. It's then sent back to the factory where they test it
thoroughly, repack it and send it on to distributors they've authorized
to sell the 'refurbs' to the general public. I've listed a few sites
below that really give you some great resources for finding these deals
on your own. You really should check them out.
Anyway,
I've been doing some research of my own since then, trying to scare up a
great deal for myself on a refurbished HDTV. I've wanted one for a long
time, but the price has kept me from indulging. But now that I know
more about refurbished TVs, I may never buy new again. Why pay twice as
much if you can't tell the difference between a brand new set and a
refurbished one?
I've got my eye on a really sleek Sony
48", but I'll need to decide pretty quick if I want to be sure of
getting it. If there is a downside to refurbs, it's that the set you see
this week may not be around by next week. The retailers' inventory
depends on what the factory sends them, which is in turn determined by
what the customers bring back to their place of purchase.
So
my advice is this: if you see something you like, you need to act on
it, and with savings of up to 70% in some cases, it's really not hard to
make up your mind. Check out the links below to see how you can find
YOUR best deal and save a couple thousand bucks in the process.
