I've been saving hundreds of dollars over the last few years by buying refurbished electronics, instead of new. Refurbished units tend to look and act brand-new, and usually include all of the accessories found in the orignal packaging; tyically, only the packaging is differnt, usually simpler.
They are labled "Refurbished" because they might have been repaired, or simply returned by a dissatisfied customer. I've gotten refurbished units through eBay or FutureShop.ca.
There is one catch: refurbished units often carry a shorter warranty (such as 90 days instead of 1 year) or none at all. That's fine: in exchange for saving hundreds of dollars, I'll take the chance it won't need repairs in the other 9 months.
In a couple of cases, I bought the refurbished units to replace items that needed repairs. I found it as cheap to buy as to repair. In one case, the cost was the same, but by buying refurbished, I got (1) a camera that look brand-new, instead of beat-up; and (2) a second set of accessories at "no extra cost."
Some of the items I have purchased refurbished:
- Palm TX (half-price through eBay, saved $200).
- Canon S1is ($230 through eBay, same cost as repair).
- HP notebook computer (saved $350, through FutureShop).
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