Buying used or refurbished laptops - is it worth it? And if so, why?

The answer to this question is clearly "Yes, it's worth it!".

Let's discuss this topic together in a "question and answer" format.

If you or your loved ones want to buy a notebook or laptop for work, school, study or leisure, you generally have the following options:

1. buy a used laptop privately, e.g. on various well-known marketplaces.
2. buy a new notebook from the manufacturer or from standard electronics stores.
3. buy a notebook from used/refurbished dealers such as us.

In our opinion, each of these options has its own pros and cons and of course each option will find a happy customer. As with everything discussed in this article, the following is our subjective opinion based on analysis, research and experience from both ourselves and our partners who have years of experience in the computer equipment market in Germany.

When buying a used laptop from a private seller, the main advantage is usually - but by no means always - the price. Of course, this can be a decisive factor for the buyer. But there is a big "BUT" in this constellation. The complete lack of a warranty or guarantee or claims. And here you have to decide for yourself whether you are prepared to risk your nerves, time and money in an emergency.

In this article, this option will not be examined, compared or discussed further, as we believe that there are two possible outcomes to this option. It can be concluded that the option of buying a second-hand notebook from a private seller certainly has its raison d'être, but there is a 50/50 chance that everything will go well or not. If you are a risk-taking person, this kind of "gamble" can logically develop in two directions. Of course, you could be lucky and someone sells their notebook and you could get it for cheap, but there is the uncertainty of how long the notebook will run smoothly and how the seller will react if the laptop is no longer fit for purpose in the near future.

Of course, buying a new laptop has its advantages, but in our opinion there is only one real advantage in this case. You are the first owner of this notebook and therefore the device has no signs of use. However, with all the other seemingly obvious advantages, there is room for discussion. In the following, we want to help you gain some clarity. And after we have informed you about this topic, we ask you to reflect and conclude for yourself whether it might be advantageous for you personally to buy a used/refurbished laptop after all. And if you have any questions that we have not answered in this article or have not answered sufficiently, our customer support team will be happy to help you online at any time. If we do not have an immediate answer to your questions, we will do our best to provide you with a comprehensive answer within an agreed timeframe.

A new notebook has never been used and is therefore in perfect condition on the outside. Can I expect a used/refurbished laptop from you to be in very good or almost perfect condition?

Yes, the appearance of a used/refurbished laptop that you can buy from us can be very good or almost flawless. And of course, looks can sometimes be the deciding factor when choosing a laptop. For example, if you want to give someone a present or if it is important for work to have a laptop that is in good or very good condition and therefore looks high quality for presentations, for example. It's the same with notebooks - "the outside attracts you and the inside holds you". In practice, it has been shown that laptops from the "fixed workstation" sector are often used on docking stations and with an external keyboard connected, which means that there are hardly any signs of wear on the outer contours of the laptop, so that their condition can be described as almost perfect or as good as new. Furthermore, our laptops belong to the business line. Accordingly, they are designed for long and intensive use. This can only be guaranteed with durable and resistant materials. That's why you'll either find laptops with minimal signs of use or notebooks with everyday signs of use, and of course at a fair price.

In order to be able to judge the external appearance of a laptop you like as realistically as possible, we offer you the ESA-Tech promise: - ESA-Tech - LIFE - PHOTO - VIDEO - You get exactly what you look at. We are proud that we have decided to introduce this service and make our product presentation as transparent as possible for you.

Even if the external condition of the laptop is satisfactory, what about the internal condition? What are the advantages of buying a used or refurbished laptop? Where should there be an advantage here?

Here too, the advantages are obvious, as all internal components of Business Line laptops are designed for maximum performance and reliable operation over a long period of time. Renowned companies that use laptops in large numbers rely on the reliability and quality of manufacturers such as Dell, LENOVO, HP, FUJITSU and Apple. Only when reliable devices are used can a stable and high-quality performance of the company be guaranteed. In the modern world, most production and organizational processes are connected with computer equipment. And many companies depend on the quality of these devices.

In addition, the laptop you receive from us is fully ready for use, including a licensed and installed operating system and all drivers that are pre-installed by us for full use - whether privately or professionally. You don't have to take any further steps or make any extra effort to get started with the device.

When buying a new laptop, it is always an advantage to have a guarantee or warranty and the certainty that the seller or manufacturer will not let you down if something is not as promised with the laptop.

Can I rely on a guarantee or warranty when buying a used/refurbished notebook from you?

You can remain completely relaxed about this question, because the buyer of used/refurbished devices is protected in Germany. Every retailer must grant a two-year warranty (also known as liability for defects) on new goods and twelve months on used goods. Dealers in Germany are obliged to do this (§§ 437, 438 BGB). So buying a used/refurbished notebook does not automatically deprive you of the benefits of a warranty or guarantee. We are interested in each of our customers being satisfied not only with the fact of purchase, but also with the long-term use of the laptop. And in rare cases, a warranty claim may arise during the course of use. But should this rare case occur, we are also well prepared for it.

All our laptops undergo a thorough incoming goods and quality check, which not only involves cleaning the inside and outside of the laptop, but also various software checks and a stress test. We do this in order to identify possible weak points in the device and replace parts if necessary. In this way, we prevent possible warranty claims in order to save our customers and ourselves any nerves and time. We also work according to defined internal processes that help us to offer quick solutions in the event of a warranty claim. Be it a repair of the device or an exchange for a similar device. Above all, we want you to be satisfied. That's why we primarily favor effective and goal-oriented communication to resolve possible discrepancies as quickly as possible and keep you informed about the individual phases of the problem-solving process.

The purchase of used laptops with a guarantee or warranty is generally only possible via a dealer. This is recommended both by the general public and by us.

We also sometimes have laptops that are still covered by the manufacturer's warranty. You'll agree that this can be a nice bonus when buying a used laptop.

When buying second-hand goods, you rely on the description of the condition from the dealer. People rely on subjective assessments and categorizations. So you often only have a rough idea of what you will actually get in the end.  Of course, there is a 14-day right of return in distance selling. This means that you can return purchased goods if you are not satisfied, but wouldn't it be nice to counteract this uncertainty and possibly save yourself a bit of time and nerves?

Everything is clear with new goods, but what about used and refurbished laptops?

Yes, you can't get time back, and that's why it's important not to waste it. After we made the decision to open an online store for the sale of used and refurbished laptops, we made a firm commitment to be as transparent as possible with our customers, and as mentioned before, we have introduced a unique service - ESA-Tech - LIFE - PHOTO - VIDEO. You don't have to rely on subjective rating systems with us. Judge the goods yourself, without haste and carefully. Every product presented in our online store has original high-resolution photos and videos in the individual product descriptions. If you wish, you will receive exactly the goods that you can see on our website. You have maximum possible access to self-assessment of the goods. Therefore, the risk of being disappointed when unpacking because the device does not meet your expectations is minimal.

We hope to have answered the most common questions about whether it is worth buying used and refurbished laptops and if so, why. As you can see, it can be beneficial for both yourself and the environment. We pride ourselves on choosing to be as open as possible with our customers and only stocking our merchandise with actual photos and videos of the notebook in question in our listings. So another advantage of buying used notebooks from us is that there is no "pig in a poke" effect.

We do our best to ensure that you only expect pleasant surprises when you receive a parcel from us.

It also helps us not to use general example pictures in the presentation of the laptops, as this reduces the risk of a return and at the same time we hope that we make the purchase of a used laptop even more attractive.