Black Friday has rolled around once again, and that means it’s sale time. The vast majority of retailers will take this opportunity to discount goods before the Christmas rush and capitalise on the swarths of bargain hunters and eager gift shoppers. Sale stickers will be affixed to laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones across the world – but have you ever stopped to think the impact these sales have on the environment?
Globally, we are already producing unsustainable levels of e-waste; we all need to start acting more sustainably. Wisetek Store, part of the Wisetek Group is already doing just that.
Wisetek Store, launched in the last 12 month, is providing refurbished laptops, refurbished tablets and even refurbished smartphones to the masses, but what exactly does refurbished actually mean?
“A refurbished device is one that has been reclaimed, rigorously tested, cleaned and repaired, if necessary, in order to bring it to a level where the device functions like new.” Notes Paula Napolitano, eCommerce Manager at Wisetek Store “When some people hear the term refurbished laptops they may think they’re purchasing an old and battered piece of equipment, that’s simply not the case. At Wisetek we’ve got nearly 15 years’ experience in this industry, recycling and repurposing IT equipment, so we’d like to think we know what we’re doing! We’re even offering a free 12-month warranty on all of our refurbished units alongside 2-to-3-year extended warranties.”
Eco Conscious
Yes, you can save money by choosing a refurbished product over a brand-new one, but you’re also saving the environment. The minerals and metals used in the electrical equipment we use every day, like neodymium, terbium, and cerium, are genuinely finite resources. These resources are currently in increasingly short supply due to the rapid advancement of technology, which means that reuse and recycling are now more important than ever. By buying a refurbished item, you’re preventing e-waste from winding up in a landfill where it can cause serious environmental damage.
“From a financial standpoint, it’s also just makes far more sense. A huge number of people simply purchase new products just for the pure sake of it, when you go for a refurbished model, you could be saving up to 60% off the RRP in certain areas” – Adds Napolitano
Used V Refurbished – Are there any differences?
The typical desktop or laptop computer contains roughly 15 essential components, including the motherboard, hard drive, processors, RAM, chassis, and more. Each of these individual components can be examined, taken out, and enhanced. Often times individuals may replace an entire device after a failure of one singular component, even though everything else works perfectly and in this day and age, this is simply unsustainable. For example, if we come across a faulty hard drive in a unit, we swap it out and the device works better than ever once again. It is this ability to strip a device down and restore it’s unique, individual parts that is the key difference in the refurbished market.
“We always say, a laptop or a tablet might have belonged to someone else, but there’s nothing used about it! The amount of testing that goes into our refurbished devices is second to one and we’re happy to guarantee that these devices are just as up to speed as the ones you’d buy brand new from the manufacturers.” – continues Napolitano
The strides being made in all fields demonstrate that technology does evolve quickly. Manufacturers continue to release new, inventive goods, experiment with features, modify components, and introduce new services. However, all of these updates come at a price and it’s not always a price that everyone can afford. Realistically speaking, do you need to upgrade your device just because they’ve slightly upgraded the camera? For most people, the answer is no! A large number of people are more than happy to choose a slightly older, similarly spec’d model that is just as efficient as the newer model, take a refurbished Macbook for example, you can save nearly 50% on models that are only a few years old.
The Break Down
Wisetek Store employs a series of categories or “grades” when it comes to describing their products. This holds true for all the gadgets mentioned on the website. Furthermore, it’s crucial to understand that the term “refurbished” does not equate to “used” or “second-hand.” Instead, only highly skilled technicians who replace and test parts may describe a gadget as “refurbished.” Here’s how Wisetek Store presents these various devices, even though some of them do come in at different price points.
1. New
In light of everything that has been mentioned so far, it might seem contradictory, but occasionally new products do make their way onto the Wisetek Store. These are typically products that have been bought from manufacturers but never used, remaining in their original, sealed packing.
2. New/Opened Box
This is as new as it gets short of being purchased directly from the manufacturer in a store. Even though it won’t be in its original box, this device is practically brand new because it has never been used.
3. Excellent
This is a device that shows no physical or cosmetic evidence of usage; generally speaking, this occurs when a product has only been opened and briefly used, making it technically brand new.
4. Very Good
These do precisely as they claim to! work incredibly well, are trustworthy, and have a very solid overall performance. However, these frequently have a few dings, chips, and marks. On first glance, this might not be immediately apparent, but if you look more closely, you will see them.
5. Good
It’s important to keep in mind that all devices have been rigorously tested, cleaned, examined, reset to factory settings, and come with that crucial 12-month guarantee even though this category of devices tends to show the most signs of use.
Check out Wisetek Stores Black Friday offers online now.
