Refurbished iPad | A Cheaper Tablet Option

The most recent Apple tablet, the Apple iPad 2, has been well received. Everyone who has purchased it, seems very happy with it. But if you’re like me, money is tight, and the newest, shiniest toy is a little out of my price range. There is a trick to keeping up with technology on a budget though, and that is to buy a refurbished iPad, (or whatever other computer or phone you are craving).

Buy a refurbished Apple iPad 2

Refurbished iPad

I am happy to say that I can keep up with technological advancements without having to stay home and eat ramen noodles for a year. Instead of buying new, I buy refurbished technology. A refurbished iPad is just over half the price of a brand new iPad. I don’t know about you, but that makes a big difference to me. My technology budget doesn’t allow me to keep up with all the technological changes as they occur. By buying refurbished items, I can get more bang for my buck!

Some people are leery of buying a refurbished computer or phone, but if you buy from the manufacturer or other reputable seller you’ll get a warranty. For example, an Apple certified refurbished iPad comes with a one year guarantee on the product. Your “refurb” will also come with a brand new battery and a new outer shell. It’s clean and new and you’ll never know it was pre-owned. (And neither will anyone else, unless you tell them.)

The only real issue I’ve ever had buying refurbished technology is that you may have to wait to get what you want. Obviously, stock is limited to what is on hand. Some vendors will allow you to set up an alert so you are contacted when the item you are looking for becomes available. Other sites will require that you check back.

What exactly is a refurbished product? Refurbished items can fall into two categories. Have you ever brought something home, un-boxed it, changed your mind and then returned it to the store? Well that happens all the time. Often when you return an item to the store after it has been opened, the store is required to return it to the manufacturer. The manufacturer then checks to make sure it is operating within normal parameters. If it is, it will be sold as a refurbished item. If the item has been returned as defective, it is often cost effective for the manufacturer to rebuild the item and then resell it. This also qualifies as a refurbished piece of technology. When you buy a “refurb” you have no way of knowing which instance applies, but really it doesn’t matter, as long as the item comes with a warranty and you are buying from a reputable seller.

I often buy my technology refurbished. Personally, I think this makes me a savvy consumer. According to Consumer Reports, one in five pieces of consumer electronics are returned, and only 5% of those products are defective, and if those are being resold, they are being repaired and tested by the manufacturer. All of this makes me very comfortable with my purchasing strategy. Given those percentages, I think the odds of getter a refurbished iPad in poor condition is fairly low. Even so, if you do buy one that doesn’t live up to your expectations, you can always return it back to a reputable retailer, like Amazon. Given all of that, I think it makes perfect sense to buy your new Apple iPad 2 tablet in refurbished condition, especially from a reputable retailer, like Amazon.

You can see the current prices on refurbished iPad 2 tablets here:

Shops		Product	Price
		Apple iPad 2 MC980LL/A Tablet (32GB, Wifi, White) NEWEST MODEL APPLE IPAD2 MC980LL/A-R 32GB WIFI WHI TAB WHT RFB	Too Low to Display used from: 510.00	CLICK HERE
		Apple iPad 2 Tablet (16GB, Wifi,) NEWEST MODEL Apple iPad 2 16GB WiFi	$425.00 used from: $420.00	CLICK HERE
		Apple iPad 2 MC916LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi, Black) NEWEST MODEL Apple iPad X12LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi, Black) NEWEST MODEL	$599.00 used from: $624.99	CLICK HERE

 

To see the current refurbished iPads: