So, the first thing you need to realize is that each retailer isn’t created equally. You’re going to find, nine times out of ten, that the brick and mortar stores (such as Wal-Mart, etc.) have higher prices than what you’ll find online. This comes down to how a physical business is run. When the retailer doesn’t own the buildings it resides in outright, it pays the bank or other company to occupy it through either a lease or mortgage. When companies have to do that, their profit margins go down. They have to kick up the price of their merchandise so that they can remain solvent and pay their bills. That’s typical of just about any store that you physically go to.
Now, online retailers are a little bit different. They generally don’t pay rent on many different buildings and stores; if anything, they pay rent for one building: The office building/warehouse where they actually keep their goods for distribution. Of course then they have to pay hosting for their websites and other administrative fees, but that’s far less than rent on multiple buildings. Since they do this, they can offer you great prices on your refurbished laptops. They can offer you prices that are just above cost because they don’t have to convert your money to pay off a pile of bills to keep the business’s doors open. When you shop online, you’re going to get some of the best deals out there.
Of course, most people don’t realize this. Most people don’t want to wait for their laptop to come to their door; they’ll go to the store because they want cheap refurbished laptops now. Don’t be one of those. 
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]]>Just to recap things we’ve already mentioned in other posts:
Is a refurbished laptop even considered “used”? Well yes, in a general sense it is, but there is quite the difference between “used” and “refurbished/reconditioned.” Factory refurbished laptops are computers that are brought back to a like-new condition by approved reconditioning companies. These are usually the original manufacturer of the product but not always. Many times the manufacturer will authorize third-party vendors to do the refurbishment, but don’t worry: Those third-party companies are trained specifically by the parent company to do the work. They go by the same standards the actual vendors of the products go by. You know that when your laptop comes out of the process it’ll be exactly the way you wanted it to be. If it’s not, guess what, you have a warranty like you would if you had bought new. Seriously, the only real difference is the price you’ll pay.
Now, a “used” laptop to me is something completely different. This is nothing like a refurbished model. Used laptops are generally bought in an as-is state, i.e. there has been no approved refurbishing program that the laptop has actually gone through. As you may recall, refurbished computers are put through a very rigid program that brings it back to a state where it looks and acts like it’s new and off the shelf. Used laptops can come scratched, broken, or damaged. Worse yet, you’ll have no recourse if this should occur.
Here’s how I’d do my shopping: If I wanted factory refurbished laptops, I’d go to stores such as Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics, etc. Those are known to carry a large selection of these products, and advertise it right there on the box. Those stores also have solid return policies and warranties, so you know what you’re getting right off the bat. If I wanted to go for a used laptop, I’d check out craigslist, eBay, or something like that. Be aware though that if you do this, you’re going to incur quite a bit of risk. There are no guarantees when dealing private-party. If you don’t get quite what you expected, there’s not much you can do about it!
What’s a good price discount on these laptops when compared to the newer models? Depending on the amount of use on the machines, a normal discount is anywhere from 5% to 50%. The computers that were barely used and only took a small amount of refurbishment will only really come with 5% off the new price; after all, the box was probably just opened, it was turned on and maybe used for a short time, then brought back. A laptop that’s been used for a longer period (say, months or years) will require a more extensive reconditioning process. When that happens, you’re actually likely to pay less out of pocket with a more significant price drop. Sound a little backwards? It is, but remember that you’re paying the discount because most people want to buy new, not refurbished.
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]]>We’ve personally had experience with HP laptops and do recommend them to our users, assuming you’re not looking for using them for gaming. For gaming, you may want something a bit more robust than an HP product. If you’re using your computer to surf the web, read your email, or run simple business software, you can’t get a much better deal than this one. It’s got nice clean lines, and even a full numeric keypad (very rare for laptops if you’ve ever had one). The processor isn’t the best on the market, but as we said previously, if your goals are just to work on items that don’t require a lot of power, this laptop will meet your needs.
As always, if you have any other questions, please let us know. If not, please stay tuned to this website (and don’t forget to search our archives) for more great reviews on cheap refurbished laptops.
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