Second hand appliances: where to buy refurbished gadgets
Buying second hand or refurbished appliances is always worth considering, and with many retailers offering warranties on these items, it’s not as risky as you might think
When it’s time to upgrade your home appliances, you don’t always need to break the bank to get great quality. Buying second hand or refurbished is the perfect way to stretch your budget and get more value for money.
In theory, higher quality appliances should perform better and may even last longer than budget appliances, so opting to ditch the cheap and cheerful options in favour of second hand or refurbished, could pay off in the long term.
It’s not all about money though, sustainability is another core reason to shop this way. Not only does it help keep products out of landfill, but it reduces the demand for raw materials including water, and reduces carbon emissions. The positive environmental impact means the more we consume second hand and refurbished appliances over brand new, the better.
Where to buy second hand and refurbished appliances
Backmarket
This is a website dedicated to selling refurbished tech, but they also sell kitchen and home appliances too. Everything sold on the website has been professionally refurbished to a rigorous standard and comes with a 12 month warranty.
Amazon Renewed
It describes itself as a “destination for refurbished, pre-owned, and open box products”. Products sold through Amazon renewed have been inspected, tested, cleaned, and categorised into one of four conditions. Plus everything comes with a 12 month warranty.
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Ebay refurbished
Unlike traditional ebay sellers, ebay refurbished sellers are quality-vetted and have to adhere to a strict grading and service criteria. Products come with a minimum 12 month warranty, plus free shipping and free returns.
Appliances Direct refurbished
A great option for large kitchen and laundry appliances. All products are tested by expert engineers at their dedicated refurbishing depot in Swansea, and are graded into different categories depending on their cosmetic condition. Refurbished appliances come with a six month parts and labour warranty.
Appliance manufacturers
A small number of appliance brands themselves have dedicated refurbished sections on their own websites. But they’re not always that easy to find and there’s often very limited products available. We suggest you search the brand name with the word refurbished, and usually this will lead you straight to the brand's refurbished appliances page.
Some brands that sell refurbished appliances include Dualit, Ninja, and Vitamix. And you can sometimes find kitchenware and cookware on Ikea re-shop and re-use.
Charity shops
As well as physical shops, some charity shops have dedicated online selling platforms, such as ebay shops. Second hand appliances in charity shops, or sold via their online platforms have to be PAT tested before being sold, so you have the peace of mind of knowing that the item you’re buying is safe.
But unlike professionally refurbished appliances, appliances sold by charity shops are pretty much sold in the condition in which they were donated, and don’t come with a warranty. The plus side is that they’re often very cheap, the downside is that there could be missing parts or the appliance may no longer be performing as originally intended.
Online marketplaces
Websites like ebay, Gumtree, Facebook marketplace and the like, are all excellent places to source good quality second hand appliances. Many people sell high quality appliances for reasons such as moving house, or unwanted gifts, so there are bargains to be had.
Always follow the safety rules set out by the website to ensure you stay protected. If possible, meet the seller in person and inspect the item before handing over any cash. If the item is being posted, paying through sites such as PayPal can offer additional protection.
Second hand favourite finds
We’ve been shopping around, to see if we could find any really good refurbished deals and at the time of writing, these are our top three favourites.
Sage Barista Touch Impress
The Sage Barista Touch Impress is currently the best semi automatic bean to cup coffee machine in our best bean-to-cup coffee machines list. At almost £1200 brand new, it’s a pricey choice. But at the time of writing, we found this model on Backmarket for £769.99, which is a saving in excess of £400 by buying refurbished.
Ninja Double Stack air fryer
The Ninja Double Stack air fryer is top of our list of the best dual drawer air fryers. We found this air fryer on ebay refurbished for £159 instead of the usual £269.99. For those with a tight budget, a saving like this could move this expensive air fryer within reach.
More on sustainability
BBC Good Food sustainability glossary
How to have a greener Christmas
10 ways to eat out sustainability
10 ways to cut your carbon footprint
What biodegradable really means
How to compost food at home
Six pieces of food packaging to avoid
Top sustainable wines for 2020
Your guide to energy-efficient cooking
Priceless tips for reducing cooking costs
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