Save your money and the planet with eBay Certified Refurbished
Buy like-new home products and tech items at a fraction of the original price
The retail world is getting greener and consumers are increasingly concerned about how and where they shop. eBay Certified Refurbished offers a way of shopping responsibly while getting great deals on products.
Whether you’re after a practical purchase, such as a new mattress, or treating yourself to a new TV, eBay Certified Refurbished has high-quality items on offer from over 70 leading brands, including Dyson, Eve, GoPro and Panasonic.
How does eBay Certified Refurbished work?
It’s quite simple really. When a customer buys a new product and no longer wants it, they can return the product to eBay, providing it’s still in relatively good condition. The product is then inspected, cleaned and refurbished by either the manufacturer or a manufacturer-approved vendor to ensure it looks and works like new.
It is repackaged, either in its original packaging if available or in new packaging, complete with any accessories and user manuals, and then resold on eBay’s Certified Refurbished Hub at a reduced price. Certified Refurbished products come with a 12-month warranty, and are protected by the eBay Money Back Guarantee, which means that shoppers aren’t missing out on the reassurance you get from buying new products. Delivery to mainland UK is also free.
High quality, low price
An obvious benefit of buying secondhand products is the price. But there can also be a price to pay in quality if you don’t buy your secondhand products from a reputable retailer. eBay Certified Refurbished offers the opportunity to buy like-new products at a reduced price, while giving you the peace of mind that they’ve been thoroughly restored and tested to ensure they’re in full working condition.
Certified Refurbished was born out of an increase in demand for like-new rather than brand-new products. In the last year, searches for refurbished laptops increased by 75%, refurbished coffee machines by 35%, and refurbished chairs by 48%. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that many people in lockdown were faced with having to quickly reimagine living spaces to accommodate working from home or homeschooling. According to new research by eBay, a refurbished item sold every 14 seconds on the online marketplace over the year to March 2021.
Matt Potter, head of Certified Refurbished at eBay UK, explains: “The demand for refurbished items has soared in the last year as it is a more affordable way to shop ‘like-new’ items from top brands without the heavy price tag.
“When people think of refurb, they tend to think of tech items first but there is so much more. We have everything from Dyson hair dryers, Simba mattresses and top-of-the-range vacuums from the likes of Shark. Why pay more if you can get the same item, approved from the manufacturer for less?”
For example, 35-year-old James made huge savings by creating a home-working space using entirely refurbished products. “When it comes to shopping, I always opt for refurbished products over new, as thanks to the low prices I can buy much higher-spec products,” says James. “Over lockdown, I kitted out my home-working space with some amazing brands including HP, Samsung and Sony, whilst saving a huge £1.5k in the process.”
Based on an average saving of 30%, eBay found that if every UK household bought one Certified Refurbished tech or home appliance rather than buying new at the original retail price, the nation could save a collective £1.56 billion.
A greener way to shop
It’s not just about getting the best deal. Buying refurbished and recycled products is of great benefit to our planet, as many of the items that are resold via programmes such as Certified Refurbished would have been headed for landfill, and the production of new products is a huge contributor to carbon emissions.
Consumers are also waking up to the importance of being environmentally conscious with their purchases. According to E.ON’s latest Renewable Returns report, 72% of respondents take notice of the sustainability credentials of a business, and 65% say it’s important the products or services they buy do not harm the planet.
Tech items available via Certified Refurbished are particularly important for sustainability, as the UN considers e-waste (waste produced from electronics and electricals) the world’s fastest-growing domestic and commercial waste stream, and the UK is one of the biggest culprits. According to the UN’s Global E-Waste Monitor Report in 2019, the UK generated 23.9kg of e-waste per capita, making it the second most wasteful country per capita in the world.
The generation of e-waste significantly exceeds programmes and systems to reuse, repair and recycle electronics, so schemes such as eBay’s Certified Refurbished are a vital step towards shifting that balance. In the year up to March 2021, Certified Refurbished products equivalent to the weight of 438 double-decker buses were sold on eBay. The total weight of refurbished printers sold was equivalent to four blue whales. That’s a lot saved from landfill!
So if you want to go green and make savings, you might want to consider making your next home appliance or tech purchase a Certified Refurbished one.
