How great is the refurbished?

[nathan_hoefert]

<p>When someone sends in a camera, I assume Nikon repairs it for reselling. When they repair it, do they put in a new sensor? What is so different than new or refurbished because I can tell the price difference a tad. I don't want to purchase a refurbished and figure out it was worn in. If anyone could give me a few facts and ect., it would be greatly appreciated.</p>

<p> NH</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>Generally refurbished means that the unit (camera, lens, whatever) has been sold to a customer or used as a demo unit either at a reseller or for a sales rep and returned to the Manufacturer for credit or a replacement unit. </p>

<p>When it is returned to the manufacturer it could be for any number of reasons. If it was with a customer - they could have simply gotten it home and decided that they didn't want it, or there could have been a problem with the product, or a part may have been missing. Either way - the seller - decided that they didn't want to risk the loss by selling it as an open box item - so they returned it to the manufacturer.</p>

<p>In the case of a "Demo" unit - the unit have outlived it's useful life, or there may be a replacement / new model on the way and the sales people need a new unit to demo. Again - it gets returned to the maker.</p>

<p>The process for refurbs is basically the same no matter where they come from - the service dept does a once over on the item. Any obvious errors / broken / missing parts are replaced. The item is cleaned and then tested again to ensure that it functions. The unit is then repacked and labeled as Refurbished. Since the item has already been sold as new and opened / used - it can not legally be labeled as "New" - so it gets the ReFurbished sticker and a discounted price.</p>

<p>Practices vary from company to company - some vary the price of the refurbished item by different amounts - depending on how much was done to the unit. Some offer the same warranty on a refurb as a new, others change it up. Generally - the price of a refurb vs new is about 80% or a 20% discount. Older products that have been discontinued and that are Demo returns / sales returns - may get a bigger discount. Keep in mind that the discount they offer is off MSRP, not actual street price.</p>

<p>Some makers sell and some outlets buy large quantities of Refurbished items to resell. National Camera in Minneapolis is one that I know buys a ton of refurbished cameras and lens and then resells them at their tent sale in August and also at special sales throughout the year.</p>

<p>I've never had a problem buying / using a refurbished item. </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[richard_meyers]

<p>Just to add to David's excellent summary. Cosmetics will not be addressed. If it has a scuff mark the refurb co will just leave it since that doesn't affect performance. I too have bought electronic refurbs but only from OEM's and have never been sorry.</p>

[kris_francis]

<p>I have had success purchasing refurbished Nikon gear from Cameta Camera.</p>

[emiliogtz]

<p>I have a rule of thumb which has worked quite fine over the years: If I can't afford to buy new, I look for refurbished, if refurbished is out of my league too, I go used.</p>

<p>I've never had a problem with any refurbished products and in the majority of the cases the things looked and worked just like new. </p>

[mfophotos]

<p>I have purchased two refurb Nikons (D50 and D40) as well as an 18-105 AF-S VR lens and several refurb Nikon Coolpix cameras. Never had any problems. The D50 has has many thousands of shutter activations since 2006, and is still going strong.</p>

[sandeep_kumar10]

<p>I purchased a Nikkoe 17-55 f/2.8 refurbished from Adorama three months back, and have taken more than 1000 shots with it, love it.</p>

[mark_drutz]

<p>I suspect that I'm in the minority who had a problem with a refurbished camera. I bought a refurbished Nikon P6000 from Adorama for $250. A new one would have been $450-500. I just sent it in to Nikon for a repair. Luckily its just within the 90 day Nikon warranty period.</p>

<p>My rule of thumb is that for something that I will use a lot, I buy new. Things that will get light use, I buy used. This P6000 was the first refurbished item I've ever bought. In spite of the problem, I would still buy refurbished over used.</p>

[gk_sullivan]

<p>It amazes me but I have never had a problem with a refurb anything, including phones a D40x and a 18 -135 Nikkor lens! +1 to what has been said here.</p>

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