Running a business involves the management of a wide range of responsibilities: staff, customers, cashflow, sales pipelines, legal compliance, etc. One area many local. businesses are rethinking is IT—especially whether or not they should buy refurbished or new.

We will look at why refurbished devices are becoming a popular choice for businesses, what to look out for and how to decide whether it’s right for your business.

“Refurbished” can mean different things depending on who you’re buying from. Generally, refurbished devices are previously used devices that have been tested, (where necessary) repaired and cleaned to ensure good, working order before they get resold.

The key point is that refurbished doesn’t mean untested, real refurbishment is about verifying a device is reliable, not just wiping them and putting them back in their original packaging.

But why should you buy refurbished?

For many smaller businesses, the cost of IT can creep up without anybody even noticing. Refurbished devices can help with this because:

• They’re usually cheaper than new
• You can generally get higher spec models for the same budget.

This makes buying such devices particularly helpful for businesses with a smaller budget, such as start-ups, seasonal businesses and teams that are hiring a lot of new employees meaning they require new devices fast.

Devices can break at any given moment, the cost isn’t just having to replace the computer but also the lost time. For small businesses, even a few hours offline can cause a plethora of issues such as: missed bookings, poor customer service, or delayed invoices. This is where refurbished devices comes in, they are a more practical option compared to new because you can find a like-for-like device immediately.

A lot of businesses care a lot about reducing their waste.

If you’re trying to make some small and sensible improvements to your environmental impact, then buying refurbished is a great, easy way to do this, as:

• It reduces electronic waste (e-waste)
• It helps to conserve finite natural resources
• It extends the lifespan of existing device
• Reduces the need to manufacture new devices, leading to a lowered carbon footprint.

Not every business requires the most up-to-date, flashiest machines, for many smaller companies, computers are used for everyday tasks like admin, email, invoicing or spreadsheets. In those cases, paying extra for a brand new device often makes no sense, since it wouldn’t translate into noticeable day-to-day benefit, what matters more to these companies is that the device is stable.

This is why refurbished devices can be a fantastic fit; refurbished devices can offer sufficient performance for routine business usage, making it easier and cheaper to equip staff.

Be aware that if your business does more intensive work, it may be a smarter option to buy new so that you can get the highest specs on the market.

If this article has made you consider refurbished, here are some big green flags:

• Clear grading: you should be told what to expect of the quality of your device, it’s fine for there to be marks on a device but you should be told upfront about it.
• Basic testing: at the bare minimum, you should have confidence that the device has been checked for good health/general stability (no random crashes), a working keyboard and trackpad, working Wi-Fi connectivity and ports.
• Warranty & support: your device should come with a warranty, even if it’s only a short one, as well as a simple return policy. A bonus would be if they offer support for if you run into any problems with your device.

Refurbished computers aren’t just there as a cheap option—for many businesses they are the ideal option, due to their good value while being perfectly capable for generic work.

If you’re not sure what your business would need, the simplest approach is to start with what your budget looks like and what your device needs to be used for.