What Goes Into Refurbishing Electronics?

There is a way to get the smartphones and devices you're seeking at a lower price by shopping in the refurbished electronics marketplace.

13:05 14 January 2022

New phones and other electronics can be very pricey. Of course, there's that big attraction to get a name brand or the product you've always wanted. However, there is a way to get the smartphones and devices you're seeking at a lower price by shopping in the refurbished electronics marketplace. If you're wondering what goes into refurbished products, here are just some of the steps that lead to the recycling of these products and sale by retailers.

 

Cleanup & Triage

 

 

If you've ever been shopping online and seen a category of "smartphone refurbished," that's an effort by retailers to bring you into the used market to find a phone that meets your needs. In some cases, you can score as much as 70 percent off the original price of a new smartphone by purchasing a refurbished model. There are a few steps that vendors have to take to begin the refurbishing process, and it all starts with sanitizing the gadget. This is essentially an internal and external physical cleaning of the product, removing stickers, wiping away dirt, and blowing out dust.

 

This is followed by the triage stage. This is the process that puts electronics through physical testing, allowing refurbishers the chance to grade the status of the used model based on functionality and usability. Some gadgets may not make the grade with nonfunctioning smartphones, computers, and other items being sent to a recycling facility to salvage components. If a product is in fair condition, refurbishers will continue with the process of making it available for sale.

 

Repair & Replacement

 

 

After going through the triage stage, smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets go through a mandatory data wipe. Refurbishers look to make sure that any data from a previous user is removed from the system. While many think that a simple factory data reset does the trick, the truth is that's not enough, as a part of the data remains on the hard disk. They must wipe any existing data from the hard disk on old models and trade-ins, making sure that any product heads to retailers while achieving standards required by national and international consumer authorities.

 

After the data wipe, the refurbishing process continues with the repair of all connections. This includes the repair and replacement of all hardware parts of electronic products. In some cases, this may require reassembling the entire system for proper function and reuse. After necessary repairs of recent declines, it's time for the testing process. This is a crucial step that maintains the reputation of the refurbisher and also determines the reuse capabilities of different tier devices. All types of software and hardware are thoroughly tested on the product, with the RAM, CPU, and HDD manually tested for delivery of optimum performance.

 

Heading to Market

 

 

While all products go through their own refurbishment program, they eventually reach a promising stage for vendors: cosmetic enhancement. This is the treatment of any scratches and dents to ensure that gadgets look as good as new models on the market. Refurbishers check for any necessary software and drivers required and carry out installation or updates. Once the software updates are complete, these products are ready to hit the market.

 

These refurbished models are cost-effective alternatives, functioning properly after going through the reconditioning regimen. Rather than paying full price for new models, you can get peace of mind from a 90-day warranty or other guarantees to make sure they remain operable. The secondary market channel is filled with many open-box deals and discounts that you can capitalize on. You can have some of the latest models of phones at your disposal in no time at all.