New vs Refurbished Auto ID Equipment

The Pros and Cons ofNew vs Refurbished Auto ID Equipment

Did you know new isn’t always better? Learn about the pros and cons of new vs refurbished Auto ID equipment in this complete guide.

What does “Refurbished” mean?

All refurbished items have one thing in common: a customer returned them. This could be anything from a product being damaged during shipping, or an undetected defect. In such a case, a customer will return the product and receive a new one. The manufacturer will fix the defect and then put it in the refurbished pile of goods for resale.

In a nutshell, when you receive a refurbished product, you can expect it to work as well as a new product.

Which Is Better: New vs Refurbished?

Pros and Cons of New

Of course, new products do have their benefits. They’re shiny and unused, and you can handle them with the understanding that no one else has used them before you. Basically, you don’t have to wonder why they’re refurbished in the first place.

They also come with a warranty, guaranteeing the product will work for a specific amount of time.

The downside being that new products cost significantly more than refurbished products.

In the case of business operations, it would take a significant investment to purchase all new Auto-ID equipment. Refurbished barcode scanners and refurbished POS systems can and will save you a substantial amount of money.

Pros and Cons of Refurbished

Is refurbished better than new? It costs less, so that’s the main selling point. But what about functionality and reliability?

A reputable company selling refurbished products will guarantee the quality of each item so, depending on the product’s refurbished grade, you can often expect a good-as-new product. In other words, you should have the same level of expectation for refurbished barcode scanners, mobile computers and other Auto ID products that you’d have for new products.

Plus, you’ll be saving a significant amount of money.

Refurbished POS systems, for example, retail for far less than new systems, meaning you’ll see a positive impact on your bottom line, and you won’t have sacrificed the reliability and quality you’re used to seeing with brand new devices.

In rare cases, refurbished products also come with a warranty as the seller is confident they’ll work as well as new products.

If you happen to find refurbished products carrying a 12-month warranty, you should consider yourself very lucky indeed ?

New vs Refurbished: The Bottom Line

In the ongoing discussion of new vs refurbished products – especially where Auto-ID solutions and data capture equipment is concerned – it’s important you consider the two main factors: cost and reliability.

And, if your overwhelming priority is obtaining fantastic value for money, whilst not sacrificing on the quality of the device, then refurbished items should be your first port of call. Quite simply, it’s your best bet for acquiring cost-efficient products.

As an added bonus, when you incorporate refurbished products into your business you can rest assured that you’ve made a fiscal decision in good conscience that helps the environment and combats unnecessary e-waste.

Yes, We Scan

In a time of global pandemics and economic uncertainty, incorporating refurbished products is more important than ever.

At MDC, we want to protect mother nature by helping to reduce electronic waste, while doing whatever we can to keep the economy alive.

And, with our top-quality refurbished level, we are proud to offer a 1-year warranty as standard – which is the same warranty that the manufactures offer!

If you’re interested to learn more, get in touch with us to find out more.

With kind regards,

Your MDC Team

PS: In case you haven’t seen it, we’ve put together all the best cleaning tips from our partners Zebra, Honeywell, and Datalogic on how to best to clean your mobile computers, barcode scanners and printers.