Keywords: Refurbished Phone, Gazelle, Buying Used Devices
Tech industry is evolving and the price is getting higher. Have you considered purchasing new tech and seen that it was out of your price range? But you are skeptical about purchasing used because you could get a non functioning device? Here’s my experience with purchasing used tech through Gazelle
In this post I’ll explain why buying used tech might be better for your wallet. You may be questioning if the tech actually is functional.
Majority of the tech that I have purchased through Gazelle was Apple devices.
Gazelle made it easy for me to afford to purchase an iphone, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air and an Ipad.
After reading this you may have less anxiety about purchasing used tech.
Purchasing used tech online is nothing new. Plenty of college students use older version of Macbook that they bought off Ebay or Amazon that are considered refurbished. Refurbished products don’t always mean that the product was once broken or obsolete. It can also mean that it was brand spankin new but someone found that the were no longer interested in the device and decided to trade it for cash.
Gazelle is a website that will buy and sell tech. Anything ranging from Iphone to Google phones.
When I first found Gazelle back in 2017, I was in search of purchasing a Macbook. I ended up buying a 2015 version which was only 3 years old at the time and because of the condition it was coming in, would cost me almost $1k. I paid nothing after a slip up Gazelle did when I ended up canceling the order but the product had shipped already. (Lucky me). The laptop worked perfectly! The battery life was great and it did exactly what I needed it to do.
The second time I bought a Macbook air. I think it was a 2017 and this was back in 2020. Cost me roughly $700 for excellent and it has been functional ever since. Given that it is pretty much outdated I would say be care about purchasing older versions even if the price point is lower.
Lastly, I ended up purchasing an iPhone 8. Once again great condition and was functional.
I would have added pictures but I no longer have any of those devices. ( I wanted to reduce the amount of tech that I had in the house).
Gazelle no longer sells Mac book and the iPad that I currently have I did finance from Gazelle. Here’s where I did have issues.
I ended up buying the 2022 Ipad Pro 11″ from gazelle last year. While the iPad has been functional I have noticed a couple of issues. One issue being that sometimes when I’m using the screen as a notepad, the apple pencil will stop writing and I’ll have to attempt to reconnect it. This may be an issue with this model of the device, the updates or even the apple pencil itself. Another issue I have been having is that the battery does not last as long as I would have liked. This might just be an issue with how Apple designed this particular iPad. I still continue to use it but other than those two, the device has been perfect. I always try to purchase my devices in excellent condition but I might actually purchase a fair condition item and review that. Fair typically tends to be in a more affordable price range but if you don’t mind a few scratches here and there. Go for it!
As far as cost effectiveness a few sites like Amazon, Backmarket and Gazelle offer monthly payments on refurbished devices to make it easier for those who can’t afford to pay full price. I did take advantage of this on every single item I purchased.
As of now Gazelle has been the only refurbished site that I have purchased from. In the future I will purchase from other sites to test the condition of those products as well.
Just like cars, refurbished devices can have problems and break even if they are no older than a year old. It simply determined based on whose hands those devices have passed through. A device could be defective because of an error during the manufacturing process. It doesn’t mean that the company reselling the device has tainted it. It’s not always a money grabbing scheme. So use trustworthy reputable sites when making these purchases.
Have you or anyone you know bought a refurbished device? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below!