Refurbish: to repair and clean equipment so that its condition is like new.
Photographers like buying new equipment and that equipment is often quite expensive. What you may not know is that many manufacturers sell refurbished or demo products at a discount.
Nikon Canada used to have a semi-secret mailing list selling demo and refurbished camera gear. While Nikon does continue to sell some refurbished and demo products at its head office in Mississauga, it seems that some refurbished camera gear is also sold through Henry’s. Many camera stores also sell demo products.
Nikon USA has a site for refurbished products but the prices aren’t very good. Canon USA and Canon Canada also sell refurbished products but the discounts aren’t the greatest.
Apple sells refurbished products. The discounts tend to be around 15% but occasionally go up to 30% or so depending on the product. Refurbished products usually look good as new and come with a full warranty including a free return policy. My refurbished Mac Pro had a 30% discount and I would’ve sworn it was brand new.
I just bought a refurbished laser printer from Brother. The printer looks good as new and it came with a new toner cartridge and a longer-than-new warranty. The firmware said the date of manufacture was less than five months ago and that 660 sheets of paper had passed through the drum which has a 12,000-sheet lifespan. The refurbished printer cost 55% less than new.
There are no refurbished camera bags because they’re simply not worth refinishing. But manufacturers like Think Tank Photo and Lowepro do discount end-of-line and demo products. They sometimes offer monthly specials.
The next time you’re thinking about buying a more expensive item, look first at the manufacturer’s web site and see if they offer “web exclusives”, demo products or refurbished products. It could make your wallet happy.
Cell phones and Internet
Speaking of saving money, you may not know that the prices listed on telecom web sites are only suggested list prices. In almost all cases, you can get a lower price.
Last month, my Internet package was about to rise from $55/month to $81/month (tax not included). After a phone call, it was lowered to $45/month and changed to include unlimited bandwidth and ten times the speed. I’m now paying half the price listed on the company’s web site
My cell phone package was also just changed to unlimited Canada-wide calls and 4GB bandwidth for $40/month which is less than half the price listed on the company’s web site. This price is less than what I was paying for my previous smaller package ($60/month) and even that price had been discounted by 25%.
To get a discount on your cell phone or Internet, you have to ask for it. Generally the first person you speak with cannot help because they’re limited in what they can offer. Speak with someone in the so-called “customer retention” department. Tell them you’re not happy with the price and you’re considering switching to another company.
Most telecom discounts last one year, (they used to be two years), and then you have to call and ask for another discount. It’s a nuisance but I expect to save at least $960 over the next year on my cell phone and Internet.
I’ve had very good luck with refurbished cameras over the years. It’s my preferred way to buy most types of electronics and photo gear. Below is an incomplete and unedited blog post I’ve never gotten around to doing anything with that you might find interesting.
Quality control on most modern assembly lines is done statistically. That is to say, compared to the total production run, a relatively small number of units are randomly pulled off the assembly line and physically tested. From this test data, a “factory faulty” rate is extrapolated. This means that, with the exception of some high end makers who test every camera before releasing them, manufacturers knowingly ship a certain percentage of faulty products. If the number of faulty units getting into buyers hands goes outside the bounds set by management then there is a problem that has to be dealt with on the line. Some manufactures bounds are broader than others.
So if the possibility of buying a factory faulty camera disturbs you there are a couple of options.
You could send your brand new camera to a service center and have it checked out and calibrated. I know a couple of people who do this. You’ll have to pay for shipping both directions, but sometimes the testing and calibration will be done at no charge; especially if it’s a higher end model.
Alternatively, some manufacturers have programs aimed at professionals to which photographers can pay to join. Among the services these pro-programs often provide is access to pre-tested and calibrated products.
A third option, and the one I have had good luck with, is buying manufacturer-certified refurbished equipment. Equipment sold as certified refurbished has been repaired, tested and calibrated by qualified technicians. Of course a side benefit of refurbished cameras is the significant discount they are sold at and yet they often come with a full warranty.
Hi Brian,
A key phrase you mentioned is “manufacturer-certified refurbished equipment”. Equipment refurbished by the manufacturer is usually pretty good because they know the product and have a reputation to maintain.
But there are some third-party businesses that sell used and refurbished equipment and you have no idea who did the refurbish and what that included. Worst case, refurbish might just mean the item was cleaned and shined.
Evening Warren,
Yes, “manufacturer certified ” is absolutely the key phrase! If I had ever finished the article it would have had those words in flashing red text.