Want to avoid tariff price hikes? Buy refurbished

U.S. consumers are starting to feel the pain. Tariffs are hitting and prices are climbing. The price of electronics and appliances is predicted to increase 30% to 40% over the next year. Shein, the Chinese ecommerce giant, has already raised prices by as much as 377%.

Everywhere, Americans will soon be spending more for new products—if they can find them. Store shelves are starting to get empty, as exports from China and other countries slow to a halt. Laptop inventories are forecast to dry up by July.

To deal with the tariff turmoil, savvy shoppers are turning from imported products to refurbished ones. It’s a good way to save money, because tariffs don’t affect most refurbished goods—at least not yet. It’s also ecofriendly, because it means products stay in circulation instead of going into a landfill.

Refurbished is so appealing that it’s going mainstream. The market for refurbished electronics alone is projected to grow from $47 billion in 2023 to more than $123 billion by 2033. The CEO of Back Market, an online seller of refurbished and used tech, recently said sales at his site tripled in the week after tariffs were announced.

Refurbished is different from used

Refurbished products may not be better than new but they’re close. They’re definitely better than used. They’ve usually been cleaned, inspected and tested. In a properly refurbished phone, for example, tired batteries and damaged parts are replaced. The operating system is reset, personal data is scrubbed and the phone restored to a fresh state.

Many of the refurbished tech devices for sale online have been traded in by their previous owners, not because the devices were defective but because the owners wanted an upgrade. Many are barely used devices returned by buyers who’ve had second thoughts.

Most used devices don’t come with a warranty but refurbished devices from reputable sellers do, often up to a year. If you find a seller that doesn’t offer a warranty, find a different seller.

For the best devices, go to the source

You can often buy refurbished devices directly from their original manufacturers. Before they sell the devices, most manufacturers inspect them, repair them with original parts, replace the batteries, then test them. They ship refurbished devices in a new box with the same manuals, accessories, cables and operating system as a brand-new device.

Apple’s refurbished site offers Macs, iPads, iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods and more. Samsung’s refurbished site sells Galaxy phones but no other Samsung devices or electronics. Microsoft’s refurbished site has Surface devices and Xbox gaming consoles.

If you’re looking for audio equipment, Bose, Sonos and JBL have sites selling refurbished headphones, earbuds, speakers and soundbars. All of them undergo the same testing, repair, reconditioning and cleaning as the devices described above. In other words, what you get is like new, with the same return window and warranty as new products.

Dell, HP and Acer all have websites selling certified refurbished laptops. Another option is a site called Swappa. It’s a peer-to-peer marketplace (buyers and sellers transact directly with each other) offering “new and gently used” phones, laptops, watches and wearables, tablets, gaming consoles, drones and home tech. It requires merchandise listed at the site be fully operational and it has a customer service team that reviews listed products to uphold that standard.

If you’re looking for a particular brand not linked here, just Google the brand name and “refurbished.” If it’s a major brand, it’ll likely have a site selling refurbished devices.

Large retailers also sell refurbished

National retailers like Best Buy and Walmart sell a wide range of refurbished products, not only phones and PCs but TVs, kitchen appliances and gaming gear. In many cases, the refurbishment has been done by a third party. But Best Buy also sells Geek Squad Certified products, which have been refurbished by in-house technicians.

eBay Refurbished has Apple, Samsung, Bose, Acer, Dell, HP, Sony, Dyson, Makita and more at up to 50% off the original price. All devices, tools and appliances are refurbished, renewed and come with a 1-year or 2-year warranty. You can choose from various conditions and pay more or less, depending on how “new” you want your item to look. There’s Certified, Excellent, Very Good and Good. All can be returned free within a 30-day window.

Newegg, the online electronics retailer that’s a little more nerdy, has a large refurbished site. It offers products from desktops to servers to laptops to phones.

Most big-box retailers like Walmart and Target have a site selling refurbished electronics and appliances. The warranties they offer tend not to be as long as those given by manufacturers—or they tend not to exist at all, so proceed with caution.

Here’s where to find refurbished appliances

Around three-quarters of all appliances are made in China, which means their prices will be going up soon. So go shopping now or start saving.

Or buy refurbished. Best Buy has a site where it sells a ton of refurbished and “open box” home and kitchen appliances. There are dishwashers, stacked laundry centers and vacuum cleaners. There are ranges, blenders, air fryers and espresso machines. Open box means the appliance was returned by the buyer, refurbished means repaired and restored to like-new. Amazon Renewed also has a wide range of refurbished appliances, as does eBay Refurbished.

Another option is the aforementioned Back Market, which has a site with many tested and verified appliances, from small appliances to large appliances to personal appliances. Brands available include Dyson, Samsung, Ninja, Shark and Philips.

LG Electronics USA sells refurbished LG appliances, all of them evaluated, repaired, restored and tested. They come with a 6-month warranty. KitchenAid has a site for refurbished appliances, not only KitchenAid but affiliated brands including Whirlpool, Maytag, Amana and Gladiator.

Buying refurbished means one more appliance that does not end up in a landfill.

Here’s where to find budget-friendly furniture

Most of these are companies that sell pre-owned furniture, not refurbished. One place that does sell refurbished furniture is Etsy, which has a site with refurbished home, office and patio furniture.

IKEA As-is sells affordable, “gently used” furniture to IKEA Family members. You choose your local store, reserve your item, then go pick it up. IKEA will also buy back IKEA furniture you don’t want anymore.

Wayfair is a marketplace for refurbished furniture, as well as open box. Sources for secondhand, unrefurbished furniture include eBay, Chairish for “vintage” (i.e. higher-end) pieces and AptDeco for more affordable furniture. CORT Furniture Outlet has a very large selection of lightly used furniture for home and office at up to 70% off the retail price.

And you can find high quality used furniture at thrift shops, flea markets, garage sales or antique stores.

Here’s where to find quality used toys

The holidays aren’t far away (believe it or not) and market experts are predicting higher prices and empty shelves at retailers for babies and kids nationwide. If you’ve got young people to shop for—at the holidays or anytime—check out these online options for toys, clothing and more.

Founded in 2016 by two moms, GoodBuy Gear is a recommerce marketplace for quality-inspected used baby and kid gear. The site has toys, strollers, sporting goods, car seats, high chairs, trikes and a lot of other products for infants, toddlers and bigger kids.

Toycycle, founded in 2019 by a mother of twins, is an “online thrift store” for sustainable new, used and open-box toys and clothing. There are wood blocks, word books, baby bibs and drumkits (if you dare). Brands include Lego, Fisher Price, Loog and Lovevery. You can also sell your outgrown items to Toycycle or trade them in through a seamless process that includes doorstep pickup in select cities.

For refurbished toys, try Etsy or Reebelo.

Here’s where to find a phone company that shares your values

Choosing refurbished just makes sense. You save money and you help our planet by keeping perfectly good products in circulation and out of the landfill.

Here’s another sensible choice consumers are making these days: they’re switching to CREDO Mobile, the phone company that shares their values. To date, we’ve donated over $95 million to nonprofit groups fighting for the causes progressive people care about. Groups like Friends of the Earth, Abortion Care Network and People for the American Way.

Join us and you’ll get all you want from your mobile service: money-saving data plans, great deals on new devices and superfast coverage on the nation’s largest 5G network.

And you’ll get much more. You’ll get an easy, effective way to make the world a better place.

Switching is simple. You can bring your own phone and keep your current number. Learn more at CREDOMobile.com.