You Can Save Money Shopping with Refurbished and Open-Box Appliances

You’ll find the biggest savings on older models, but you can save about 30% on current-generation items.

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Guide to Scoring the Best Deals in 2018

Save up to 50% on small appliances and electronics by buying certified refurbished items through manufacturers or authorized dealers. Returned or overstock items are often inspected, serviced, tested and repackaged, then sold at a discount with warranties of 90 days to a year. You’ll find the biggest savings on older models, but you can save about 30% on current-generation items.

Your safest bet is to buy directly from the manufacturer, according to DealNews.com. You may not get the lowest price, but you’ll have the security of a manufacturer-backed warranty. Also worth checking out: Amazon, Crutchfield, eBay or Newegg. Best Buy Outlet sells clearance, open-box, refurbished and preowned items at BestBuy.com and at outlet and warehouse locations. Open-box appliances are typically up to half-off list price, and you can get refurbished tech products—including smartphones, smart watches and smart speakers—for up to 30% off.

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Kaitlin Pitsker
Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Pitsker joined Kiplinger in the summer of 2012. Previously, she interned at the Post-Standard newspaper in Syracuse, N.Y., and with Chronogram magazine in Kingston, N.Y. She holds a BS in magazine journalism from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.