There are many misconceptions out there about open box appliances. They are often confused with used appliances and some folks want to purchase something that hasn’t been used before. Open box appliances fit that description when you think about it. What the term refers to is when a brand-new appliance is taken out of the box. At our store, we leave all the original packaging that the appliance came with, including barcode stickers, plastic, and tape. What you see is what you get.
How is it possible for appliance stores to find such awesome deals like this? People can be quite picky when ordering online and having major trucking and delivery companies deliver. For any reason, someone can return an appliance, even new ones. The appliance might have had a minor scratch or ding somewhere and that’s more than reason enough for a buyer to go through the returns process. Or maybe they changed their mind at the last minute and no longer want the appliance they ordered after trying it out at home.
After all, it’s one thing to go to a retail outlet and see an appliance you like, but another to try it out at home!
Once any new appliance is opened from the box, the original value has already dropped or depreciated. This leaves us a way to offer the same appliance you’d find at Home Depot or Lowes at a significantly lower price. Otherwise, you might be able to find open box deals at these stores but might be way harder to order it before someone else does. That’s the advantage of shopping at our used appliance store. There’s not as much pressure to go in and snatch something up you might not want after all. You get to take extra time to shop around different appliance stores in your area and then decide when you’re ready to make your purchase.
Now that we’ve gone over the gist of what an open box appliance is and how the savings are so significant, let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of buying open box appliances.
Advantages of Buying Open Box Appliances
Open box appliances work just as well if not better than appliances that have never been opened or used at all. Open box can mean many things depending on the retailer, so look for a store that sells the appliance in its original packaging. Like you would with shopping for used appliances, make sure to ask the seller where they got their stock from and then look up the same model or brand online to see what the original price was. That way you have a better idea of how much you’re saving when you go to a smaller appliance shop in your local area.
In our case, we’ve sold open box appliances that originally cost well over $3000, to end up selling them for more than half off! These are savings unheard of at your average retailer. Another reason we are able to lower prices significantly on open box appliances is because our overhead costs aren’t nearly as high as a large-scale company with hundreds of locations nationwide. We are a small business operation run by family and others in the community. There is much more incentive for us to pass on big savings to our customers. When customers are happy and are getting a brand-new appliance that works, we know they’ll return for other needs in the future.
Disadvantages of Buying Open Box Appliances
There are so many benefits to buying open box appliances but watch out! There are sellers out there who have different interpretations of what open box means. To them, it could be something that’s been used heavily but was returned within 30 days. The other thing to watch out for is to make sure that the manufacturer warranty won’t be null and void even after opening the appliance from its box.
Also be careful that the appliance wasn’t returned because of any defects that could affect its operation. You might find yourself paying for expensive repairs for an appliance that should have met the manufacturer’s specifications. But these are specific cases to watch out for when you shop for open box appliances and applies most when you’re shopping online somewhere like Amazon or eBay where there’s no physical location you can go to. We’ve heard many horror stories about the refurbished programs these e-commerce platforms have.
Conclusion
The massive discounts you get buying open box appliances make them a worthwhile option for saving money, while having something that will last a lot longer than buying used. There are specific things to watch out for, but the chances of you buying a defective product or lemon are greatly diminished when you buy from a reliable appliance reseller in your local area.
Check out all our latest inventory and more at our local appliance store here in Gwinnett County! We are in Doraville and Mechanicsville right off I-285. Call us at 781-656-3475 if you have any questions. Thank you for reading!