Pre-owned smartphones, laptops, tablets, and headphones can be a great deal—if you know what to look for

If you’re looking to save money, refurbished electronics can be a great option.

After all, you can get a 256GB iPhone 11 for $639. That's roughly $110 off the price of a new one. And these days, you can find similar savings on popular headphones, speakers, laptops, tablets, and smartwatches.

In fact, eBay is currently offering an extra 15 percent off many refurbished items listed on its site. (Use coupon code July4Savings.)

The trick is making sure the product is genuinely refurbished, not simply cleaned up, repackaged, and repriced. And that requires asking some questions before you settle on a deal.

Not everyone defines refurbished the same way.

“Seller-refurbished is similar to the Wild West,” says Carlo Salgado, e-commerce administrator at Sims Lifecycle Services. “You have thousands of online sellers offering products they refurbish themselves. Consumers have no way to determine the quality of replaced parts.”

That said, there are ways to protect yourself. Companies that sell refurbished goods often offer warranties and money-back guarantees, for example.

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