Is Amazon Renewed a SCAM?
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the host explores the trustworthiness of Amazon Renewed tech, a platform offering refurbished devices at discounted prices. They scrutinize the quality tiers, such as 'Premium' with no screen scratches and a one-year warranty, and compare prices with new items. The host tests several devices, including a Fire HD 8 tablet, Meta Quest, MacBook Air, and a PS2, sharing their experiences with each. While most items meet expectations, a refurbished Xbox Series X has HDMI issues. The video concludes that Amazon Renewed can be a safe bet for quality refurbished tech, despite occasional hiccups.
Takeaways
- 🛒 Amazon Renewed offers refurbished tech products at discounted prices.
- 🏆 The quality of refurbished products is categorized as premium, excellent, good, and acceptable.
- 🔄 Premium refurbished devices come with no scratches, 90% battery life, and a one-year guarantee.
- 💰 Certified premium refurbished Amazon devices are often priced significantly lower than their new counterparts.
- 📦 Some Amazon Renewed products come in original packaging, but may show signs of use or wear.
- 👀 The condition of the products can vary, with some appearing almost new and others showing clear signs of use.
- 🎮 The video reviewer found good value in the refurbished Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet and Meta Quest VR headset.
- 📱 A used MacBook Air and Z Flip 3 smartphone were purchased at a considerable discount, with the Z Flip 3 showing minor wear.
- 🎮 A PlayStation 2 was received in excellent condition but without an original controller, raising concerns about value.
- 🎧 Beats Studio Buds headphones were received in a premium condition with all accessories, offering good value for the price.
- 🎮 An Xbox Series X had issues with HDMI output, highlighting the risk of intermittent problems in refurbished tech.
Q & A
What is Amazon Renewed and what does it offer?
-Amazon Renewed is a program where Amazon sells expertly refurbished products at great prices. These products are categorized into different quality levels such as premium, excellent, good, and acceptable.
What are the benefits of buying a premium Amazon Renewed product?
-Premium Amazon Renewed products are in excellent condition with no scratches on the screen, minimal wear on the body, and are fully functional. They come with a 90% battery life and a one-year guarantee, allowing returns even after 364 days.
What is the price difference between a new Fire HD 8 tablet and a certified refurbished one from Amazon?
-The new Fire HD 8 tablet is priced at $100, while the certified refurbished version from Amazon is priced at $55.
Why did the reviewer find the Amazon Renewed Meta Quest 2 purchase to be not a good deal?
-The reviewer found the Amazon Renewed Meta Quest 2 not to be a good deal because they had seen the same product brand new for $200 at Best Buy, and they ended up paying $199 after shipping and tax on Amazon.
What condition does Amazon classify a 'Certified Refurbished' Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet to be in?
-A 'Certified Refurbished' Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet is classified to be in essentially like new condition with no scuffs or scratches and comes with the same warranty as a new product.
What was the reviewer's experience with the Amazon Renewed MacBook Air?
-The reviewer found the Amazon Renewed MacBook Air to be in acceptable condition outside with some scuffs but was surprised to find it had been heavily used inside, with over 623 battery cycles, indicating a lot of use.
What issue did the reviewer encounter with the Amazon Renewed Xbox Series X?
-The reviewer encountered HDMI issues with the Amazon Renewed Xbox Series X. After initially working, it stopped sending a signal to the monitor, suggesting an intermittent hardware problem.
What was the reviewer's opinion on the Amazon Renewed PlayStation 2?
-The reviewer was not thrilled with the Amazon Renewed PlayStation 2 because it did not come with an original controller, and they felt the price of $173 was too high for a 24-year-old console in excellent condition.
How did the reviewer feel about the purchase of the Z Flip 3?
-The reviewer felt that the Z Flip 3 was a good deal at 75% off its original price of $1000, despite some minor scuffs and a residue on the inner screen, which they believed could be cleaned off.
What was included in the package when the reviewer bought the Beats Studio Buds headphones from Amazon Renewed?
-The package included an original USB-C to C cable, extra ear tips, a sticker, and the headphones themselves, all for $84.97.
Outlines
😀 Trusting Amazon Renewed Tech
The script discusses the trustworthiness of Amazon Renewed tech, a platform offering refurbished products at competitive prices. The author evaluates different quality tiers like 'Premium', 'Excellent', 'Good', and 'Acceptable', highlighting the one-year guarantee and 90% battery life for premium items. The author then compares prices of Amazon Renewed products with new ones, such as the Fire HD 8 tablet and Beats headphones, and expresses skepticism about some deals, like the Quest 2 and Z Flip 3. The script also mentions the purchase of a used Xbox and a PlayStation 2, with the latter being unexpectedly expensive. The author ends this paragraph by placing an order to test the quality of Amazon's refurbished tech firsthand.
😐 Assessing the Quality of Amazon Certified Refurbished Products
In this paragraph, the author presents their first impressions of the Amazon Certified Refurbished Fire HD 8 tablet, noting the custom Amazon packaging and the tablet's condition, which appears almost new. The device comes with a low-quality charger and has a low-resolution display, but includes features like a headphone jack, micro SD card slot, and the Fire OS. The author acknowledges the tablet's value for its $55 price, considering it's not a bad deal despite its shortcomings. The paragraph also covers the author's experience with the renewed Meta Quest, which, despite some wear and a stained original box, seems to function well, leading the author to recommend Amazon Renewed. The author also discusses the purchase of a MacBook Air with considerable battery cycles, suggesting it was well taken care of despite its 'acceptable' condition.
🤔 Mixed Results with Older and High-End Refurbished Tech
The author evaluates a 24-year-old PlayStation 2, which, despite working well, did not come with an original controller and was considered overpriced. They also discuss a Z Flip 3 phone purchased at a significant discount, which shows minor wear but is largely in good condition, especially with its clean OLED screen. The author is generally pleased with the Z Flip 3 deal. Additionally, they unbox Beats Studio Buds headphones, which come with premium accessories and are deemed a good deal. The paragraph concludes with the opening of a supposedly non-refurbished Xbox Series X from Amazon Warehouse, which turns out to be refurbished and has HDMI issues, leading to a failed test.
🚫 HDMI Issues with Refurbished Xbox Series X
The final paragraph details the author's attempt to set up the refurbished Xbox Series X, which initially showed promise but then failed due to HDMI output issues. Despite trying multiple cables and monitors, the console could not maintain a consistent signal, suggesting an intermittent problem that may have been overlooked during refurbishment. The author expresses disappointment but acknowledges Amazon's easy return policy. They conclude the video by stating that, despite this setback, it seems safe to buy refurbished tech from Amazon and invite viewers to share their thoughts in the comments.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Amazon Renewed
💡Refurbished tech
💡Warranty
💡Return policy
💡Certified premium refurbished
💡Battery life
💡Condition grading
💡Amazon Prime shipping
💡Product packaging
💡HDMI issues
Highlights
Amazon Renewed offers expertly refurbished products at great prices.
Different quality tiers for refurbished tech include premium, excellent, good, and acceptable.
Premium refurbished devices have no scratches, 90% battery life, and a one-year guarantee.
Certified premium refurbished Amazon devices are fairly new and come with significant savings.
Amazon's refurbished Fire HD 8 tablet is $55, compared to the new version at $100.
Renewed Premium category offers devices with minor cosmetic issues but full functionality.
Quest 2 priced at $200 brand new was found to be overpriced in the Amazon Renewed listing.
MacBook Air base model available for $320 in acceptable condition.
Used PlayStation 2 listed for $173 raises questions about pricing for older tech.
Amazon's own refurbishing process ensures devices are essentially 'like new' with the same warranty as new products.
Certified Refurbished Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet unboxing reveals low-resolution display and ads.
Despite being a $55 tablet, the Fire HD 8 offers decent value for the price.
Amazon Certified Refurbished products are a cost-effective alternative to buying new.
Renewed Meta Quest 2 purchased for $199, originally priced the same as a new one.
Xbox Series X bought as a warehouse deal for $403 turned out to be refurbished.
Folding phones like the Z Flip 3 are available at a significant discount through Amazon Renewed.
Beats Studio Buds headphones came with a premium package and a long warranty.
Amazon's easy return policy or refund is a safety net for purchasing refurbished tech.
Transcripts
- Should you trust Amazon Renewed tech?
Now when you go to look for refurbished tech on Amazon,
you'll see Amazon Renewed,
expertly refurbished products at great prices.
I'll be the judge of that.
Now, when you're buying refurbished tech,
it is an incredibly competitive scene
where some companies offer you a one, two year warranty,
offer 30, 60, 90 day return policy,
but the most important thing for me
is always what kind of condition
are we actually looking at here?
So premium means no scratches on the screen,
almost nothing on the body, and functional.
It's good with 90% battery life and a one year guarantee.
So if we find anything premium,
this really does seem like the right move,
'cause you can theoretically,
if I'm reading that guarantee correctly,
return it after 364 days, seems pretty good.
Then we've got excellent, which is 80% battery life,
and a 90 day, then you've got good, and acceptable.
Let's start out with the gold standard,
which is certified premium refurbished Amazon devices.
So this is a Fire HD 8, which is 2022, so fairly new.
The new version of it is $100 and this one is $55.
Okay, that seems like a good deal.
I get myself a pair of renewed Beats.
Okay, so this is a little bit annoying.
So if you're looking through the listing,
you can't just choose different quality.
So I had to actually scroll down here
to find a similar item, which is the same thing,
and this one shows up as Renewed Premium.
It's only a few dollars more.
Okay, let's do the premium and see what we've got.
Okay, so Quest 2, now this is not a good deal at all.
I was able to see this at Best Buy the other day
for $200 brand new.
So I just want good, I want the cheapest one possible,
I can get it for 156 bucks.
Z Flip 3, I heard Z Flip, I didn't say it,
it echoed through the cosmos, "Austin buy a Z Flip."
We're cooking here, we're cooking.
For $320, I can get an acceptable MacBook Air,
and this is the base model.
Ooh, renewed Xbox.
This is the first time I've seen an item
that is not refurbished,
but actually shows in used condition.
Okay, how about something little on the older side?
How about a PlayStation 2?
Holy! $173 for a PS2?
So if I spend $173 on this PS2, I'd better,
first of all, get an original controller, and second of all,
get something which is in actually excellent condition.
So then, my friends, let's place this order with Amazon
and see what kind of lovely technology
our good buddy, Jeffy B, sends directly to our door,
via Amazon Prime shipping.
All righty, let's see what Jeffy B.
has brought for us, shall we?
I'm just gonna call him Jeff actually, we're not...
We're on a first name basis.
I have high hopes, I mean,
has Amazon ever done anything wrong?
We'd like you to cite several examples please.
First up, we have our Certified Refurbished
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet for $55.
Well (box rattles) hopefully that's not important.
Now the certified refurbishing
means that this was, unlike most items from Amazon,
actually refurbished by Amazon themselves.
So I assume that this is a return tablet or whatever.
So we do have actually custom Amazon packaging.
The rattling was just the USB-C cable, but that's fine.
Does it have five watt? That's a five watt charger.
Wow, they really cheaped out.
And then we have our Fire Tab itself,
which is in this nice little plastic thing
and a hello, (speaks German)
So this should be in, essentially, like new condition,
and I will say it looks quite nice on the back.
There's a couple interesting things here.
So it's definitely meant to be used
in this landscape orientation
'cause not only do you have the front facing camera,
but you actually have top firing speakers,
which is kind of interesting.
Oh this is gonna have the ads though, I bet, right?
I think I had to pay extra to get rid of the ads.
- [Alex] For the Certified Refurbished,
they don't even give you the option
of with ads or without ads.
- Ads, ads, ads baby.
If you're looking for reasons to buy this Fire HD 8 tablet,
may I direct your attention to the most exciting feature,
which is a headphone jack.
You've got yourself a micro SD card slot,
and the beautiful Fire OS.
Imagine Android, but (censored)
Now the thing that I will immediately tell you
jumps out to me is the display.
It is quite low resolution.
So it is 1280 x 800, which,
especially if I'm gonna like I don't know,
read a book or wanna watch some video or something,
it's a little bit blurry.
Let's actually watch some video.
Let's see if that's any better.
I mean if you want 720p, I mean that's 720p.
It's over sharpened.
So here's the thing, right?
You're paying like 55 bucks for it.
It's not great, but it's fine.
Let's take a look at the camera.
I'm actually just like morbidly curious
if this camera's any good at all.
So this is a little bit of a sample
of the front facing camera on this Fire Tab.
Now the good thing is
the camera's actually placed in the center,
which means that if you actually wanna do
a video call or something, it actually works.
So here's the thing, this is a $55 tablet.
Now I can make fun of it all day long, and I would love to,
but for this kind of money it's actually not terrible.
The thing I'm a little more interested in
is the Amazon Certified Refurbished
because we saved a few bucks
by getting it refurbished versus new.
And I'll be honest, as far as I can tell,
there is no reason to buy this thing new,
just because the refurbished version
is essentially brand new.
I don't have any scuffs, scratches, nothing.
And importantly, it comes with the exact same warranty
if I would've bought it new.
So it's really just like I just bought a tablet
that was on sale 'cause I got it refurbished.
So if this is the kinda level of quality you can get
out of the Amazon Certified Refurbished
it is a complete no brainer.
Obviously this is a one of one test.
So we got a lot of other things to look for.
But first glance, Amazon Certified Refurbished,
big thumbs up.
This is our renewed Meta Quest. (vinyl record scritches)
I paid $25 in shipping and $17 in tax,
meaning that the grand total was $199,
(Alex laughs) which is the price of this,
if I was gonna buy it new. (Alex continues laughing)
- [Joanna] You didn't notice that
when you hit the the checkout button?
- Are you expecting to actually do anything
besides, (voicing nonsensical babble)
wait, wait, hold on a second,
this actually did show free delivery.
Maybe I clicked on the wrong one,
but I'm pretty sure I should have been able
to get this for the price that I wanted
and without paying the extra money for delivery.
And it does say it may or may not
come with manufacturer packing,
and if I can give them anything,
this is actually in the original box.
It's a little stained though. Ew.
Oh that looks, that looks nice.
Oh no that's used, okay, yeah that's used.
Yep, so I'm not sure if you can see,
but there's like fricking scuffs
on the inside of the controller here, scuffs on the top,
and the whole thing on the outside,
it's got some marks and stuff.
This was definitely used, dinged, dented as well,
and I think they just did their best to clean it up.
Now the real question is gonna be the headset,
'cause like look, it's one thing
if you buy used earbuds or headphones, I do a lot.
It's another thing,
something that's on your face and your eyeballs, right?
Like you don't want someone else's eyeball juice
on your face, that's not cool.
You know what it smells like? Tide Pods.
There definitely was a lot of work done
to actually get this cleaned up.
My thought is this came in kind of dirty,
and they tried to really clean it, which is great,
especially for a VR headset.
You want this to be nice and sanitary and clean.
I think it seems pretty fair.
♪ Guess who's back, back again ♪
Let's fire this up and see if it actually works,
but if it does, I mean,
I might not be able to recommend the headset,
but I could at least recommend Amazon renewed yet again.
Like pretty good.
Now the only problem with the Quest 2
is that the lenses do tend to get a little bit smudgy.
Now it's very much dependent
on how you actually set the headset up.
I wear glasses so there's an extra bit of stuff in the way,
but also walking around here, tracking is pretty solid.
If I want, I can open up YouTube VR or something,
and I should theoretically be able to watch
some high quality Austin Evans videos.
I bought a lot of tech from the internet Dollar Store.
This is a great experience.
While I maybe slightly overpaid compared to what I thought,
considering that I had to pay shipping,
the Quest 2 is actually pretty solid.
I think this is a good pickup
if you're interested in trying VR
and you will get into it at a super, super low budget.
I mean I gotta say, I'm looking real good,
just you know, real, real good.
So let's take a look at this very poorly packed item,
which I'm gonna assume did not come
(laughs) via Amazon Prime.
It's so rattly,
I'm afraid it's just a device in here just floating.
Oh well I'll tell you what is floating
is the big old power adapter, which is a huge (finger taps)
hollow chungus of a power adapter, what?
The included cable's MFI certified
to be compatible with Apple devices.
That's not true 'cause it's just a regular cable.
JemJem is one of the, I think, larger refurbishers,
but this is one of the companies
that often will resell refurbish tech
on lots of marketplaces, such as Amazon.
So this came directly from JemJem.
So $320, no shipping.
So I would still think it's a little bit questionable
considering that this is an Intel MacBook Air,
but let's just evaluate the condition.
So say for acceptable on the outside,
yeah, definitely some scuffs,
but, I mean, actually pretty clean.
Normally the Space Gray ones will kind of have
that sort of silvering,
but this has tons of silvering on this.
That makes me think that this has been really heavily used
and people plugged it in and out a bunch of times.
Let's open this up,
but the outside is not in acceptable condition.
So I'm afraid to see what's on the inside. (laughs)
Oh that's lovely.
So now that I've got it set up,
it is running a copy of macOS Monterey.
Now this is a 2019 MacBook Air,
which means that we should be able to update it if we want.
So it looks like it's a base model,
so it's a dual core i5, so that's an eighth gen processor.
Oh my God! 623 cycles?
That's like a full battery cycle every two or three days
for five years straight.
That is a lot of cycles.
It does say that the condition is normal,
so it actually doesn't need to be replaced yet,
but that's almost certainly why
it is in sort of acceptable condition.
Considering it has that many cycles,
I'll actually say that this was pretty well taken care of.
Like yeah, it's got some scuffs and stuff,
but it's actually not bad.
And the fact that the keyboard
actually seems to be totally functional as well,
that's impressive.
I guess I will give them props to JemJem and to Amazon
that the acceptable condition is correct.
I think that is spot on.
If it had a better battery life,
I actually think it's bordering on good,
but because the battery has gotten through so many cycles,
it's got a little bit of wear, acceptable is fine.
At least though, free shipping.
(expressing concern)
What the hell, are these drugs?
- [Alex] (laughs) What?
Why do you immediately jump to drugs?
- So in excellent condition, I will tell you what,
this looks really clean.
I mean certainly a little bit of wear and tear,
but I mean this is a 20-year-old console,
24-year-old console.
The controller's really what I'm interested in
because not that PS2 controllers are expensive,
but if I'm paying this kind of money for excellent,
I want a first party original DualShock,
not like some freaking nonsense Mad Catz.
That's a Mad Catz dammit, ah.
Sorry, it's actually not a Mad Catz,
but it's one of the reproductions.
And now, to be fair, these work totally fine.
They're much cheaper, and this is fine, but it's too hollow.
It doesn't feel like it's got the right weight.
The real question is, does this PS2 work?
Frigging better.
Let's see what we got. (playful music)
That's a good sign.
Yeah, all right! So we got a PS2 that seems to work.
Ah, it's a little dusty on the inside,
but it comes out quite aggressively,
which is good compared to it not coming out at all.
Difficulty, we're gonna go two.
All right- - That's not very difficult.
- Would you like to try?
I didn't think so.
Ah, I'm gonna dive-bomb him, watch, I'm gonna dive-bomb him.
Ah, I got it!
- [Joanna] Maybe you should've done difficulty one.
(Alex laughs)
- I am not thrilled with the fact
that it did not come with an original controller.
It was sold to me as a very old console
in excellent condition.
You're always kind of running the risk here.
Normally if I was gonna buy something
that's a little bit on the older side,
I would buy from eBay or a store
where I actually could see photos of the item.
So I'll give them that it is in good condition,
but between the controller and the fact
that it is just so expensive,
I really don't think I could justify this one.
Oh, don't look at that part, that was me getting up.
See, I'm back on the road there, it's fine.
I gotta say, I'm feeling really good right now.
That's usually the point in the video
in which everything goes real bad.
So well let's see what we got next.
Well it is very well padded, I'll tell you that.
A Z Flip 3!
Look at that beautiful lilac color.
Look man, I actually, wait, yo, whoa, whoa, whoa,
this is super not scuffed.
So a couple of minor things,
so there's some stuff on the outer edge here.
I wanna say though, that looks like it's gonna come up.
Now for context, this phone came out in 2021 for $1000,
which at the time, was a pretty big deal
because the Z Flip before this lacked water resistance,
it didn't have a 120 Hz display,
yeah, that's coming up no problem.
And it also had a tiny display.
This whole bottom panel is the display,
which is not amazing or anything,
but it's actually pretty decent.
You can still use it for selfies and stuff.
Considering that we've basically got it for 75% off,
just a few years later,
I personally think that's pretty solid.
The question though, with all folding phones
is what's it like on the inside?
So it's gonna be kinda hard to see,
but do you see there's a little bit of,
almost like a dirty patch right here?
What happens is that sometimes
the screen protector that's built on will,
I don't know if it's a temperature thing or what,
but basically it'll start to bubble up around the hinge.
You can just peel the screen protector off and that's fine,
what it leaves behind is a little bit of a residue,
but I'm almost positive that will just wipe right off.
That's really, really clean.
I actually like the white screen
'cause you can see if there are dead pixels,
especially with OLEDs,
you don't know how much they've been used.
They do have a tendency to burn in,
especially if you watched YouTube outside or whatever,
but that looks really clean.
Am I a little bit biased 'cause I live the Z Flip life?
Yes, yes I am.
But if you're interested in a folding phone
and you can pick up something like this for 230 bucks,
man this is really good,
to fully evaluate our Z Flip 3.
Let's take a look at another item,
which is our Beats Studio Buds headphones
and I got them for $84.97.
Wow, this is actually very premium.
We've got ourselves original USB-C to C cable,
we've got extra ear tips,
we've got a sticker, the whole deal.
What do we call this video now?
What's the opposite of a scam?
I got- - What I paid for.
- I got what I paid for. (Alex laughs)
Oh yeah.
I think that the Beats are actually a good deal,
and especially considering the fact
that you've got yourself that long warranty, that's great.
The thing that's more impressive to me though
is definitely this Z Flip.
Look at my hair.
When did that happen?
Now this should be our Xbox Series X.
Now this is the only item that we purchased,
which is actually not technically refurbished.
This is from their Amazon warehouse,
which I've gotta assume they're just returns
because it does advertise that it came with the original box
and all the accessories and whatnot,
for the grand total of $403.
So $100 off of MSRP,
about $50 less than it normally would go for.
Oh, interesting, no, you know what?
It's a little different than I t