Reliability of refurbished units

[Hect0r]

I am wondering how confident I can be that a refurbished unit I but off Ebay will be a good buy. They are obviously cheaper and I was wondering where these units typically come from and how likely they are to be inferior to new or slightly used. Thanks

Becky

 

[goldcoaster]

Who did the refurbishing and how much cheaper?

 

[keithnyc]

refurbished

hmmm, unless Apple was doing the re-furbishing, I'd be careful. I guess the biggest question would be how they repalced the battery. You have to pry the sucker open, unstick the battery and then re-solder a new battery into the unit.
Also you realize the Apple warranty no longer applies...........

 

[L33tG4m3r]

If its refurbished by Apple or an Apple Authorised Reseller, i'm sure that it's nearly new condition. Apple usually lowers the prices on these as most people don't feel comfortable owning an iPod whose earbuds have been stuffed into strangers' ears or used by an unknown person of varying hygenical standards. But Apple usually takes the entire thing apart and fixes any problems, wipes the drive and throughly sterilizes and cleans its stuff, but I'm not so sure about non-Apple companies. I would warn you that Apple or its Resellers/Affiliates do NOT fix the superficial damages, such as blemishes, oxidations, or scratches, so if you're really touchy about scratches, I suggest you buy a brand-new Nano instead. But if these things don't bother you, go ahead, but if I were you, I wouldn't trust non-Apple companies.

BTW: davewnyc, Apple usually replaces the batteries and checks all the electrics. And yes, the Apple warranty still stands IF you buy it from an Apple Authorised Reseller.

 

[FeelTheFire]

^every refurb iPod I've ever seen has had a new casing since the refurb iPods get new serial numbers before they go out, so the back has to be replaced, and the front kinda goes with it. So your iPod will at best only be minimally scratched from shipping in a different type of box than the retail packaging, but it will have a new casing.

This may not be true of non-apple purchased products, but if it comes from apple, it has a reissued serial # and a new casing, and along with it a new warranty.

 

[LukeA]

Refurbs from Apple are perfectly safe. No one can vouch for anything on eBay.

 

[keithnyc]

L33-
Yup, I was referring to the non Apple refurbs. FTF, I had no idea that they replaced the back and assigned a new serial number. Interesting... Makes the Apple refurbs even more attractive (oh, and the hygeine thing? Yeah, that would bother me if it were something I was putting in my mouth etc, but an earpiece? I would just clean it with bleach

 

[FeelTheFire]

Yes, the serial numbers are changed so they can issue warranties and thus the casing is replaced. This also indicates to an apple store rep that the iPod is refurbished if you should ever bring it in for warranty work. I'm personally considering a refurb nano just for the Nike+ kit but I haven't totally decided yet.

 

[mjmoonwalker]

I wouldn't get refurbished anything...reliability goes down, Apple or not. Refurbished is basically a "used" iPod but with new casing. I'm highly skeptical on whether or not they replace the insides. I've heard of lots of problems with refurbished iPods, but then again, you get what you pay for.