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[pogueman]

Pogue’s Basics: Money - Where to buy new tech for cheap

Every computer manufacturer has a Web pageI that offers a listing of refurbished machines at huge discounts. You’ll find special pages listing this equipment on the websites of Apple, Dell, HP, and so on. (To find these special pages, use Google to search for something like “refurbished Macs” or “refurbished Dell.”)

Now, your first instinct might be to exclaim: “Eww! I don’t want some used computer, full of cat hair and baby drool!”

Ah, but in this case, the “refurbished” computers aren’t what you’d expect. They’re brand-new. They haven’t been used. They’ve been inspected even more thoroughly than new machines. And they have the same warranty.

Usually, they were bought and then returned for some reason, sometimes without even being opened.

For your willingness to buy something that’s been shipped and returned, you’re treated to substantial price cuts. Check this out: The 13-inch MacBook Air for $929. The same model, new, would cost you $170 more.

Keep this trick in mind the next time you’re in the market for a new laptop, tablet, or whatever.

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