Amazon Resale: Where Returns Become Bargains

38 3 minutes read

With Amazon Prime Day coming up on July 8, some shoppers are already scouring the site for early Prime Day deals and impatiently waiting to score some savings. The good news is there are tons of ways to save money shopping with Amazon, so you don’t have to wait for the major sales event to shop.

One of the best-kept secrets for year-round savings is Amazon Resale. It’s basically a deal hunter’s paradise for scoring secret savings on smartphones, appliances, laptops and tons of other big-ticket items. The catch? All of it is either used or open box (meaning the product is new, but it’s been taken out of the box).

If you’ve ever bought something new on Amazon only to return it days later because it wasn’t quite what you were looking for, that item likely ended up on Amazon Resale. It’s the online retailer’s one-stop shop for discounted used or open-box items. If you’ve never used Amazon Resale, here’s how the process works and some tips for shopping the platform.

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How Amazon Resale works

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Amazon Resale(formerly called Amazon Warehouse) is the home for many of the returns that the retailer processes. A lesser-known Amazon Prime perk to score a bargain — if you don’t mind like-new, open-box or pre-owned items.

Unlike Amazon Outlet, with its plethora of overstock new items, Amazon Resale items have likely been in someone else’s mitts, grubby or not.

Here’s how it works:

When you land on the Amazon Resale page, you’ll find that you can shop by category: Computers and tablets, kitchen and housewares, unlocked cell phones, digital cameras, Amazon-brand devices (Echo, Ring, Roomba, etc.), TVs, kitchen appliances and more.

According to Amazon, all of the items are “quality used, pre-owned, or open-box products.” But all of the usual perks of buying on Amazon apply. You get the same delivery promises (typically two days for Prime members), the same customer service and the same ability to return the item, which would make your return the return of the return.

Amazon inspects and grades every product’s condition

All products on the Amazon Resale page go through a quality check prior to being listed.

According to the FAQs, the retailer thoroughly tests the functional and physical condition of each item and gives the product a specific grade before selling it. During this process, Amazon also inspects the products for missing accessories or packaging damage.

The quality check determines which of the following five grades is used to describe the overall condition:

Used – Like New: The product fully functions and all of the parts and accessories are there. Packaging may be damaged.
Used – Very Good: The item is in very good shape and likely has been only used to a limited degree. It may arrive in damaged packaging and may have slight cosmetic imperfections. Non-essential accessories might be missing, but, if so, they will be noted.
Used – Good: The item is considered in good condition and it may show some wear from use. It fully functions. There may also be some cosmetic imperfections and accessories may be missing. Again, if anything is missing, it will be noted.
Used – Acceptable: It still serves its main functions, but you’ll likely see indications of use. There also could be significant dents, scratches and other signs of wear. Valuable accessories, like charging cables, may be missing so you might have to purchase spare parts to get this used item in full working order.
Used – As Is: Similar to the grade above, this item still serves its main function, but will likely look even more worn or used than something graded as “acceptable.” Important parts or accessories might be missing, and will be noted if so. If an item is given this grade, Amazon includes images of the exact condition so you can judge for yourself if it’s worth buying.

Find deals across all categories

As you can guess, the further down the condition list you go, the bigger the bargains. Because, well, missing pieces, scratches, dents, etc.

With that said, even if you’re only willing to shop for “like new” or “very good” items, you can still find some impressive savings on sought-after name brands like Apple, Samsung, Ninja, InstatPot and more.

To see what kind of savings are possible on Amazon Resale, here are a few great deals we found recently:

Amazon Warehouse Limited

For even bigger bargains – many that won’t be around for long – visit Amazon Warehouse Limited(or just Warehouse Limited), which offers blowout discounts.

However, you won’t find consistency in products because once they’re gone, they’re gone. It’s also rare to find any tech or products from many of the categories found in Amazon Resale. But you can usually find pet supplies, home goods and cleaning items on deep discount.

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