A technician testing a white domestic appliance on a workbench with a multimeter, tools and parts trays around.

What Refurbished Grades Mean

The grade tells you how it looks. It does not tell you how it works.

What refurbished actually means

Products come back for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with a fault. Someone changed their mind. A box was damaged in transit while the product inside was fine. An item was used for a display in a showroom. A customer returned something within their cooling-off period, which they are entitled to do without giving a reason.

Once a product has been out of its sealed box it cannot be sold as new, whatever condition it is in. So it is tested, made good, graded and sold at a discount.

That is different from second-hand, where you are buying from a previous owner with no testing and no comeback. It is a retailer taking responsibility for a product that happens not to be brand new.

Three cosmetic grades of the same appliance panel: A1 good with almost no marks, A2 average with light scuffs, and A3 working with more visible scuffs and a small dent.

The grades

The useful way to read the grades below: it's a cosmetic scale. An A3 works exactly as well as an A1. You are being paid to accept a mark, and the amount you are being paid rises with how visible the mark is.

The practical question is where the product will live. A dent on the side of a washing machine that goes between two kitchen units is not a dent anybody will ever see. The same dent on the door of a fridge standing in the middle of the room is one you will look at every day.

A1, Good

May have hard-to-spot minor blemishes. Full working condition, rigorously tested by an expert engineer. Best for anywhere the product is on show — a kitchen, a living room, a gift.

A2, Average

Light scuffs and dents. Full working condition, rigorously tested by an expert engineer. Best for an integrated appliance, a utility room, a garage — anywhere a mark won't be seen.

A3, Working

Heavy scuffs and dents. Photos are supplied so you can assess the condition yourself. Fully operational unless the description says otherwise. Best for getting the most for your money where looks genuinely don't matter.

What you are covered for

Refurbished products carry a warranty of at least six months on parts and labour.

Separately from any warranty, buying refurbished from a retailer does not reduce your rights under consumer law. Goods bought from a business have to match their description and be fit for purpose, and that applies to a product described as refurbished in the same way as one described as new. The description is part of the deal, which is why the grade and the photos matter.

Which categories suit refurbished

Refurbishment works better in some categories than others, and it's worth being straight about which.

Works particularly well

Televisions and monitors. No moving parts, so the failure modes are electronic and show up immediately or not at all. A refurbished screen with an intact panel is a very good buy.

Laptops and tablets. Check the battery health, the one part that genuinely degrades. Otherwise the same logic as screens.

Mobile phones. Few moving parts, and the thing to check is how many years of software updates the model has left rather than its cosmetic grade.

Large appliances. Often returned because of a delivery scuff or a change of mind rather than a fault, and often destined for a space where the scuff won't be seen.

Worth more thought

Anything with a consumable part, such as a filter or a battery, where you should factor in replacing it.

Anything where a specific cosmetic finish is the point of the purchase. If you are buying a particular colour to match a kitchen, an A3 is a false economy.

What to check before you buy

Read the grade and then read the description. The grade is a summary. The description carries anything specific, including anything the grade does not cover.

Look at the photos on an A3. They are supplied for exactly this reason and they are of the actual item.

Check what is in the box. Refurbished products sometimes come with generic packaging or without original accessories, and the listing will say so.

Think about where it is going. This is the whole decision in one question, and it's worth 30 seconds.

Check the warranty terms on the listing rather than assuming, since they can vary by category.

Why this is the greener choice, briefly

We collected around 39,000 tonnes of waste electrical goods in 2025, across 21.1 million items, and exceeded the EU's 80% material recovery requirement at 82%. Good numbers, and the greenest appliance is still the one that was already made and gets used rather than recycled.

Buying refurbished keeps a working product in use. It's a small thing, and it's real.

Buying refurbished from us

Every refurbished product on our site shows its grade and its price in euro, with nationwide delivery. If you want to know what a particular grade means for a particular item before you commit, our team can look at the notes on it and tell you, seven days a week.

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FAQs

A1 is our highest cosmetic grade. The product may have minor blemishes that are hard to spot, and it is in full working condition, having been tested by an engineer. It suits anywhere the product will be on show.

No. Second-hand usually means buying from a previous owner with no testing and no comeback. Refurbished means the product has been through a retailer, checked by an engineer, graded and sold with a warranty.

Yes, at least six months on parts and labour. Check the individual listing, as terms can vary by category. Your rights under consumer law apply to refurbished goods bought from a business in the same way they apply to new ones.

No. The grade describes cosmetic condition only. An A3 has been tested to the same standard as an A1 and works the same way. It simply has more visible marks, and costs less because of them.

Most commonly a change of mind, a damaged outer box with an undamaged product inside, an ex-display item, or a return within the cooling-off period, which customers are entitled to make without giving a reason. Once a box has been opened the product cannot be sold as new, whatever its condition.

Decide by where it will live. If it will be on show, A1. If it goes in a utility room, a garage, or behind a cupboard door, A2 or A3 gets you more for your money and nobody will see the difference.