What "refurbished" actually means

“Second-hand” means someone sold you their old computer as-is. Refurbished means we tested it, fixed what needed fixing, graded it honestly, and stand behind it with a 12-month warranty. That difference is the whole business.

UN Tech has been doing this from Hallam, in Melbourne, since 2019.

What every device goes through

Rigorous testing. Every device gets a full check (performance, functionality and cosmetic condition) before it ships. Not a spot check on a sample: every device.

Professional data wiping. The previous owner’s data is wiped using industry-standard software that meets Australian privacy standards. This happens before anything else. See Data wiping and destruction.

Honest grading. The device is graded on cosmetic condition and described plainly, so you know what you’re getting before it arrives. See Understanding our grading.

A 12-month warranty. Our own, covering hardware faults. See Our warranty.

Why the machines are good ones

Most refurbished stock comes out of businesses, not living rooms. Corporate fleets get replaced on a cycle (typically every three years) regardless of whether the computers are worn out. They usually aren’t.

That matters, because business-grade hardware is built to a higher standard than consumer models at the same price: better keyboards, sturdier chassis, proper service manuals, and parts availability that lasts years.

A three-year-old business laptop is very often a nicer machine than a brand-new budget one costing the same. That’s the whole proposition.

What you’re giving up

Being straight about it: you’re not getting the latest generation of hardware, and on a refurbished unit you’re not getting a sealed manufacturer’s box.

If either matters to you, we also sell Brand New and Open Box stock. See Understanding our grading. Just note that brand-new items can’t be returned for change of mind, while refurbished ones can.

What you get instead is substantially more computer for the money, a 12-month warranty, and a machine that didn’t have to be manufactured from scratch.

The environmental part

Manufacturing a computer accounts for the large majority of the carbon it will ever be responsible for, far more than running it for years.

Extending a working machine’s life by another three or four years is the single most effective thing anyone can do about the footprint of their IT. It’s why refurbishment exists, and it’s why we’d rather you brought an old machine back to us than put it in a bin.