Any experience with refurbished kindles?

jselby · 06-27-2016, 05:19 PM

I'm planning to buy a Kindle Voyage, and I have been considering going with a refurbished one to save some money. I see some listed right now for $152.

I was hoping to get some feedback from those of you who have purchased refurbished devices from Amazon. What was your experience? Good? Bad? Ugly? Are there any caveats I might not be aware of?

barryem · 06-27-2016, 05:51 PM

I've bought 2 or 3 (I forget which) refurbished Kindles and all have been like new. I got Amazon's Certified Refurbished ones that come with the same warranty as a new one. They were all perfect. All are still being used by me or my friends.

If it wasn't one of Amazon's Certified Refurbished models I'd be pretty careful. A lot of the refurbished ones are just used and nothing more. You can probably still get good deals but you want to be careful and get a very big discount.

Barry

JazzyJeff · 06-27-2016, 08:28 PM

I bought a refurbished Kindle 4 years ago and it is still working great. It has had a lot of use.

jselby · 06-27-2016, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barryem

If it wasn't one of Amazon's Certified Refurbished models I'd be pretty careful. A lot of the refurbished ones are just used and nothing more. You can probably still get good deals but you want to be careful and get a very big discount.

Barry

Yeah the listing I'm looking at says "Certified Refurbished Kindle Voyage".

septentrion · 06-28-2016, 02:25 AM

My Voyage is a refurbished one and works great.

jselby · 06-28-2016, 09:01 AM

Thanks for the feedback. I've never purchased refurbished before. My expectation was that it is basically like buying a new device, and it's good to hear that's a correct expectation. There is some more information on this page if any one else is curious about Amazon's "certified refurbished" program.

rjcchan · 06-28-2016, 11:16 AM

That Voyage is list priced at $169 so it is probably an older model. I don't know if that matters.

badgoodDeb · 06-28-2016, 12:48 PM

Caution: IF you are the sort who notices every little light variation or color shift, a refurbed Voyage might not be a good idea. Voyages which are returned for those reasons cannot be resold as new (I think) and would be resold as refurbed, with nothing more than a finger print polish, and perhaps a new box.

But many of us DON'T notice the light shifts or color variations. If you are that sort, than a refurbed Voyage is probably a *great* buy!

jselby · 06-28-2016, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjcchan

That Voyage is list priced at $169 so it is probably an older model. I don't know if that matters.

As far as I can tell there is only one generation of Kindle Voyage ... according to this page anyway. My assumption is that $169 is the normal price for a refurbished Voyage, and they are currently on sale for $152.

Quote:

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

Caution: IF you are the sort who notices every little light variation or color shift, a refurbed Voyage might not be a good idea. Voyages which are returned for those reasons cannot be resold as new (I think) and would be resold as refurbed, with nothing more than a finger print polish, and perhaps a new box.

But many of us DON'T notice the light shifts or color variations. If you are that sort, than a refurbed Voyage is probably a *great* buy!

I've seen posts regarding that, and I did consider it. I've never seen pictures of what people are talking about, though. I've only read descriptions of what people see. Are there any threads you can point me to that have some example photos?

badgoodDeb · 06-28-2016, 04:26 PM

Well, here's a similar thread, about the lighting issues on some Oasis kindles. The Voyage thread would be similar, but older; I didn't look far enough to find photos.

If you click on the images in this thread (so they get larger) and don't think the differences shown are enough to bother you, then you probably wouldn't be bothered. But of course some kindles have more and some have less, of these issues.

In that thread, post 1 has pictures ... post 38 has different pictures .... post 49 has other pictures .... (that's as far as I went, just now). Post 49 is comparing an Oasis and a Voyage. The Voyage (on the right) has lights across the bottom, so any affect from them is closer to the bottom of the reading page. The Oasis has lights vertically, so you would see the affect (the change) with each line that you read, from left to right. Thus a Voyage might be easier to ignore the changes, even if you see them. (I have a Voyage, and like it. I don't notice these effects.)

Barbara1955 · 06-28-2016, 09:39 PM

Early Voyage had lighting problems then they fixed that. So be careful where you buy. Make sure it from Amazon....

Julius Caesar · 06-29-2016, 02:04 AM

Those of you who bought a refurbished Kindle, what kind of packaging or marking that would indicate that it was a refurbished unit instead of a brand new one?

HarryT · 06-29-2016, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julius Caesar

Those of you who bought a refurbished Kindle, what kind of packaging or marking that would indicate that it was a refurbished unit instead of a brand new one?

It usually has an "R" stamped on the box. As others have said, though, there's absolutely nothing whatsoever to be concerned about in buying a refurbished device.

jselby · 06-29-2016, 08:14 AM

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I pulled the trigger last night on a a refurbished Voyage and an open box deal for the LE leather origami cover. I got the cover for about $55... it looks like I was just under the wire as they are now listed for $75.

HarryT · 06-29-2016, 08:24 AM

Good for you. Enjoy it!

06-27-2016, 05:19 PM	#1
jselby Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 400000 Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Arkansas, US Device: Voyage \| Samsug GT4	Any experience with refurbished kindles? I'm planning to buy a Kindle Voyage, and I have been considering going with a refurbished one to save some money. I see some listed right now for $152. I was hoping to get some feedback from those of you who have purchased refurbished devices from Amazon. What was your experience? Good? Bad? Ugly? Are there any caveats I might not be aware of?

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06-27-2016, 05:51 PM	#2
barryem Wizard Posts: 2,459 Karma: 68781975 Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Arkansas Device: Paperwhite 4	I've bought 2 or 3 (I forget which) refurbished Kindles and all have been like new. I got Amazon's Certified Refurbished ones that come with the same warranty as a new one. They were all perfect. All are still being used by me or my friends. If it wasn't one of Amazon's Certified Refurbished models I'd be pretty careful. A lot of the refurbished ones are just used and nothing more. You can probably still get good deals but you want to be careful and get a very big discount. Barry

06-27-2016, 08:28 PM	#3
JazzyJeff Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 500010 Join Date: May 2014 Location: Phoenix, AZ Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I bought a refurbished Kindle 4 years ago and it is still working great. It has had a lot of use.

06-28-2016, 02:25 AM	#5
septentrion Addict Posts: 286 Karma: 5125274 Join Date: May 2012 Location: France Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2014, Kindle Voyage and Kindle Oasis 2	My Voyage is a refurbished one and works great.

06-28-2016, 09:01 AM	#6
jselby Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 400000 Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Arkansas, US Device: Voyage \| Samsug GT4	Thanks for the feedback. I've never purchased refurbished before. My expectation was that it is basically like buying a new device, and it's good to hear that's a correct expectation. There is some more information on this page if any one else is curious about Amazon's "certified refurbished" program.

06-28-2016, 11:16 AM	#7
rjcchan Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 176306 Join Date: Oct 2013 Device: none	That Voyage is list priced at $169 so it is probably an older model. I don't know if that matters.

06-28-2016, 12:48 PM	#8
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,502 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Caution: IF you are the sort who notices every little light variation or color shift, a refurbed Voyage might not be a good idea. Voyages which are returned for those reasons cannot be resold as new (I think) and would be resold as refurbed, with nothing more than a finger print polish, and perhaps a new box. But many of us DON'T notice the light shifts or color variations. If you are that sort, than a refurbed Voyage is probably a great buy!

06-28-2016, 04:26 PM	#10
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,502 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	Well, here's a similar thread, about the lighting issues on some Oasis kindles. The Voyage thread would be similar, but older; I didn't look far enough to find photos. If you click on the images in this thread (so they get larger) and don't think the differences shown are enough to bother you, then you probably wouldn't be bothered. But of course some kindles have more and some have less, of these issues. In that thread, post 1 has pictures ... post 38 has different pictures .... post 49 has other pictures .... (that's as far as I went, just now). Post 49 is comparing an Oasis and a Voyage. The Voyage (on the right) has lights across the bottom, so any affect from them is closer to the bottom of the reading page. The Oasis has lights vertically, so you would see the affect (the change) with each line that you read, from left to right. Thus a Voyage might be easier to ignore the changes, even if you see them. (I have a Voyage, and like it. I don't notice these effects.)

06-28-2016, 09:39 PM	#11
Barbara1955 Non-Techy Posts: 4,454 Karma: 15499273 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: WV---USA Device: Samsung Cell Phone & Amazon Fires & Kobo eReaders	Early Voyage had lighting problems then they fixed that. So be careful where you buy. Make sure it from Amazon....

06-29-2016, 02:04 AM	#12
Julius Caesar Addict Posts: 341 Karma: 1244808 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Those of you who bought a refurbished Kindle, what kind of packaging or marking that would indicate that it was a refurbished unit instead of a brand new one?

06-29-2016, 08:14 AM	#14
jselby Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 400000 Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Arkansas, US Device: Voyage \| Samsug GT4	Thanks for the feedback everyone. I pulled the trigger last night on a a refurbished Voyage and an open box deal for the LE leather origami cover. I got the cover for about $55... it looks like I was just under the wire as they are now listed for $75.

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06-29-2016, 08:24 AM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Good for you. Enjoy it!