Do you want the dictionary definition that every company follows? Or do you want Best Buys version? For Best Buy it is no different than open box, except they put some inspection sticker on it to make you feel good. Ive bought both open box and refurbished from BB and they are the same. Refurb has been worse: missing components, sloppy presentatio, torn, painted, destroyed. They DO NOT actually refurb. They make it look like they do and nothing else. Its dishonest what they do. Answer from Haystack on bestbuy.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/bestbuy › refurbished or openbox?
r/Bestbuy on Reddit: Refurbished or Openbox?
November 7, 2022 -

I'm stuck looking at the 55" LG C1. One TV is Refurbished (excellent quality) and the other is Open Box.

Price is the same.

The Refurbished has a 1-year warranty, and states " This is a Refurbished product in Excellent condition, with very light to no signs of wear. Product has been tested for 100% functionality."

The Open Box has a minimum 6-month warranty (1 year I think?)

Open Box: LG 55" 4K UHD HDR OLED webOS Smart TV (OLED55C1AUB) - 2021 - Open Box | Best Buy Canada

Refurbished: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/refurbished-excellent-lg-oled55c1aub-55-2021-4k-hdr-oled-smart-tv-factory-refurbished/15692942

I read somewhere that the Refurbished in excellent quality is less likely to have issues because it's been thoroughly tested, whereas the Open Box could have been returned because of dead pixels, screen tinting, or some other issue (or it was a floor model).

Any experience, thoughts or help would be appreciated! Thanks.

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Best Buy
blog.bestbuy.ca › home › future forward › what to expect when you buy refurbished from best buy
What to expect when you buy refurbished from Best Buy
December 5, 2025 - In some cases, accessories may ... of price and cosmetic condition that works for you. Devices marked Excellent look very close to new....
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Best Buy
bestbuy.com › custom landing pages › buying guides › outlet guide
Outlet Center Buying Guide - Best Buy
Other products work as expected, but need some sprucing up (such as a new screen, battery or casing). Refurbished products are repaired and restored to a like-new state (may have minor scratches), either by one of Best Buy's in-house repair centers, the manufacturer or a third-party refurbishment ...
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RedFlagDeals
forums.redflagdeals.com › best-buy-refurbished-categories-2626005
Best buy refurbished categories - RedFlagDeals.com Forums
July 8, 2023 - It has a 30 day return policy and appears to be "refreshed" from an authorized manufacturer reseller. The condition is classified as "good" and they also have one that is "excellent" which costs more.
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ConsumerAffairs
consumeraffairs.com › home › news › smart shopping and savings tips
Open-Box vs. Refurb vs. 'Renewed': the real differences when buying electronics
What the labels mean: Open-Box ... · Retailer quick hits: Amazon: look for the Renewed Guarantee. Best Buy: choose Excellent when prices are close....
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/frugal › how do you feel about refurbished from best buy?
r/Frugal on Reddit: How do you feel about refurbished from Best Buy?
July 4, 2025 -

Hi everyone, my son‘s iPad that I bought refurbished for Christmas for him just stopped working yesterday morning. We took it to the Apple Store and after running all the tests, the tech said that the display must be shot. It’s out of the Amazon marketplace seller’s warranty date, so they aren’t being any help. I was looking online at the Apple refurbished store and they don’t have what we were looking for, but now I am looking at Best Buy. There are two refurbished options, one is Apple certified geek squad and the other one is Apple certified. The geek squad option is not available for the item we are looking at, but does anyone have experience with Best Buy refurbished? It doesn’t say anything about it being from a marketplace or a third-party seller

Find elsewhere
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Quora
quora.com › What-does-best-Buy-mean-by-refurbished-Are-these-products-still-returned-from-customers-or-purchased-from-other-vendors
What does best Buy mean by 'refurbished'? Are these products still returned from customers or purchased from other vendors? - Quora
Are these products still returned from customers or purchased from other vendors? Best Buy takes defective items & their technicians restore them to “just like new”. Any nonworking parts are replaced with new parts.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/edmonton › certified refurbished phones from bestbuy
r/Edmonton on Reddit: Certified refurbished phones from BestBuy
November 18, 2017 -

Has anyone ever bought a 9/10 or higher condition, certified refurbished phones from Best Buy? I was originally looking for tablets a few months ago, just to find they’re higher price than brand new ones from stores (Samsung/apple) but I found a phone for about $300 cheaper. Wondering if anyone had problems or good experiences with the refurbished ones

Top answer
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Hey, wall of text incoming!

I have worked at a cell phone repair shop and we sold refurbished phones all the time. The odd one would have an issue, but the majority of the time, there was never a problem. Of course, we were extremely picky on what we sold and would send ones that didn't get through our inspections/QA back to the supplier all the time. It was pretty rare that we sold ones that came in off the street. As long as you are picky about what you get you should be okay.

Best Buy doesn't sell refurbished phones. Those are "Marketplace" sellers and aren't regulated by Best Buy. The sellers pay to be put on the website, similar to Amazon private sellers. Walmart does this too now.

Best Buy does run an auction website similar to eBay, 2ndturn, that they use to sell returned items. This includes phones that have been traded in when upgrading/signing phone contracts. You can get killer deals on Best Buy items here if you know how to play the auction game; games, tvs, computers, phones, etc. This is where a lot of the marketplace sellers get their phones from (and local resellers), they then resell them on the Best Buy website. Source: I worked at Best Buy and people would ask about the Marketplace stuff all the time. Best Buy has no return policy and very limited control over the marketplace sellers. You're taking your own risk by buying from them. Some are good, some are bad.

If you do buy a refurbished phone, run the IMEI through one of the many checks. This can be done on any of the telecom websites; Telus, Bell, Freedom, etc. It will indicate if the device is going to work on their network. If it says it won't, then the device is blacklisted in North America and has been reported stolen. It will work outside of NA, though. The status can show that all is good, and then be blacklisted after you have used the phone for a month or more. Although, I only saw this with phones that were bought on Kijiji (common scam was to purchase insurance when getting a new phone, sell it on Kijiji, and then report it stolen. Phone gets replaced and the seller pockets the money. Buyer get screwed over). Check the battery. On iPhone, there's a battery life indicator inside the settings. On Android, there's apps to download that will indicate the battery life remaining. Test everything on the phone; ports, cameras, speakers, etc. Samsung has a testing function. Go to the keypad to make a phone call and type *#0*#. You can go through and test everything there (except battery life).

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Refurbished phones are a hit or miss. I personally don't trust them because they're often a few years old and at that point they often come with issues with either battery or motherboard. You might get lucky with one that's fairly new and in great condition but I wouldn't chance spending a few hundred on it

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Quora
quora.com › What-quality-can-I-expect-from-a-Best-Buy-Geek-Squad-refurbished-item
What quality can I expect from a Best Buy Geek Squad refurbished item? - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): If you are looking at a “Geek Squad Certified” open box item, look at it as though it is like new with one previous owner. The lengths of which a Geek Squad Certified item is, no damage, no client data, factory box, factory accessories, with only one previous owner.
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Phonecheck
phonecheck.com › blog › guide-to-amazon-refurbished-phones
Guide to Amazon Refurbished Phones - Phonecheck
An Excellent grade means that the phone may have some minor cosmetic imperfections, but it will still look and function like new. All of the phone's features will work properly. Grade C. Good. A Good grade means that the phone may have some visible wear and tear, but it will still function properly.
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CNET
cnet.com › tech › the can't-miss trick to shopping at best buy this memorial day weekend
The Can't-Miss Trick to Shopping at Best Buy This Memorial Day Weekend - CNET
May 22, 2024 - Open-box products are excellent-certified, excellent, satisfactory or fair condition. Refurbished product conditions aren't available (this is because it depends on the item itself). Clearance is always in new condition.
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NYTimes
nytimes.com › money › knowing when to buy › what you need to know before buying refurbished
What You Need to Know Before Buying Refurbished | Reviews by Wirecutter
January 22, 2021 - We’ve updated this piece with information about how buying refurbished can also have environmental benefits.January 2021 · Finding a good deal is harder than it looks: Even when the discount seems steep, you’re usually left wondering if what you’ve unearthed is truly an excellent deal or just a dud wrapped in overhyped sales lingo.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/bapccanada › refurbished vs. open box from best buy
r/bapccanada on Reddit: Refurbished vs. Open Box from Best Buy
September 28, 2020 -

Edit: I pulled the trigger and went with the open box option. Too many unknowns with refurbished and the additional $67 for open box is worth the peace of mind and full warranty.

Hey guys, I'm looking at picking up a monitor that appears to be discontinued and Best Buy offers it refurbished from a 3rd party with 90 day return policy or for about $70 more open box and full warranty from Geek Squad.

Does anyone have any experience with refurbished vs. open box from Best Buy? Is the $70 savings worth the risk for refurbished from a 3rd party? It doesn't say if there is anything wrong with it like dead pixels, just that it's refurbished.

Thanks

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Best Buy
bestbuy.com › best buy › best buy outlet › refurbished electronics
Refurbished Electronics Outlet - Best Buy
Refurbished · Used products restored and verified to work · Open-Box · Products returned under Best Buy · Brand · Acer · Apple · Samsung · Lenovo · Microsoft · HP · Dell · Sony · Show all (100) Model Family · Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max · Apple iPhone 16 Pro ·
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CBC News
cbc.ca › news › marketplace › testing-best-buy-refurbished-electronics-1.6204620
Testing Best Buy: Refurbished Electronics | CBC News
February 17, 2023 - Testing “Best Buy” · Best Buy says refurbished tech on its third-party seller marketplace is like new at a lower price. We tested that claim and went in-store with hidden cameras to find out what employees think about the products