Questions you need to ask when shopping for a refurbished camera
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As I have stated in my other post about a refurbished camera you should not be afraid of buying a refurbished camera. Those can be the cheapest cameras you can get for a discount price. That doesn’t mean that those are discount cameras! Refurbished cameras are full value products that often come with manufacturer’s warranty and even may have lower defective rate then new ones!
For example Canon’s refurbished cameras come either from overstock or have been returned from a retailer or might have had a slightly damaged box. Canon will never repair a defective item and resell it as refurbished. Cameras with issues are sent to the recycling plant.
Another good thing about Canon is that before any item is sold as ‘refurbished’ it is restored to original specification (if required), tested and repackaged to meet the same criteria as items sold off the shelf as new.
In general it is always a good idea to find answers to those questions when shopping for a refurbished camera:
- Is the refurbished camera being sold by a retailer that is also authorized to sell new cameras made by the same company?
- Does the refurbished camera have a U.S. warranty (it should have a 45 to 90-day Parts and Labor warranty)? — Also, some times a refurbished camera may come from a gray market — which means it may not have been originally intended for the U.S. market.
- Does the retailer offer a return or exchange policy for your refurbished camera if you are not happy (15-days or more).
- Does the retailer offer an extended warranty for the product? This doesn’t mean you have to buy an extended warranty — but whether or not they offer one indicates their degree of support for the product. In addition, if the dealer is not an authorized dealer of the brand, they would be hesitant to offer an extended warranty for it.
If the answers to all of these questions is positive, purchasing a refurbished camera may be a smart move.
Although some refurbished cameras may be repaired or serviced units, it is very possible that the camera merely had a minor defect during its initial production run or subject to an earlier recall. However, the manufacturer can go back, repair the defect and offer the camera to retailers as a “refurb”.
Regardless of where you are buying your camera, whether it’s an on-line or off-line retailer, it is important to make sure you can inspect the camera yourself and that the retailer backs up the product with some sort of return policy and warranty for your comfort and safety.
If you can think of any other questions that are worth asking when shopping for a refurbished camera please leave a comment below. Don’t be shy 
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You should post more, your blog is great
A word of warning here. I bought a refurb T2i directly from Canon. After a couple of days it died. The 90 day warranty seems worthless as Canon now want me to pay a $250 flat fee for the repair.
So think twice before you buy a refurb Canon camera
@Gee
Thank you for this comment. This is the first time I’ve heard of such a situation to be honest. Could you please share some more details with me and the blog readers? $250 is quite a lot comparing to T2i list price… What broke down?
I purchased Canon 70-200 f/4L IS USM and I am happy with it, especially with the price:-). So, in my opinion buying refurbished cameras and lenses is a good choice.
This is the first time I checked out your blog, and honestly, compared to your other posts, “Questions to ask when shopping for a refurbished camera | Digital Photography Info” is much more well-written!
Keep up the good work. Regards, Valencia Cercy