Ultimate Guide of Buying a Refurbished Kindle

Today I received an email from this blog’s reader, he is short of budget to buy a new Kindle, he wonders if a refurbished Kindle can be a choice for him.

So I decided to write this article to explain some questions about buying a used Kindle.

What is a refurbished Kindle?

A refurbished Kindle is a used Kindle which is sold by Amazon, every refurbished Kindle must pass the official testings, to ensure that the Kindle does not have any functional problems.

However, many refurbished Kindle has tiny flaws on the appearance, like some slight scratches on the device body.

Where does the refurbished Kindle come from?

Most of the refurbished Kindles are returned by pre-owners, they might don’t feel satisfied with the device, or they don’t like Kindle after actually reading the E-Ink screen.

These devices are unpacked, but this does not mean that they have quality problems. Even if some Kindles are damaged, Amazon will repair the damaged parts or replace them with new ones, and other parts generally work normally.

As per American law, all returned products can’t be sold as a new one. So here comes the refurbished Kindle.

How to tell the product condition?

Amazon would do these jobs on all refurbished Kindle: including examine the function, disinfect and repack, change the component in bad condition, and determine the depreciation level.

There are 4 levels of the condition:

  • Like new
  • Very good
  • Good
  • Acceptable

For a detailed explanation, please check Amazon’s official description.

amazon used product condition

The after-sale services

Refurbished Kindles have the same after-sales service as brand new Kindle, and each refurbished Kindle has the same warranty and return time as new Kindle of the same model.

How to tell if a Kindle is actually refurbished one

The best way is to ask Amazon customer service staff for help.

You can contact Amazon customer service staff on this page.

You need to find out the serial number of your Kindle and ask the customer service staff to help you check if it is a refurbished Kindle by validating the serial number.

You can learn how to find the Kindle serial number here.

Where to buy refurbished Kindle?

You can browse refurbished Kindle in Amazon Warehouse. It is the place where Amazon sells open-box and pre-owned products.

amazon warehouse

Entering a refurbished Kindle’s product page, click the “See All Buying Options” button, then you will see the list.

refurbished kindle list

On this list, you can see the price, the condition, the delivery method, and seller information.

Pros and Cons of refurbished Kindle

Pros: Cheaper than new Kindle, no problem in using, high cost-effective.

Cons: Some flaws in appearance, like scratches and abrasion, no warranty.

Showcase of a refurbished Kindle Touch

I used to buy a refurbished Kindle Touch years ago, below I will show you how it looks like. You can regard it as sort of reference.

Note: the refurbished Kindle Touch was bought years ago, the box may have changed now.

refurbished kindle touch

Unlike the new Kindle, the refurbished Kindle has a very simple box.

refurbished kindle box open

Refurbished Kindle may come with empty battery.

furbished kindle scratches

The right side of the back has some slight scratches, it is so slight that I didn’t discover it at all until my wife pointed it to me.

 

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