A survey by ITscope among 197 users from the IT reselling community shows refurbished IT hardware is no longer a niche topic in the channel. The next stage of growth, however, will depend on more transparency around condition, warranty and price advantage.
Refurbished products are no longer a pure niche topic in the IT channel, but they are not yet an automatic seller either. That is the finding of a recent survey by Karlsruhe-based platform ITscope among 197 users from the IT systems-house and IT reselling community. About 44% of respondents rate refurbished hardware as relevant to their day-to-day business, and 41% already actively offer such products. Roughly 37% say they already receive concrete customer inquiries about used alternatives.
According to ITscope, the biggest obstacles to sales lie not in technical processes but in trust, assurance and economics. “Refurbished products have noticeable potential in the channel, but the market works differently than it does for new goods,” said Oliver Charles, Managing Director of ITscope. Resellers, he said, need to be able to explain to customers what condition a device is in, what warranty applies and why the purchase is worthwhile — without that transparency, refurbished hardware remains, in his words, something that needs explaining.
Among the obstacles to sales, respondents most frequently cited warranty and guarantee concerns as well as doubts about product quality. At the same time, they pointed to what could move the market forward: more precise technical specifications, clear information on battery condition, certifications, transparent warranty terms and traceable quality checks. Those requests suggest resellers’ hesitation is less about accepting refurbished hardware in principle than about having solid information to use when talking to their own customers.
Price also determines how well refurbished products fit into day-to-day business, according to ITscope. Resellers say it matters that the economic advantage over new goods is clearly visible and that matching products are reliably available. When price, condition and warranty line up transparently, the release states, refurbished notebooks, PCs or smartphones become an option for cost-conscious or sustainability-minded customers — positioning refurbished hardware not only as a savings option but also as a response to supply shortages in new equipment.
ITscope points to a notable relationship between supply and demand: while about 37% of respondents say customers actively ask for refurbished products, 41% already actively offer them. “Many resellers aren’t just waiting for demand — they’re actively positioning professionally refurbished devices as an alternative in customer conversations,” Charles said. That is especially true, he added, when new equipment is hard to obtain or customers are looking for cost-efficient solutions. What matters, he said, is that resellers can clearly categorize condition, warranty and availability, and that the price advantage leaves enough room for a viable margin.
For refurbished IT hardware to be used more broadly across the channel, ITscope argues resellers above all need comparability: transparent product data, clear details on price, availability and condition, and reliable supplier information. One option is the Refurbished Portal integrated into the ITscope platform, where systems houses can search specifically for professionally refurbished IT hardware, compare offers, and view prices, availability, technical specifications and other product information.
Dr. Jakob Jung is Editor-in-Chief of Security Storage and Channel Germany. He has been working in IT journalism for more than 20 years. His career includes Computer Reseller News, Heise Resale, Informationweek, Techtarget (storage and data center) and ChannelBiz. He also freelances for numerous IT publications, including Computerwoche, Channelpartner, IT-Business, Storage-Insider and ZDnet. His main topics are channel, storage, security, data center, ERP and CRM.
Contact via Mail: jakob.jung@security-storage-und-channel-germany.de