There are lots of things that can label items factory refurbished. Some are so frivolous, it's laughable, but because consumer laws prevent manufacturers from selling anything considered a factory refurbished as "new," the consumer gets the best deal.

Here are a few examples:

• Most major retail superstores offer a 30-day money back guarantee on their products, and there are those consumers that just simply take advantage of that. These items are returned to the manufacturer, inspected, and repackaged like new.
• Items where the box or casing was damaged in shipment which is returned to the manufacturer.
• The item was returned to the manufacturer because of a slight defect. The part that was defective was replaced by the manufacturer, tested, and then repacked just like new.
• The item was returned because of a minor cosmetic blemish on the casing that was corrected.
• Demonstration units are also considered Factory refurbished. These units are inspected, tested, and repackaged.
• The box was simply opened. That's it!
• Brand new overstocked items are also labeled factory refurbished.

It is impossible to know the history of each item, but for whatever reason the unit gets labeled factory refurbished, it is inspected & serviced by the manufacturer, then tested and repackaged to meet original product specifications. All of our Refurbished phones come with a 60-day warranty.

Refurbs save cash! Why hesitate to get the best value by getting the exact same equipment at a much lower price!

Refurbished items have low defect rates. Each unit is tested and verified before being resold.

GSM stands for global standard mobility. US service providers such as T-Mobile and AT&T use this technology.

CDMA is what we consider "the other" technology. US providers that use this technology are Verizon, Sprint.

Unlocked is the term used to describe any wireless device that is able to use any GSM sim card such as T- Mobile or AT&T. A way to look at it is to think of the sim card as the key and the "unlocked" phone/device will work with any key.

Yes. Congress has passed laws allowing not only consumers but also businesses to unlock any device that is currently locked to any single service provider.

No. The only thing different about your phone/device after it is unlocked is that it can work on any GSM sim card in the world.

The main difference is the warranty period: 60-day warranty on Refurbished devices, One year warranty on New Devices. Remember this important factor: any warranty only covers workmanship, defects, and so forth. It DOES NOT cover user abuse such as liquid/water damage, dropping or shock, and so forth.