If you look carefully at "bargain ads" you will see terms such as
"refurbished," "factory serviced," "demonstrator," "as new," etc., etc..
There's nothing wrong with that, they give the buyer a forewarning that
someone else has touched the product in question. And as long as the
dealer/manufacturer is willing to stand behind the product I had just as soon
have a "demo unit" as one NIB.
But these terms all mean the same thing. Once the box is open the product is
"used" under Federal law and must be sold as such. State law is another
morass entirely.
According to my book on marketing several states will not allow a dealer in
their state to resell a refurbished unit at all. Be that unit a car, a
camera, an electronic device, or whatever. Hence, we have outfits like Tiger
Direct who buy quantities of "refurbs" and legally sell them to buyers in
states that outlaw that practice to their local dealers.
Bottom line, the guy who made the product has an obligation to protect the
buyer, the dealer, and the importer. He made it, it's his baby to rock.
73 Pete Allen AC5E
|