Most people tend to think of a product’s condition as either new or used. But there is a third type of condition and it’s called, refurbished.

Refurbish means to restore something to like new condition. A refurbished product is an item in new or like-new condition which is not allowed to be sold as new. For various reasons a new or used product gets sent back to the manufacturer or service center. Once there, it’s inspected, tested, and repackaged. Any defective parts are replaced. Other than possible minor appearance imperfections, the product is made to look and function as new.

Some of the reasons a product may be returned include:

• The box the item shipped in was damaged.
• The product box was opened, but not used.
• The product was a store demo.
• There may have been a defect, problem with its appearance, or a customer simply didn’t like the product and returned it to the store for a refund.
• A store may have overstocked an item or replaced it with a newer model.

Whatever the reason for a product’s return, once it gets to the factory it receives servicing to make it look and perform as new. In recognition of this attention, factory refurbished products come with the manufacturer’s warranty.

Refurbished products may also be called reconditioned or recertified. Some product categories favor one word over another. For instance, refurbished tools are often called reconditioned and cameras are labeled as recertified. But no matter the term, the process is the same. A reconditioned or recertified item has been checked and verified to operate like new.

Some people wouldn’t consider buying anything which isn’t labeled as new and that’s okay. But when the blog Gizmodo asked its readers if their experience buying refurbished products was good, 93 percent said yes.

Since manufacturers are in the business of selling new products, they are willing to offer anything they refurbish at a substantial discount. This can make for the best of two worlds. You get a like new product at a used product price. And since it has been tested twice, it’s more likely any potential problems have been fixed.

Of course no product or process is perfect and refurbished products can and do fail. But unlike a used item, the product’s warranty ensures you don’t get stuck with a lemon.

For logophiles: Refurbish means to furbish again. Furbish is to brighten by cleaning or polishing, or to renovate. So essentially refurbish implies a double restoration.