Don't have the funds to buy a new car or want to upgrade your IT department? Wondering about the connection between these unrelated needs? The answer is refurbished or used goods. Today, these are widely sold and bought in the United States and the world over, despite concerns about reliability and safety.

Refurbished goods can range from computers to clothing. They are generally returned to the company that manufactured them either because they had some defect or because the customer did not want or could not afford them. Used computers and cars are perhaps the most bought among refurbished goods. Even MNCs like IBM, HP, and Dell sell refurbished computers. Customers include small to medium size organizations and individuals. Customers go for refurbished computers primarily because they are less expensive than new ones. Another reason is system upgrade. Used hardware can be employed to upgrade IT systems without having to change or refit the entire IT systems. Used computers also help if older versions are required to match a company's existing system.

IT managers are divided on the issue of purchasing refurbished computers because they do not come with the same warranty as new computers and no one can say for sure how they were used or for what purpose. Therefore, some IT managers reject the concept of used computers outright. Others adopt a middle path, purchasing used computers and servers for non-critical tasks and new computers for the more important functions. Still others have taken the plunge and say that refurbished computers work as well as the new ones.

In the case of used cars, developed countries like the United States and Japan are among the biggest exporters and countries like New Zealand and Russia are among the importers. There is also a great demand for used car parts in many developing countries. However, this is one side of the coin, as many other developing countries ban the entry of used foreign vehicles or impose heavy taxes on such vehicles. Second hand clothes are another item of global trade, but compared to the export of new clothes their trade is much less. Most governments cite health reasons to ban the entry of refurbished foreign clothes, while others accept them only in the form of donations. These measures are usually taken to protect local manufacturing industries. Used machinery and medical devices also face conditional import bans or outright bans. In the case of conditional bans, they are subject to technical tests.

Most refurbished goods can be purchased without apprehension and used reliably, especially if they are bought from reputed organizations and come with a warranty. Instead of banning import of such goods, strict quality control measures can be put in place. After all, refurbished goods are cheap and many help to save on scare natural resources.