Open box vs refurbished at Best Buy: what's the difference?
By Sloane Glitchford, Founder · Checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:52 UTC
Best Buy open-box vs refurbished vs Outlet clearance: what each means, how condition, warranty and returns work, in Best Buy's own words.
The short answer
At Best Buy, open-box means a product that has already been opened. Best Buy says open-box items "may be customer returns, display models or items with damaged packaging," and grades them Excellent, Good or Fair. Refurbished means a previously owned product. The Best Buy Outlet describes refurbished items as "restored products verified to work properly and including all essential parts." [1] [2]
Both follow the same return and exchange periods as new products, and neither is covered by Best Buy's Price Match Guarantee. The clearest difference in Best Buy's wording is the warranty: Best Buy says open-box items come with the same manufacturer warranty as new "in many cases," while the Geek Squad Refurbished listing we checked says "all refurbished products include a warranty" whose "length varies by condition." [1] [4] [5] [6]
Side by side
| Open-box | Refurbished | Outlet clearance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Best Buy calls it | "Products that have been opened already," e.g. customer returns, display models or items with damaged packaging | "Previously owned products priced by condition" | Items "in brand-new condition," typically discontinued or end-of-stock |
| Condition | Geek Squad-verified grades: Excellent, Good, Fair | "Inspected, graded by condition"; listings show names like "Refurbished Excellent" or "Geek Squad Refurbished Good" | Still factory sealed |
| Warranty | Same manufacturer warranty as new "in many cases" | "All refurbished products include a warranty. Warranty length varies by condition." | "The full manufacturer's warranty applies" |
| Return and exchange period | Same as new | Same as new | Same as new |
| Price Match Guarantee | Excluded | Excluded | Excluded |
Source: Best Buy open-box article [1], Best Buy Outlet page [2], Refurbished Electronics Outlet page [3], a Geek Squad Refurbished listing [4], Return & Exchange Policy [5] and Price Match Guarantee [6], all checked 2026-10-23.
What open-box means at Best Buy
Best Buy's open-box article says open-box items are "products that have been opened already," and that "Best Buy also examines its open-box products and then prices them based on their condition." It lists three "Geek Squad-verified conditions":
- Excellent "works and looks like new and is restored to factory settings," with all original parts, packaging and accessories (or a suitable replacement).
- Good works like new and is restored to factory settings, but "may have minor scratches or dents" and could be missing non-essential parts, accessories or packaging.
- Fair works like new and is restored to factory settings, but "may have larger dents or scratches and could be missing parts and accessories."
The Best Buy Outlet page words it a little differently: open-box items are "products that have been returned to a Best Buy store," and "some of these items are just like new, while others might have slight wear or cosmetic damage and are discounted accordingly."
Our Best Buy open-box conditions guide goes through the three grades in more detail.
What refurbished means at Best Buy
The Outlet page says "refurbished products have been restored to like-new condition. All vital parts and accessories that would have been included with the original product are present, and our thorough inspection process ensures that the product is clean and in working condition." [2]
Best Buy's Refurbished Electronics Outlet page describes them as "previously owned products priced by condition," and a listing there carried its condition in the title: "Refurbished Excellent." [3]
On a Geek Squad Refurbished listing we checked, an "About refurbished" box says refurbished products "are previously owned items that are inspected, graded by condition, and resold at lower prices," that "prices vary based on condition and availability," and: "All refurbished products include a warranty. Warranty length varies by condition. Returns follow Best Buy policies."
What we couldn't confirm: we didn't find a current bestbuy.com page that defines the refurbished condition grades or gives the warranty length for each one. Check the warranty shown on the listing you're buying.
Returns: the same rules for both
Best Buy's Return & Exchange Policy says the return and exchange period "begins the day you receive your product and applies to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned products." It also covers purchases from Best Buy Outlet.
| Who | Most products | Activatable devices |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 15 days | 14 days |
| My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members (excludes Marketplace Products) | 60 days | 14 days |
Source: Best Buy Return & Exchange Policy [5]. Activatable devices are cell phones, cellular tablets, mobile hotspots and cellular wearables; the policy gives Verizon devices that can be activated a 30-day return period for all customers.
The same policy says:
- Some categories carry a restocking fee: $45 on activatable devices (excluding prepaid phones), and 15% of the item purchase price on drones, digital cameras, camera lenses, camcorders, projectors and other listed products. The policy says there's no restocking fee if the product is unopened, or in the states it lists and where prohibited by law. [5]
- "Items need to be returned in a like-new condition." Items that are "damaged, unsanitary, dented, scratched or missing major contents may be denied a return." [5]
- Items "marked as Final Sale" are nonreturnable once purchased. [5]
When our holiday return policies page last checked, Best Buy hadn't announced this season's holiday return window; that page lists the dates for stores that have. For how other stores treat clearance returns, see can you return clearance items?
If you buy a Good or Fair open-box item, or a refurbished one with visible wear, it's worth photographing its condition when you get it. That's our suggestion, not Best Buy policy.
Price match doesn't cover either
Best Buy's Price Match Guarantee covers "immediately available new products sold from Best Buy (excludes Marketplace Products, clearance, refurbished and open-box items)." It also won't match a competitor's clearance, open-box, refurbished or pre-owned items. So price match won't lower an open-box or refurbished price. The policy also lists competitors' "pricing errors" among offers it won't match. [6] Whether a store has to honor its own price error is a separate question, covered in do stores have to honor price errors?
Which should you buy?
This part is our judgment, not Best Buy policy:
- Want the manufacturer's warranty? Open-box can make sense: Best Buy says open-box items come with the same manufacturer warranty as new "in many cases," not always, and it doesn't tie that to a grade. Check the listing. [1]
- Don't mind wear, want it tested? Refurbished can work. Look at the condition name in the title and the warranty on that listing. [4]
- Want it sealed? Outlet clearance items are "in brand-new condition" and factory sealed, so "the full manufacturer's warranty applies." [2]
- Whatever you pick: Best Buy suggests comparing the price with a brand-new version, checking physical condition and included accessories, and checking warranty coverage. [1]
Comparing against eBay listings too? Our eBay open-box and refurbished guide covers that side.
FAQ
Is open box or refurbished better at Best Buy? It depends on what matters to you. Open-box is an opened product graded Excellent, Good or Fair. Refurbished is a previously owned product that Best Buy says is restored, inspected and graded by condition. Both follow the same return periods as new products. [1] [2] [4] [5]
Do Best Buy refurbished products have a warranty? The Geek Squad Refurbished listing we checked says "all refurbished products include a warranty" and that "warranty length varies by condition." We didn't find a Best Buy page with the lengths, so check the listing you're buying. [4]
Can you return open-box or refurbished items to Best Buy? Yes. The return period applies to new, clearance, open-box, refurbished and pre-owned products: 15 days for most products for standard customers, or 60 days for My Best Buy Plus and Total members. [5]
Does Best Buy price match open-box or refurbished? No. The Price Match Guarantee excludes clearance, refurbished and open-box items. [6]
Take the codes with you
Shopping clearance in store too? Get the free Clearance Tag Quick Card, a one-page cheat sheet that separates what sources report about clearance tags from the myths. If you flip what you find, get the $12 Reseller Field Kit for six phone-sized field cards and a profit tracker. These are our own products. No results are promised. [7] [8]
Policies change. Everything above was checked against Best Buy's pages on October 23, 2026. Always confirm on the listing and at the register.
Sources
- Best Buy, "The Best Deals on Open Box Items at Best Buy" (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- Best Buy Outlet, "Best Buy Outlet: Clearance Electronics Outlet Store" (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- Best Buy, "Refurbished Electronics Outlet" (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- Best Buy listing, "Geek Squad Refurbished Good - PlayStation 5 Console" (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- Best Buy Return & Exchange Policy (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- Best Buy Price Match Guarantee (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- The Clearance Cheat Sheet: Reseller Field Kit on Whop (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:51 UTC
- The Clearance Cheat Sheet: Clearance Tag Quick Card on Whop (official), checked 23 Oct 2026, 14:52 UTC