[AV Media Matters] Refurbished CD-R Drives

[sgreen@westernfolklife.org]

Greetings all,

Various online auction sites (eBay for instance)
feature numerous sellers who appear to be buying up lots of "refurbished"
computer equipment and unloading them to bidders.  In recent days I've been
perusing the CD-R drives being offered and almost every Yamaha drive on eBay
fits this description.  Often the seller will have elabaorate lists of
features and even diagrams or pictures of the units, and I assume most of this
information is cribbed from the Yamaha website or some other retailer's
site.  But in fine print, units that appear to be new are invariably
labeled "this is a refurbished product."

My question to the list is: what can anyone say
about the advisability of investing in such equipment?  My own inclination
is to steer clear, but I'm hard pressed to give an explanation of why buying a
factory reburbished unit that carries a warranty is inadvisable.  I thought
perhaps someone out there would be familiar with with where these units come
from, how they make their way on to the market, and what the advantages and
disadvantages might be of picking up something like a CD-R drive that's been
refurbished.

About a year ago I bought a Yamaha CD-R drive on
eBay that was new and still in the original packaging.  It has performed
beautifully so of course I was a happy camper about it.  In looking for a
similar deal nowadays, eBay is flooded with these refurbished units and I see
almost no new units in original packaging.  There are some that appear to
come in Yamaha packaging and others that come in a plain brown box.

Any comments, cautions, etc. from the List, aside
from advising against dealing with less than reputable sellers?

Thanks.

Steve Green, Archivist
Western Folklife Center
sgreen@westernfolklife.org