The strong growth in the markets for used hardware and software is attracting more and more providers, not all of whom are serious. With a wise choice of suppliers and good advice, resellers can even use this for themselves.
The very latest business models at an entry-level price
With used hardware, however, performance only plays a subordinate role for most customers. After all, the times are long gone when a new operating system or other software solutions almost automatically required new hardware. Nowadays, most workstation PCs and other devices are so powerful and well equipped that they tend to be overdimensioned for normal office purposes even after several years of use. More important here is the question of modern form factors or device categories that are also suitable for mobile work, for example. But here, too, the range of refurbishers is diverse.
Thanks in part to the faster depreciation cycles, even relatively new form factors and models are quickly finding their way into the used hardware segment. The refurbishers also have the very latest mini-PCs, ultrabooks, business smartphones, tablets and hybrid devices in stock and in demand. »We already marketed mini PCs very successfully in 2018 and the quantities we receive are continuously increasing. Curved monitors are not yet represented in the large number of returns, but they are a typical device change to which we react as in previous years and develop our own packaging solutions in advance, ”confirms Marco Kuhn, sales manager and authorized signatory at Refurbisher bb-net , which supplies the specialist trade with its own subsidiary brand tecXL. Due to the great demand, his company was also able to move into new premises recently.
In addition to reliable quality at a budget price, specialist retailers can also offer their customers additional added value. Depending on the provider, this includes, for example, support with rollouts and the individual configuration of device setups, buybacks and rollbacks including data deletion and disposal, right up to short-term rental solutions or inexpensive hardware-as-a-service solutions based on used devices. Last but not least, the second life cycle significantly protects the environment and thus sustainably improves the ecological footprint of the companies that use it. In the sum of these possibilities, the concept of used hardware becomes a real competitive advantage for both customers and resellers.