The wonderful thing about the internet age is that the majority of people today will be in possession of a new or used computer.
Refurbished computers are the economical way to buy the first unit, or upgrade an existing set up.
For those who are afraid of second hand machinery, there is no need to worry.
Most PCs or laptops that have been sent back to the shop or manufacturer have very little wrong with them in the first place.
A minor problem may have shown up when the customer was using it so it was returned.
Other reasons for returning PCs are that the customer simply changed their mind about the model or even the color.
What happens is that the workshop or manufacturer strips down the PC to find out if anything is wrong.
Once the machine is in full working order, the item is then sold as 'refreshed'.
Simply put, it is not new so they cannot advertise it as such.
However, these machines may have some simple aesthetic faults which mean that it will definitely be sold at a lower price.
Small dents or blemishes on the outside of the casing have little to do with the working of the inside so there is no need to worry about this.
A lot of companies will also upgrade their stock of PCs once new ones come on to the market.
Imagine an office with hundreds of PCs being simply thrown out.
In some cases these older machines are recycled by giving them to worthy causes.
At other times they will be bought back by the company furnishing the new machines and offset against the cost of the new ones.
This is very much like when anyone wants to change their car.
It is not thrown away but put in as an exchange for the new one.
The company will check the car over, fix any problems and sell it off to the highest bidder.
With PCs it is a similar story.
There really is no need to discard a PC simply because it looks old, has some small marks, or is not as up to date as it should be.
There are many people around the world who would be more than happy to receive such a gift that is probably thought of as useless in the first world countries.
Schools too benefit from any refreshed PCs as they very often do not have enough to cater for the number of pupils who want to learn.
They really do not need the up to the minute, super machines that many long for.
They only need something very basic so that they can at least get familiar with how it works and what the PC can do for them.
Lastly, one great thing about sending in machines to be refreshed is that this is recycling at its best.
The machines would not be considered to be worthwhile in many cases, but not having all that plastic being dumped in landfills must be a good thing for the world in general.