Amazon shoppers can use ‘secret store’ trick to make Black Friday deals cheaper

BLACK Friday brings big savings at Amazon – but you can get even lower prices if you know where to look.

The retailer has a special online store where you’ll find exceptionally low prices.

It’s called Amazon Renewed, and it’s where you can buy “expertly refurbished products at great prices”.

Any product that’s on there goes through a special process, so it’s not like just buying a used gadget off Facebook Marketplace or eBay.

These products are listed at far lower prices than their brand-new counterparts.

And like regular Amazon products, Amazon Renewed items also get discounts on Black Friday.

The official deals haven’t been released yet, but you’ll likely be able to make significant savings – find it here.

HOW DOES AMAZON RENEWED WORK?

Amazon Renewed is a special program that is designed to breathe new life into used gadgets.

The retail giant explains: “Products sold on Amazon Renewed are professionally inspected and tested to meet quality standards by an Amazon qualified and performance-managed supplier.

“The suppliers meet strict criteria to sell on Amazon Renewed and ongoing performance targets.

“The inspection and testing process typically includes a full diagnostic test, replacement of any faulty parts, and a thorough cleaning process. This cleaning process is carried out by the qualified supplier or by Amazon.”

Product quality can vary, so Amazon uses a rating system to let you know what you’ll be getting.

And note: this rating will also affect the guarantee that you get.

AMAZON RENEWED CONDITION RATINGS

What you need to look out for is the condition rating, which is listed on the product page for Amazon Renewed items.

There are four different tiers of product condition, as follows:

• Premium
• Excellent
• Good
• Acceptable

AMAZON RENEWED GUARANTEE – HOW DOES IT WORK?

Here’s the official guarantee explanation from Amazon…

• All products on Amazon Renewed are backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee.
• This doesn’t apply to Amazon devices, which are backed by the same one-year limited Warranty as a new Amazon device.
• If you’re unsatisfied with your purchase, return the product within ninety days of receipt of your original purchase for a full refund or replacement.
• Returns for Renewed Premium and Automotive products are accepted within one-year of receipt.
• You must save and back up your data, switch off phone tracking options, and perform a factory-reset to remove personal data all before returning the product.
• If these steps aren’t performed, the device won’t qualify for a replacement or refund.

Picture Credit: Amazon

Premium is the absolute best, and means there are no scratches or signs of cosmetic damage at a distance of 12 inches.

It works as expected, has more than 90% of its original battery life, and comes with accessories and packaging.

Amazon backs this with a “one-year guarantee” – versus a 90-day guarantee for the other three tiers.

Excellent is largely the same as Premium, but the base battery life is lower at 80% or higher.

When you drop to Good, you’re looking at no screen damage – but “light scratches” on the body.

Amazon says these should be “barely visible when holding the product 12 inches away”.

Importantly, the scratches should be “imperceptible to touch”.

And for Acceptable, the quality drops again.

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Amazon says that the light body scratches can be perceptible to touch at this tier.

And you may have “a small number of shallow scratches” on the screen – but they must be invisible when the display is switched on.

All tiers demand that a product is “fully functional”, and have at least 80% of their original battery life.

And you’ll get the usual accessories and packaging – though it may be generic rather than original.

On top of that, a product that doesn’t meet the Acceptable tier conditions shouldn’t be sold as part of Amazon Renewed.

So if you get it and you’re unhappy with it, you can just send it back within 90 days for a full refund – or replacement.

The Amazon Renewed scheme runs year round – not just on Black Friday – so it’s worth checking regularly for fresh discounts.

It’s also worth noting that Apple runs a similar scheme, if you’re looking for ways to save on buying an iPhone.