How we grade refurbished devices A, B and C

Grades are how we talk about looks without pretending a scratch is a moral failure or a secret. A, B and C are cosmetic. They are not a code for ‘works,’ ‘sort of works’ and ‘good luck.’ If a device does not do the job it is sold for, it does not get a grade. It goes back to repair, to parts, or to recycling. That single rule saves more arguments than any photo.

We still need the letters, because people care whether a laptop looks fit for a client meeting or fit for a workshop bench. Both are valid. They should not cost the same, and they should not be described with the same adjective. ‘Like new’ is the adjective we try not to use. Even grade A has had a life. The honest sentence is: it works, and here is how it looks.

Grade A

Grade A works fully and looks tidy. You might find a light mark if you go looking under a lamp. You should not find a cracked corner, a shiny worn-through palm rest, or a stain you would notice across a table. Screens are clean. Ports work. On a server, the chassis is straight, the rails are present if we said they were, and the front is not a collage of missing blanks unless we listed that. Grade A is the one you put where customers can see it.

Grade B

Grade B works fully and looks used. Scuffs, a polished palm rest, a small dent, a bezel mark. The wear is what you would expect from a machine that lived in a real office. It does not block a port, crack a screen or leave a line in the picture. This is the grade most honest refurbished stock sits in, and it is often the best value. You are paying for the computer, not for a cosmetics department.

Grade C

Grade C works, and the cosmetic damage is obvious. A cracked corner that does not affect the panel. Deep scratches. A missing foot. A lid that has clearly met a floor. We write the damage down. Grade C is for workshops, spares-adjacent use, or anyone who would rather save the money and not pretend. It is not a bin for faults we hope you will not notice. If the keyboard misses keys or the screen is bruised, that is a function problem, and it is not quietly filed under C.

What the letters do not mean

• They are not a battery-health scale. Battery is called out on its own.
• They are not a performance scale. A grade B workstation can be far quicker than a grade A basic laptop.
• They are not a warranty scale. The warranty is the one on the invoice.
• They are not a data-wipe scale. Every resold drive is wiped, whatever the letter.

Battery health, lamp hours, drive hours and page counts are facts about wear inside the machine. Hiding them inside a friendly letter is how buyers get surprised. If we know the number, we should be able to tell you. If the device cannot report it, we say that too. ‘Unknown’ is allowed. ‘Probably fine’ is not a specification.

How a unit earns the letter

The unit is identified, wiped or queued for wipe, repaired if it needs it, and tested. Then someone looks at it the way a buyer will look at it, in ordinary light, and picks the letter that matches the worst honest description. We do not average a wrecked lid with a perfect keyboard into a cheerful B. The grade follows the part you will notice. The full path is on the process page, from collection through warranty.

Photos should match the grade. If we say B, the photo should not be a studio render of a new machine, and it should not be a crime scene either. Sample cards on this website are examples of structure, not live stock. When you enquire, ask for the grade and the specific marks on the unit you would receive. If we cannot point at a unit, we should not invent one.

How to choose your letter

1. If the machine faces clients or students all day, start with A and only drop to B if the saving matters more than the scuffs.
2. If it lives in a back office, B is usually the sensible buy.
3. If it is a bench machine, a test PC or a parts-adjacent spare, ask about C and read the damage note twice.
4. Never accept a lower grade as compensation for a fault. A fault is a different conversation.

You can see the same language on the quality and warranty page, next to the warranty label from our site settings. That label is a placeholder until it matches the real policy on your invoice. The grade is not a substitute for that promise. Grades describe the day the unit left the bench. The warranty describes what we do if a covered fault shows up afterwards.

If you are comparing two listings and one of them will not define A, B or C, you do not have a grade. You have a marketing initial. Ask the question in writing. A seller who has actually looked at the machine can answer in a sentence. We would rather talk you into the right letter than the more expensive one. Bring the job the device has to do, and the letter gets easy.