Product Conditions

Product Conditions

New Retail
New Retail product is what you would expect to see on a store's shelf. It is intended for an end-user, and is usually packaged by Original Equipment Manufacturer and generally along with a user's manual and software. Manufacturer generally provides warranty for this product except for End-of Life Products.

New Bulk
New product is Un-used brand new from Original Manufacturer and is usually provided in Bulk/OEM packaging. This product may or may not come with any manuals or software. This product is packaged in Brown Box only.

OEM Bulk
OEM mean Original Equipment Manufacturer product. This is an original product generally bare product in plain white or brown packaging. These items are new or excess parts, without the retail box. They were part of a bulk shipment that is being split up for resale. Also these items in some cases do not have manufacturer warranty, which is provided by the supplier. All products supplied as OEM are fully tested and are in excellent condition.

Purchasing a non-retail OEM product is a great way to save money -- especially if you are so savvy that you don't require all of the manuals, cables, and/or other accessories. Just make sure to keep these differences in mind so there are no surprises when you open up your package!

* No fancy packaging. OEM/bulk products come in a white/brown box or simply in anti-static wrap or plastic.

* Accessories may differ. Accessories such as cables and screws may not be included.

* User's manual may differ. User's manual may not be included. If you find you need more installation information, it is usually available at the manufacturer's website.

* Software bundle may differ. Although OEM/bulk products usually include any necessary* drivers, they may not come with the more extensive software bundle that sometimes accompanies a retail product. (*Note that some Plug and Play devices only require the standard Windows drivers, and therefore additional drivers may not be included.)

* Technical support may differ. Many manufacturers will not offer full technical support to end users who have purchased OEM/bulk products. Part of what you pay for when you purchase retail hardware is technical support, should you need it. That cost is not included in the price of OEM/bulk products.

* Warranty period may differ. This is not normally the case, except with CPUs. Usually the retail version of a CPU has a 3 year warranty, while the OEM/bulk version's warranty only lasts between 30 days and 1 year.

Refurbished
A product is considered Refurbished if the manufacturer has reconditioned the product as per specification and released it or if the retail seal has been broken at some point. Manufacturer's warranty, if applicable, varies per product and will be stated in the warranty section of the product's detail page. Refurbished products may or may not come with manuals or Software.