Buying a refurbished Zune is not a bad idea for several reasons. Obviously, buying a refurbished Zune is certainly cheaper, (by about half), but will it break after you buy it or not work at all out of the box? The answer to those questions is yes, but the same is true for a new Zune as well. A new Zune comes with a warranty, but many sellers of refurbished Zunes offer a warranty as well. Any electronic device can fail at any time. Electronic gadgets have many small components these days, and although they are quite reliable, the small chance that any one could fail adds up. Even if there is only a tiny chance a particular component fails that chance is multiplied by the number of components in the device. In the case of a Zune or most any electronic device nowadays, the number of individual components will number in the thousands.

Any electronic component – say, a capacitor, is manufactured to operate under certain conditions and many components per batch of thousands, or millions are tested, if more than a certain percentage of those tested fail, then the whole manufactured batch of components is thrown out. That way, when someone buys an electronic device, he or she can be relatively certain that the components are reliable and device will last a good length of time, and as a rule most gadgets today are very reliable.

Electronic manufacturers know, however, that if a something is going to fail, it will do so soon, (within a day to several weeks, or even longer, after the device starts being used). There’s even a nickname in the industry for this: “infant mortality”, sounds grim doesn’t it? Well, it’s just a term used when electronic components fail early on.

So there’s the actual advantage when buying a refurbished Zune. It has been around the block so to speak, and any weak components have already been replaced, those left, being more “mature” are not as likely to fail. Also, if any damage has been done to the plastics of the Zune, or wear is visible, those plastics are replaced, therefore a refurbished Zune should look exactly like a new one out of the box.

Now I know that many people just can’t resist buying a brand new Zune in a shiny new box with that nice “new gadget smell” and all the original accessories in pristine condition. But if your are short on cash, and still want a Zune, don’t feel too bad about purchasing a refurbished Zune. Chances are, it will last as long as a new one, and your friends won’t be able to tell the difference unless you tell them. You can get refurbished Zunes online; at eBay, Woot, Slickdeals, and many other online sites – just do a Google search for “refurbished Zune”. It is important to confirm that the seller offers some sort of refund or warranty just in case the Zune doesn’t work, but if you have that assurance, buying a refurbished Zune may be a great choice!