(15 February 2019) Shoppers on South African online marketplace bobshop.co.za are about five times more likely to buy a second-hand laptop than a new one.

“In many cases, it makes sense to buy pre-owned laptops, because they are much cheaper, and often can perform practically as well as new ones”, says Bob Shop CEO Craig Lubbe.

As an online marketplace, Bob Shop features a wide range of both new and pre-owned laptops. During the first half of February, buyers who opted for pre-owned mostly bought for Dell, Lenovo, HP and Apple brand names. The most popular screen sizes were 13” for Apple and 15” for other brands.

Other second-hand technology products that are also in high demand on bobshop.co.za are desktop computers and high-end DSLR cameras.

When it comes to tablets and gaming consoles, shoppers on Bob Shop buy about as many brand-new ones as they buy pre-owned.

The picture changes when it comes to smartphones. Of all smartphones sold on Bob Shop in the first half of February, 55% were brand-new.

“That, however, does not mean that Bob Shopers are paying large sums for the latest smartphones”, says Bob Shop CEO. “The shoppers on our site are more likely to buy cheaper older models, but they prefer their smartphones unused and in the box.”

Shoppers on Bob Shop show an even more pronounced preference for brand-new when buying appliances and TV sets. As many as 95% of all small home appliances sold on the site in the first half of February were new. Also new were about 90% of large home appliances, and all of the TV sets purchased on Bob Shop in that period.

 “There is no need to be afraid of buying a used device. However, you do need to know exactly what you are getting”, says Craig Lubbe and adds: “We advise buyers to read the description carefully and to seek additional information from the seller through our platform”.

Sellers on Bob Shop are duty-bound to describe accurately the items they list for sale. This and the Bob Shop rating system help buyers to make an informed shopping decision.  

“Buyers would also do well to check the seller’s return policy and to test the pre-owned device they purchased as soon as they receive it”, concludes Bob Shop CEO.