New problem: What on Earth is an "open Box" item" ?

[timor]

New problem in my quest to get best compact for my money. Turned out my local store has Canon G1X for the same price as Fuji X20. The catch is it is an open box item. What I have to know to decide if it is safe to buy ?

 

[KmH]

It means pretty much just what it says.
For some reason the seals on the box were broken and the box was opened before the item was sold.

It could also mean an item was sold but returned unused (buyer remorse).

Ask the store how it came to be "open box".

 

[wyogirl]

Open box is just that... an opened new item. It may have been opened to display, it may have been a return, or it may have been that a customer wanted to see it and decided not to buy it.

 

[tirediron]

Chances are, yes. "Open box" means different things in different stores; in some cases it literally just means that the box was opened, and nothing more, or one that was used for store didplay. Some places are a little more "flexible" with their definition and it can mean an item that was purchased and returned, but generally it's worth buying.

 

[Dao]

I will ask the store regarding warranty of the product, return policy and if you can take a quick look of the product. (Of course, if they can provide you the information in written form, that will be better)

If it look virtually new, has the same warranty as the brand new one, allow you to return if you are not satisfy and most important the price is right, why not?

 

[Designer]

FWIW I generally look for "open box" items because the discount is often significant, and if you trust the seller, you're getting the item nearly like factory new.

 

[hamlet]

If it is sold as new, i wouldn't buy the thing regardless of the reason. You pay good money for a sterile and pristine product, otherwise it would probably be better to go refurbished.

 

[timor]

Thank you very much for your opinions. Basically I have to go there, see it, understand specific warranty conditions if any and decide based on that.