More Bang for Your Buck: Open Box Bargains

David bookbinder is a bargain hunter.

"I have big tastes but not always the biggest wallet," Bookbinder said.

So before he buys he always looks for the best price and one the biggest ways he saves comes without a box.

"I bought my 27 inch television," Bookbinder said. "I got a good $50 less than what it would've normally cost."

David's deal is called an open box discount. What that means is when an item is returned to a store, or has been a floor model, legally it can not be sold as new, so it's is discounted and displayed as an "open box". In some cases you can save as much as 50 percent. But consumer experts say be a savvy shopper.

"You have to be smart about buying open box. Some of them could be a great deal, some could be just so-so," Consumer Expert Edgar Dworsky said.

That's because you don't really know why an item was returned in the first place. All you know is someone didn't want it.

"People don't like the item or they just change their mind," Dworsky said. "So sometimes there could be nothing wrong with the item and that’s a good one to buy. The trouble is you never know."

And many times something may be missing.

"It doesn't have a manual in it or its missing a remote," Bookbinder said.

So where do you find these open box deals? They're usually right next to the regular-boxed merchandise. Sometimes they come in a plastic bag but most often are displayed out in the open.

"We have discount and open box pretty much everywhere in the store as well as online," Circuit City Store Director Tony Avila said.

Avila said the company's open box program has been extremely successful for nearly 20 years.

"You can buy the latest, greatest product for the full price or get the same thing without the box, same warranty, same great accessories," Avila said.

But shopping smart is important. Make sure the item has a manufactures warranty, check to see if the rebate applies and how can you get a copy if it's missing. Make sure the item is returnable and not a final sale.

"Do the balancing, how much am I saving, is this lower than a good sale price would be," Dworsky said.

Merchandise is constantly changing so what may be an open box today may not be one tomorrow.

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