The refurbished grade decoder
There is no shared grade scale in refurbished computers. “Excellent” at one seller and “Excellent” at another are different promises — and at some sellers a grade also fixes a battery minimum or a warranty length. This page reproduces each seller's own grade definitions, taken from that seller's own pages and checked on 2026-10-30, so you can read the label the way the seller means it. For the plain-English background, see grading explained.
How to use this page: find the seller, then the grade on the listing you are looking at. The third column shows any battery minimum or warranty that the seller attaches to that grade — where a grade carries no such term, it says so. Definitions are the seller's own, condensed only for length; the source page is linked under each table.
Dell Outlet
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| New & Unused | Factory sealed or open box, never used by a customer, software seal intact; typically overstock or returned orders; no cosmetic damage. | Same-as-new warranty |
| Like New (Refurbished) | Dell's highest grade of certified refurbished. Previously owned; may have observable minor blemishes that do not affect performance, or may look as good as new. | Same-as-new warranty |
| Scratch & Dent | Certified refurbished with blemishes that do not affect performance; no scratches or pits on the screen, no missing or illegible keyboard letters, no damage to touch pad or palm rest. | Same-as-new warranty |
Source: dell.com — why buy refurbished from Dell Outlet
Lenovo Certified Refurbished
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Like new, no signs of use. | Minimum 80% battery; 1-year warranty (all grades) |
| Good | Very good, light signs of use. | Minimum 80% battery; 1-year warranty |
| Standard | Moderate signs of use. | Minimum 80% battery; 1-year warranty |
Source: lenovo.com — Certified Refurbished devices
Dell Refurbished (Dell Financial Services)
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic Grade A | Excellent to very good cosmetic condition; some units pristine, others with light scratches or minor blemishes. Laptops may show shiny areas around the keyboard (space bar, touchpad) but keys are in excellent condition. Blemishes have no impact on functionality or performance. | 100-day warranty (both grades). The bottom side of units is not graded. |
| Cosmetic Grade B | Functionally equivalent to Grade A, with the same warranty and support; cosmetic blemishes including scratches, surface imperfections and discoloration. Laptops may show shiny keys or keyboard surround; all key characters legible. | 100-day warranty (both grades) |
Source: dellrefurbished.com — cosmetic grades
Back Market
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | The best devices on Back Market; screens and bodies with almost no signs of use; only genuine manufacturer parts and batteries. | Battery minimum 90%; 1-year seller warranty |
| Excellent | Almost no signs of wear; body may have very light micro-scratches invisible at 8 inches or more; screen will have no scratches. | Battery minimum 80%; 1-year warranty |
| Good | Light signs of wear; body may have light micro-scratches invisible at 20 inches (arm's length) or more; screen will have no scratches. | Battery minimum 80%; 1-year warranty |
| Fair | Signs of wear; body may have a few visible scratches and dents that do not affect performance; screens may have light scratches slightly visible when on; possible engraving. | Battery minimum 80%; 1-year warranty |
Source: help.backmarket.com — what condition will my device be in. Note: “Outlet” on Back Market is not a grade — it is a separate offer tier for fully functional devices with heavier wear than Fair.
eBay Refurbished
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Refurbished | Pristine, like-new condition; professionally inspected, cleaned and refurbished by the manufacturer or a manufacturer-approved vendor to manufacturer specifications; new packaging, original or new accessories. | 2-year Allstate warranty included |
| Excellent | Like-new condition; professionally refurbished, inspected and cleaned to excellent condition by qualified sellers; original or new accessories, new generic packaging. | 1-year Allstate warranty included |
| Very Good | Minimal visible wear; professionally refurbished by quality-vetted sellers. | 1-year Allstate warranty included |
| Good | Moderate wear; fully functional; professionally refurbished, inspected and cleaned to good condition by qualified sellers; original or new accessories, new generic packaging. | 1-year Allstate warranty included |
Source: pages.ebay.com/refurbished and the eBay Refurbished programme warranty page
Best Buy — two separate systems
Best Buy grades its Geek Squad Certified Refurbished computers under one system and its Open-Box items under another. They are not interchangeable.
Best Buy Refurbished
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Minimal visible wear; no scratches on screen; comparable or generic accessories permitted. | At least 80% battery; 90-day warranty |
| Good | Light wear; light scratches visible when the screen is off, not visible when in use; comparable or generic accessories permitted. | At least 80% battery; 90-day warranty |
Best Buy Open-Box
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Works and looks like new, restored to factory settings; includes all original parts, packaging and accessories (or a suitable replacement). | Manufacturer warranty in many cases (per Best Buy) |
| Good | Works like new, restored to factory settings; may have minor scratches or dents; may be missing non-essential parts, accessories or original packaging. | Manufacturer warranty in many cases |
| Fair | Works like new, restored to factory settings; may have larger dents or scratches; may be missing parts and accessories. | Manufacturer warranty in many cases |
Source: bestbuy.com — refurbished product condition guide and open-box page
Walmart Restored
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Restored: Premium | Like-new; very light micro-scratches invisible at 8–12 inches. Restricted to manufacturers, manufacturer-authorised resellers and qualifying sellers. | Battery at least 90%; minimum 1-year written warranty; 30-day free returns |
| Restored: Like New | Like-new; very light micro-scratches invisible at 8–12 inches. | Battery at least 80%; at least 90-day free returns |
| Restored: Good | Slight signs of wear and use; small scuffs, marks or scratches barely visible at 12 inches and imperceptible to touch. | Battery at least 80%; at least 90-day free returns |
| Restored: Fair | Visible signs of wear and use; more significant scratches or marks, visible at 12 inches and perceptible to touch. | Battery at least 80%; at least 90-day free returns |
Source: marketplacelearn.walmart.com — Restored item condition types
Blair Tech
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A | Best cosmetic grade; looks and feels nearly new, little to no visible wear; no dents, cracks or missing parts; keyboard and touchpad show minimal wear; screen perfect — no scratches, dead pixels, pressure marks or brightness issues. | Laptop battery holds at least 75% of original capacity per the grading guide; 1-year warranty (but see the note on its listing: its warranty page excludes batteries) |
| Grade B | Functions perfectly, lightly used with normal wear; exterior may show light scuffs, scratches or tiny dents; feet may be missing, no structural issues; screen fully functional, may have faint scratches, minor marks, or a few dead pixels outside the main viewing area. | Laptop battery at least 55% per the grading guide; 1-year warranty (battery exclusion as above) |
| Scratch & Dent | Functions perfectly but has cosmetic imperfections; exterior may have visible cracks, dents or worn casing; screen functional, may show scratches, dead pixels, marks or brightness issues. | Battery tested to hold a charge, percentage not guaranteed; 30-day warranty only |
Source: blairtech.com — laptop grading guide
PC Liquidations
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A | Like-new condition with minimal to no signs of use; screen has no imperfection (guide wording varies slightly across its own guides). | Grades are cosmetic only; the same warranty applies to all grades (see the conflict note on its listing) |
| Grade B | Minor cosmetic imperfections — light scuffs or scratches, or small scratches or dents; screen may have minor blemishes that do not affect the display. | Same warranty as all grades |
| Grade C | Visible signs of cosmetic wear, fully functional; considerable usage; screen has noticeable defects. | Same warranty as all grades |
Source: pcliquidations.com — laptop buying guide
Refurb.io
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| A-grade | “Like new”, minimal or no damage — its guide says you will not find dents, scratches or other damage; its product pages soften this to “minimum cosmetic wear might be on the device”. | 1-year warranty (computers) |
| B-grade | Minor scuffs or scratches; keyboard may be worn down; possible hairline scratches on the screen. | 90-day warranty per its product-page text |
| C-grade | Lowest grade; may have significant damage to screen or body, possibly dark spots on the screen. | Not stated |
Source: us.refurb.io — buying guide and product pages. Note: Refurb.io states it sells A-grade equipment only, yet its warranty text still provides for B-Grade units.
Mac of All Trades
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Minimal wear based on the age of the product. | No grade-specific battery or warranty term published (see the conflict note on its listing) |
| Very Good | Minor wear based on age; may include minor blemishes and/or dents on the casing; screens clear when powered on. | None published per grade |
| Good | Moderate wear based on age; noticeable signs of usage; may include blemishes and/or dents on the casing. | None published per grade |
| Fair | Partial: this label is used on some listings (for example, “above-average LCD scratches and keyboard marks; otherwise fully functional”) but is not defined in the seller's published grade list. | None published per grade |
Source: macofalltrades.com — product pages
OWC / MacSales (laptops)
OWC publishes its definitions per device type (laptops, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, Mac Studio). The laptop wording is shown here; every grade is described as “Tested, 100% fully functional” and carries the same 90-day OWC warranty.
| Grade | What the seller says it means | Battery / warranty attached |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | Nearly pristine — a challenge to find imperfections. Screen: no perceivable wear from 12 inches or more. Outer casing near-perfect; very faint scratches or scuffs may be present but hard to find. | 90-day OWC warranty (all grades) |
| Excellent | Well cared for, overall excellent cosmetic condition. Screen may have very faint micro-scratches and/or faint key marks; casing may have a few minor scuffs, scratches, wear marks or very minor dings. | 90-day warranty |
| Very Good | Shows some use but not abuse. Screen: minor scratches and/or key marks may be present. Casing: noticeable scratches, scuffs, wear marks, minor dings or minor discolouration. | 90-day warranty |
| Good | “Some stories to tell” — a lived-in look. Screen: noticeable scratches and/or key marks, mostly unnoticeable when in use. Casing: many noticeable scratches, wear marks, dings, small dents or noticeable discolouration. | 90-day warranty |
Source: eshop.macsales.com — configure-my-mac pages
Partial systems — labels without full definitions
These sellers use grade labels but do not publish definitions for all of them. They are shown here as partial, exactly as found — no definitions have been completed or inferred.
| Seller | What is published | What is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Renewed | Premium is defined: inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage not noticeable at arm's length; full diagnostic passed; battery exceeds 90% of original capacity. Attached term: 1-year Renewed Premium guarantee. | The Excellent, Good and Acceptable labels appear in Renewed product descriptions, but Amazon does not publish per-grade definitions for them on the pages checked. Standard Renewed items carry the 90-day Renewed Guarantee. |
| Gazelle | Buy-side listings use the labels Excellent, Good and Fair. | No definitions for its buy-side grades are published on buy.gazelle.com. (Its separate sell-to-Gazelle trade-in condition definitions are a different system and are not reproduced here.) |
| HP Renew / HP Certified Refurbished | HP states that certified refurbished hardware “includes cosmetic grading”. | No grade labels or definitions are published on the HP pages checked, so there is nothing to decode. |
Sellers with no grade labels to decode
- Apple Certified Refurbished — a single standard, no labels: full functional testing, cleaning and inspection, genuine Apple parts as needed, all accessories included.
- Newegg Refreshed, Micro Center, Discount Computer Depot, TechMikeNY, PCs for People, Human-I-T, Starbase Computer — no grading system published on their own pages (checked 2026-10-30).
Grades are only one part of a listing. The warranty, return window and battery terms for every seller on this page are on their directory listings, and the questions worth asking about any grade are in grading explained.
Listings are informational only and do not constitute an endorsement. Warranty, grading, pricing, and inventory details are provided by the stores, may change, and should be verified directly with the store before purchase. Always inspect and test a refurbished computer before buying.