It Saves To Go Green: Refurbed Launches Back To School Campaign

Refurbed, Europe’s fastest growing online marketplace for refurbished products, has launched its back-to-school campaign where parents can avail of discounts of up to 40% on essential technology that students of all ages may require as they return to school and university this September.

Refurbed has compiled its best deals so consumers can enjoy superb discounts as they shop for back-to-school supplies. According to refurbed, sending a child to school with the full suite of electronic devices such as laptops, iPads and mobiles, can reach up to approximately €1,997 when buying new devices. However, when comparing those prices with refurbed’s product line it was found that parents can save up to over €950 euro and therefore save 48% when compared to brand new products*. Additionally, parents will also save 415kg of CO2 when buying these devices from refurbed, meaning that not only are they positively managing their spending, but they’re also having a positive impact on the environment.

Refurbed’s offerings are timely as, according to data from the Irish League of Credit Unions, back-to-school costs are at their highest in over five years. It was also found that sending a child back to primary school in 2020 totalled €1,195 while a child returning to secondary school cost at least €1,518. Furthermore, 66% of parents have stated that Back to School costs are a financial burden – an increase of 12% since 2020.

The high costs of returning to school come with a price for many families as 67% of parents have had to cut back on extracurricular activities in order to save for back to school. While 27% of parents are getting into debt as a result of the costs to send their children back to school and a third of parents need to dip into their savings to fund back-to-school costs.

Unsurprisingly, Zurich’s Cost of College Education in Ireland 2021 survey found that third level expenditure remained high with 73% of parents providing financial support to their children throughout the academic year. The survey found that the average spend by parents on financial support for their child attending third level education stood at €1,809 per annum. A figure that is also of interest to parents is the total cost of supporting a child at home throughout their entire third level education which stands at €24,712. However, this is substantially less than their child living in student accommodation (€58,212) or rented accommodation(€48,436).

In terms of the necessary electronic device needs of third level students, refurbed can assist parents with savings in this area. For example, one of the key requests of third level students is the need for a laptop and tablet. With refurbed, parents purchasing a MacBook Air 2017 and an iPad 6, can save up to €800. On top of this, refurbed offers a 30-day trial period for each device and a 12-month warranty. All refurbed devices undergo a 40-step refurbishment process where the devices are cleansed of any remaining data and returned to their factory settings. When the consumer receives the device from refurbed it is like new.

Speaking at the campaign launch Pádraig Power, refurbed’s marketing manager for Ireland said, “As back to school rolls around again, we are delighted to be able to offer parents a cheaper and more sustainable way to ensure that their children are equipped with the latest technology as they return to school. With the increasing cost of living that is prevalent across Europe, we at refurbed are aware of the added pressures that parents are under to provide for their children. Therefore we are dedicated to making parents aware of the alternatives to buying a new device.

Additionally, it’s not only parents of primary and secondary students that are necessarily stressed over back to school costs. Those who have children attending third level education also have significant costs such as books, electronics and, in some cases, external accommodation. This does not come cheap and refurbed wants to play a role in assisting parents and students with these costs. On top of the savings, refurbed’s devices are of great quality and 100% sustainable, meaning that parents are making a positive impact on the environment, while also having a positive impact on their spending budget for the upcoming academic year.”

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