What refurbished means in Colombia (and what it doesn't)

In Colombia, refurbished is a label each shop defines. The shop calls it that, not an authority, and Ley 1480 de 2011 does not use the word. Ask what was checked, what was repaired and what warranty is offered. The law does require that used, repaired or remanufactured products be offered with that condition stated precisely and prominently. We found no Apple refurbished store in Colombia. On Mercado Libre the "Reacondicionado" condition has written rules, including a warranty stated on each listing and a battery above 80% of capacity.

What does refurbished mean?

Ley 1480 does not use the word "reacondicionado". Its article 15 speaks of imperfect, used, repaired, remanufactured, repowered or discontinued products, and requires that circumstance to be stated "en forma precisa y notoria" (precisely and prominently). The rest, what was cleaned, what was replaced and what grade the device has, is decided by each shop and each platform. We cannot tell you how the law classifies a refurbished device. What the law says about the warranty of a used product is in your rights when buying refurbished.

That is why it helps to know who is behind each listing. In Colombia you will find these under similar names.

The five kinds you will find

1. Refurbished by the brand

This is when the maker itself repairs and resells. For Apple, the refurbished address of its Colombian store (apple.com/co/shop/refurbished) returned a 404 error on 1 October 2026. That is an absence we observed, not a statement from Apple. If a listing says "refurbished by Apple", ask who answers for the warranty, because we found no Apple programme for Colombia.

2. Specialist shop

These are shops that live off this business, and each defines its own scale and its own warranty. What their sites stated on 1 October 2026:

Refurbi. Refurbished only. 14 months of hardware repair cover, through a limited warranty.
Celucambio. 12 months on phones, tablets, watches and computers, except Outlet devices, which have no warranty. It uses the labels Como Nuevo and Semi Nuevo.
Clevercel. Four categories, explained below, with 12 months in the first three and 6 months in Saldos. Its policy says the phones it sells are used and that its warranty is governed by Ley 1480.
QuieroMac. Apple devices. Its page says six months, and Outlet devices have no warranty.
RenoPC. Laptops and desktops with grades A and B and 2 years of warranty on every device.
Green Electronics. Used and pre-owned phones with 6 months.
iDroid. Display units, with 1 year according to its site banner.

The shop that sells to you is the one that answers. Before paying, ask for its legal name and NIT, which the law requires online shops to publish.

3. Retail chains with their own refurbished shelf

Alkosto and Ktronix sell phones and other devices labelled "Usado y reacondicionado" or "Reacondicionado". Alkosto says on its phone page that "todos nuestros celulares usados y reacondicionados cuentan con la misma garantía de un celular nuevo" (all our used and refurbished phones carry the same warranty as a new phone), and the product pages we read at both chains said 12 months. The chain answers.

4. Mercado Libre and other marketplaces

On Mercado Libre Colombia, "Reacondicionado" is a condition with rules. The seller must load the product warranty, and to enter the refurbished catalogue it must state a grade, with these Mercado Libre definitions:

Excelente. Subtle signs of use and a screen with no marks or imperfections.
Bueno. Small signs of use and a screen with no marks or imperfections.
Aceptable. Noticeable signs of use and a screen with scratches or scrapes.

All three grades require more than 80% battery capacity. We could not read the minimum number of warranty months the platform requires, so look at what each listing states. Each seller sets the warranty on its listing.

There is something else to look at. Many listings carry the "Internacional" tag, which marks devices that come from abroad. In a sample of 450 refurbished iPhone and Samsung listings we reviewed on 25 September 2026, 227 had it. Those devices may need IMEI registration, as explained in how to check an IMEI.

Éxito, Falabella and Olímpica also gather sellers, and there the warranty is set by each seller on each offer. We saw from 2 to 14 months. The same unit from Refurbi, QuieroMac, Celucambio or Clevercel can appear on several of those sites. Refurbi says that for its products bought through another channel, that channel's withdrawal and refund policy applies.

5. Pre-owned, open box and outlet

"Seminuevo" (pre-owned) is a label each shop uses its own way, and several use it as a synonym for refurbished. Since there is no legal definition, ask what the shop means by the word it uses.

The difference can be large. Clevercel publishes four categories. Como Nuevo (Excelente), Seminuevo (Muy Bueno) and Outlet (Bueno) have battery of 80% or more when classified and 12 months of warranty. Saldos (Regular) can have battery below 70%, has 6 months of warranty and has no 30-day trial. Celucambio and QuieroMac say their Outlet devices have no warranty. Before paying, ask what the warranty covers in that category and which imperfections were reported to you in writing.

Grades are the shop's words

"Grado A", "Excelente", "Como Nuevo" or "Saldos" mean whatever each shop says they mean. RenoPC uses Grado A and Grado B. Clevercel uses Excelente, Muy Bueno, Bueno and Regular inside its categories. Mercado Libre defines its three grades. The only thing you can compare between shops is what the shop writes in its definition, so ask for it in writing before buying.

How Reacondi uses it

Reacondi compares refurbished, pre-owned and used electronics from vetted shops in Colombia. It does not sell, touch or open devices. Each offer shows the warranty the shop states. If you are going to buy, continue with what to check when your refurbished phone arrives.

Sources

Each shop's warranty comes from its own pages, read on 1 October 2026, and may change. The law was quoted from the Senate Secretariat version.