Nearly Half of U.S. Adults Consider Buying Second-Hand Tech Products

New Devices Too Expensive — Second-Hand Market Sees New Opportunities

A recently published CNET survey has revealed a notable consumer trend: nearly half of U.S. adults say they have considered purchasing second-hand or refurbished tech products. As AI features continue to drive up the prices of new devices, an increasing number of consumers are turning to the more cost-effective second-hand market.

Price Pressure as the Core Driver

Survey results show that the continued rise in prices for new tech products is the primary factor pushing consumers toward the second-hand market. In recent years, flagship pricing for smartphones, laptops, and tablets has repeatedly hit new highs. This trend has been exacerbated as on-device AI deployment becomes an industry standard, with manufacturers ramping up hardware specifications to support local AI processing, further inflating new product prices.

Some surveyed U.S. adults explicitly stated that "new devices are simply too expensive," while refurbished products offer nearly identical functionality at significantly lower costs. This pragmatic consumer mindset is spreading across a broader demographic.

RAM Upgrades Paradoxically Driving Up Refurbished Device Prices

However, the second-hand market is no safe haven for bargain hunters. The survey also noted that as devices demand ever-greater RAM and storage capacity, refurbished device prices are rising in tandem.

The logic behind this is straightforward: AI applications are rapidly expanding their hardware resource requirements. Whether it's Apple Intelligence or Samsung's Galaxy AI, on-device AI features demand larger memory and greater processing power. As a result, second-hand devices equipped with high-capacity RAM have become hot commodities, with their market prices climbing accordingly. Lower-spec models may be cheaper, but they may struggle to run the latest AI features smoothly, leaving consumers facing a difficult trade-off.

Implications for the Tech Industry

This trend sends multiple signals to the tech industry:

• Pricing strategies need re-examination: When nearly half of potential consumers start considering second-hand products, it indicates that new product pricing has reached the psychological ceiling for a significant portion of users. Manufacturers may need to strike a better balance between AI feature premiums and consumer affordability.

• The refurbished market is experiencing structural growth: The second-hand tech market is evolving from an "economy alternative" into a mainstream consumer option. The rise of channels such as the Apple Certified Refurbished store and Amazon Renewed is boosting consumer confidence in refurbished products.

• Sustainability principles are gaining traction: Beyond price considerations, growing environmental awareness is also driving second-hand consumption. Extending the lifespan of electronic devices helps reduce e-waste, aligning closely with global sustainability goals.

Outlook: Consumer Divergence in the AI Era

As AI technology accelerates its penetration into end-user devices, the "performance threshold" for tech products will continue to rise, and the experience gap between newer and older devices may widen rapidly. On one hand, high-spec refurbished devices will remain in strong demand; on the other, older devices incapable of running the latest AI features may depreciate at an accelerating pace.

For consumers, making smart purchasing decisions in the AI wave requires paying closer attention to core hardware specifications — particularly RAM and chip processing power — rather than simply comparing price tags. The boom in the second-hand market ultimately reflects a deeper divergence in tech consumption in the AI era.