CAN’T AFFORD THAT NEW LAPTOP FOR CHRISTMAS? THERE’S STILL HOPE!
new models. When something is labeled “refurbished,” it was returned to the manufacturer, fixed, and put back on the market. Sometimes these products are restored to like-new condition — Apple and Samsung, for example, will go so far as to include batteries and put their products in brand-new boxes — while other times, they’re fully functional but without the bells and whistles, like charging cables. While refurbished technology isn’t brand-new, it’s pretty darn close. You can find almost any piece of everyday technology refurbished or secondhand, including smartphones, laptops, tablets, PCs, TVs, and digital cameras. According to Money Crashers, these gently used electronics are often discounted up to 50%, helping your Christmas budget stretch further. The best place to shop for refurbished products is directly from the manufacturer. Amazon, Apple, Walmart, and Best Buy all have sections for refurbished
products on their websites. Overstock.com is another great place to check, and you can buy or sell secondhand items on sites like Decluttr.com, BuyBackWorld.com, and Gazelle.com. All that said, saving money isn’t the only perk of refurbished and secondhand electronics. These devices are also better for the planet! By buying pre-owned tech, you can rescue an old device from the landfill and save the resources that would have been used to make a new one. This is a bigger deal than you might think. Mother Jones reports that a United Nations study found “the manufacture of one desktop computer requires 48 pounds of chemicals, 1.7 tons of water, and 529 pounds of fossil fuels — about 10 times the weight of the computer itself.” By shopping secondhand this Christmas, you can save money and be both Santa and an eco-warrior. It doesn’t get much better than that!
If your spouse wants a new tablet for Christmas, your daughter wants an iPhone, and your son is dying for a laptop, odds are it won’t be long before your gift budget runs out. High-tech presents add up fast, particularly this year when so many have fallen on hard times. Luckily, there is a way to get all of the gadgets you need without breaking the bank: refurbished or secondhand tech.
Refurbished electronics are an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to the shiny
Patience Is a Virtue and Timing Is Everything
The DetraPel Story
When timed incorrectly, even the best of business ideas can be duds. However, when timed correctly, a business idea that might not have been smart otherwise can lead to great success. Luckily for DetraPel founder David Zamarin, the story of his company falls into the latter category. DetraPel is the name of the company’s first and foremost product — an environmentally friendly substance you can spray on your shoes to repel liquids — and it is very effective at guarding shoes against liquid spills. The genesis of the idea came from Zamarin’s childhood. When he was growing up, his most treasured possessions were two pairs of Air Jordans. He obsessively tried to keep them clean and wished for a product that would help even as he wore them. His obsession with keeping his favorite shoes clean and his entrepreneurial spirit led him to start a shoe cleaning service at 15 years old. After four months, he was cleaning shoes for every local university sports team in his hometown of Philadelphia. He was eventually offered $150,000 for the business, which he happily accepted. Zamarin used that money to fund the creation of the product he had wished for as a child: an environmentally friendly spray that would keep your shoes clean. He and his team of researchers, Ph.Ds., and labs took three years to come up with the product that would later
be known as DetraPel. When he was just 19 years old, Zamarin landed a deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner on “Shark Tank” to fund his business. As was the case with many businesses, things got a little rocky for Zamarin and DetraPel at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, ever the savvy businessman, Zamarin pivoted from his main product to produce hand sanitizers and disinfectants when there was a shortage of these products. Deviating from a primary business model is risky, but Zamarin correctly timed the deviation to his benefit. After hustling for months cleaning shoes, spending three years developing his product, and putting out the right products at the right time, Zamarin proved the old cliches true: Patience is a virtue and timing is everything.
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