Best Point Earning

Buying Open Box Best Buy Online – Why Its Good For Spending

With the limiting of certain types of prepaid cards and reloads, many people are looking for other ways to get their manufactured spend in. Sure, it is still possible to buy gift cards, and many people are doing it to the tune of tens of thousands each month (and some, each week!). But, most ways to do this still require some sort of fee and while it is purchasing points at an incredbly small amount, it can still take a decent amount of money to generate these points.

Buying Open Box Best Buy Online and Why Its Good for Spending

In order to properly understand what this all means and to get an overview of one of my methods of generating points and profit, check this post.

When I was in the US, I developed a process for my Best Buy runs and listing that allowed me to spend very little time earning points through this method. Not only was I earning points, but I was also making a little bit of money. The point for me was to be able to do this without having to spend money out of pocket for these points (including gas/postage). I was able to do that and I shared what my process is.

The Good Part

The part that makes this all easier now is that Best Buy is again allowing people to purchase all open box items (including Apple products) online. The reason this is great news is that it allows you to make several purchases over a couple of day period and get them all at once instead of going each day. It also allows you to snag the hot items, even when you cannot get to the Best Buy. And, finally, it allows you to buy items from other Best Buys and have other people pick them up for you (maybe to sell in those areas).

Always a good item to flip on Craigslist and you can buy it online!

Always a good item to flip on Craigslist and you can buy it online!

This really helps with the spending because it allows people to get the great deals that might otherwise be gone soon. Also, if the item is not there when you purchase it online (because someone just bought it in store and they have not updated the inventory yet), you will receive an e-mail that they are unable to fulfill that order. It sure beats getting all the way down there to buy it only to find that it was sold yesterday!

Since they will hold the item for you for 1 week, it also helps you to list it to sell during that time. If it is a certified refurbished product, you can trust there is no problem with it. If it is listed as condition Excellent, same thing – no problems. The part where you will want to check it out in person is when it says Good. 

I have found (in my last time of doing this in the spring) that Craigslist is actually becoming a stronger market than eBay. It also reduces my cut in the profit. Your area may be different, so it is wise to start small to see how it works. Remember, you have 15 days to return the item (45 days if you are a Premier Silver Plus member).

The Best Part!

I have saved the best for last – now that you can buy online, you can now use shopping portals to earn points before purchasing! I know UR offers 1 points per dollar so add that to your earning totals as well!

Additional Tip

A good time to buy and sell Apple products is in October and June when they traditionally release their new upgraded models. It always happens that people end up buying the day before a product is released so they return it to buy the new one. Apple normally will discount the older models and the Best Buy markdown is off of that. Combine that for a great shot at maximizing the opportunities to sell (not everyone cares about having the best and latest)

Note:

This method of spending is perfect for helping to meet credit card spend for a sign-up bonus. It is relatively easy to buy a couple of high-end MacBook Pros to flip and be done with your minimum spending (as well as earning at least $80 in Best Buy certificates for future spending). To generate a lot of miles, you will have to do a lot of buying and selling, so it may be wise to treat this as a method of meeting minimum spending.

Some of the links on Running with Miles are affiliate links that pay a commission if a purchase is made. Running with Miles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.

3 Comments

  • Hey there, just a design observation. The font size for the paragraph text is a tad small for optimal reading. Perhaps increase it by a couple of pts? Thanks!

  • Speaking of using gift cards for manufactured spend, could you revisit the options available that do not involve re-selling? Where to buy gift cards that are still allowed to be purchased via credit card, which gift cards are still able to be loaded to Bluebird, or any other gift card related options, etc. You’ve got one of the clearest, most concise blogs on points earning out there, and I’d love to hear your take on these options in a future post!