How Much Can You Really Save Buying Open Box? (Data From 847,000 Listings)
OpenBoxFox Team
Author
Based on 847,056 live US listings (July 2026), buying open box saves an average of 25% off list price — the median deal is 21% off, certified refurbished runs deeper at 31%, and the best categories average 35%. Those are measured numbers from our full database, not marketing estimates. Here's the complete breakdown, and how to beat the averages.
The real numbers, not the folklore
Deal blogs love claiming "up to 70% off!" — technically true, practically misleading. We track every live open-box and refurbished listing from Amazon US/CA, Reebelo, and other retailers, so we can just measure it. As of the July 2026 snapshot:
- Average discount: 25% off list price. Median: 21% — half of all live deals save you more than a fifth of the price.
- Certified refurbished averages 31% off, and on far pricier items (~$390 average vs ~$50 for open-box generally) — the biggest per-purchase savings in the data.
- Canada averages 36% off — meaningfully deeper than the US market.
- Genuine deep cuts exist but are the tail, not the norm: deals past 50% off are typically lower cosmetic grades, unpopular variants, or one-of-a-kind units that vanish within hours.
Savings by category (July 2026)
| Where the discounts are deepest | Avg discount |
|---|---|
| Cell Phones & Accessories | 35% |
| Automotive | 28% |
| Clothing, Shoes & Jewelry | 27% |
| Electronics | 26% |
| Tools & Home Improvement | 25% |
| Home & Kitchen | 24% |
| Toys & Games | 20% |
| Baby Products | 19% |
The full 20-category table lives in the monthly Open-Box Price Index, which we update on the first week of each month.
Percentage vs dollars: buy where the dollars are
A 35% discount on an $11 phone case saves $4. A 26% discount on electronics averages $75 saved per listing, and a refurbished laptop routinely saves four figures — this month's top verified deal was a MacBook Pro 16" M1 Pro at $2,990 below list. If your goal is meaningful money, shop the expensive categories at moderate percentages, not the cheap categories at high ones.
How to beat the 25% average
- Accept one grade lower than your instinct. "Very Good" prices well below "Like New" for wear you'll rarely notice — grade definitions here.
- Go refurbished for devices. The 31% refurb average beats the open-box average and includes testing (see the difference).
- Move fast on outliers. Deals two grades deeper than category average are single units; they're claimed in hours.
- Check Canada if you're there — the CA catalog is smaller but at 36% average, noticeably cheaper.
- Let the return window de-risk it. With Amazon's 30 days you can be aggressive on grade; the safety guide has the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How much can you save buying open box on average?
25% off list price on average across 847,056 live US listings as of July 2026; the median deal saves 21%. Certified refurbished averages 31%.
Are 70%-off open-box deals real?
They exist — usually low cosmetic grades, discontinued variants, or single returned units of expensive items — but they're the tail of the distribution and disappear fast. Treat "up to X%" claims as marketing.
What's the single biggest saving right now?
Verified deals north of $2,000 in savings appear regularly in refurbished laptops and pro equipment; July's top was $2,990 off a MacBook Pro 16". See the Price Index for the current deal of the month.
All figures from the OpenBoxFox live database, July 2026 snapshot (in-stock listings with verified pricing; implausible price data excluded). OpenBoxFox earns affiliate commissions on some outbound links — see our affiliate disclosure.