Refurbished or stock

[chpmotry]

Does the word (stock:second-hand) have the same meaning as the word (refurbished) when buying a switches?

I asked this question because when i buying switches such as c2960x or c2960s model, some of seller said the stock(second-hand) meaning that The switch has already been used by consumers through the purchase and sale of various sellers. But refurbished mean that The switch has been returned to Cisco after being purchased by consumers and has been re-entered the market after being refreshed.

In our region, most of the market is full of refurbished switches, and because of the cheapness of these switches, it has encouraged company managers to buy them.

  Considering the oldness of these switches, the selling companies consider their ios upgrade a risk. Considering that we want these switches for places that don't need high security and management capabilities, can we use these kinds of refurbished switches?

[DanielP211]

Hello,

Refurbished is a switch manufactured by Cisco Systems that has been previously used but has undergone a process of refurbishment to restore it to a fully functional condition.

Stock is a brand new switch. 

BR

[chpmotry]

Thank you daniel.

I asked this question because when i buying switches such as c2960x or c2960s model, some of seller said the stock meaning that the switch has The switch has already been used by consumers through the purchase and sale of various sellers. But refurbished mean that The switch has been returned to Cisco after being purchased by consumers and has been re-entered the market after being refreshed.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

"Stock" usually means it has never been used.

"Refurbished" usually means equipment that has been used but is in like new condition (zero to much might be done as part of refurbishment).

[Martin L]

Are u looking for new or used one?  Both versions are old switches but x model is newer than s model.  Every seller has different meanings, so I would ask seller for condition;  I have seen "Used-Refurbished" meaning someone has done some testing and erase or restore settings to original /factory condition.   "Stock" should mean new but also could mean "in stock", meaning "available". 

If you lucky, you may find "new - open box" at cheap price; that is better then "New- Refurbished" or Used-Refurbished"-terms used on ebay.

Regards, ML

[chpmotry]

In our region, most of the market is full of refurbished switches, and because of the cheapness of these switches, it has encouraged company managers to buy them.
Considering the oldness of these switches, the selling companies consider their ios upgrade a risk. Considering that we want these switches for places that don't need high security and management capabilities, can we use these kinds of refurbished switches?

[Ramblin Tech]

It is perfectly legal for the owner of Cisco switches/routers to sell that hardware on the "secondary" market (ie, "used"). However, the software (IOS/XE/XR/NXOS) is not actually owned by the party selling the hardware on the secondary market, as Cisco only sells Right-To-Use licenses for the software to customers, not the software itself, to which Cisco retains all rights under applicable law. The RTU licenses the purchaser to load and execute a copy of the software on platforms specified by the RTU, under the conditions specified by the RTU (eg, you cannot decompile the software in order to understand how it works). Any deviation from this is a violation of the EULA (End-User License Agreement).

What does this mean? It means that the seller of the hardware on the secondary market cannot legally distribute a copy of the software to the purchaser (yes, of course it actually happens, albeit illegally). That purchaser must buy a new RTU from Cisco (or an authorized Cisco reseller) and possibly SAI and/or Services subscriptions. This situation is not always disclosed by sellers on the secondary market, resulting in a surprise to the purchasers (ie, that they must make an additional purchase of an RTU). Even worse, frequently this used gear is EOL, with no option to purchase an RTU, or download the software from Cisco. It should also be noted that no 3rd-party is authorized to distribute Cisco software to the public, as Cisco retains the copyright to its software. This leaves the purchasers stuck, with no legal way to obtain software. If the used-gear seller is reputable, they should refund the purchase price; if they are not reputable, the purchaser has e-waste on their hands.

What about refurbished gear? As mentioned above, Cisco refurbs (they have "RF" appended to their product SKUs) have been reconditioned by the factory to apply any applicable ECOs (Engineering Change Orders), and then subjected to the same tests as brand new units. It is still required to purchase an RTU for a refurb. Nothing stops a seller on the secondary market from labeling their own wares as "refurbs", but secondary sellers have no way of applying authorized ECOs; at best, their refurbs have the dust vacuumed or blown out.