When do refurbished laptop prices drop?

Refurbished laptop prices drop at four points: companies retire laptops, new processors launch, shops clear old stock, and sales run. Sales cut prices less often than the adverts say. This site began to record prices on 30 August 2026. Price change of the cheapest 16 GB offer in your Market: +26.3% over 4 weeks, seen 10 October 2026.

What this site can show, and what it cannot

A price pattern that repeats every year needs years of prices. We began to record prices on 30 August 2026, so our own series is a few weeks long. It cannot show a season yet. Every claim about a time of year in this guide comes from a source we quote, not from our own data.

What our data can show is how prices move now. The price tracker adds each week as it comes in. The cheapest 16 GB laptop in your Market: from €132 (16 GB), seen 16 September 2026.

Companies replace their laptops

Many refurbished business laptops were first bought or leased by companies. When a company replaces them, the old machines go to a refurbisher and then to a shop. More machines on sale can mean lower prices.

Companies replace laptops on a cycle. The UK remanufacturer Circular Computing writes: "Most organisations plan for IT hardware upgrades every 3-5 years." In another post, it says: "In reality, enterprise-grade business laptops are engineered to last far longer than typical three-year lease cycles suggest."

A deadline can make many companies replace laptops at once. Microsoft states: "Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10". Companies with laptops that cannot run Windows 11 had to replace them or pay for extended updates. The IT disposal company Sims Lifecycle Services wrote in May 2025: "The downstream impacts of Windows 11 compatibility requirements and AI adoption are reshaping the secondary market for used laptops."

We found no source that names one month when leased laptops come back. Each company's cycle starts on the day it bought its laptops.

A new processor generation launches

Back Market saw older models drop in price after an Apple launch. We found no source that measures this for Intel or AMD laptops. Recent launches:

• Intel Core Ultra 200V. Intel announced them in September 2024: "Pre-orders begin today with systems available globally on-shelf and online at over 30 global retailers starting Sept. 24."
• AMD Ryzen AI 300. AMD's press release of June 2024 opens: "Today, during Computex 2024, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced a groundbreaking series of next-generation architecture and products aimed at ushering in a new era of AI experiences."

The refurbished marketplace Back Market writes about the MacBook Air: "It’s exactly what happened when the M3 MacBook Air came out in March of last year, which saw the M2 versions and earlier all price drop." It also says of phones: "When a new launch happens, trade-ins flood the refurbished market."

Shops clear old stock

A shop that needs room for new stock can cut the price of what it has. Back Market describes this for phones, not laptops: "Leftover stock from the holiday period is usually reduced in the New Year. As retailers clear out inventory after the holiday season, you can see iPhone price drops all the way into March." It gives the reason: "A relative price decrease makes older models a little more attractive to buyers, and helps retailers get rid of older stock to make way for new."

We found no refurbisher that states a stock season for laptops. A clearance price is at one shop. Compare shops in the 16 GB table.

Sale events

Black Friday is the biggest sale event. It is not always the cheapest week.

The UK consumer group Which? tracked prices of products at big UK retailers for a year around Black Friday 2024. It did not track refurbished laptops. It found: "On the day of Black Friday itself, Which? found there were no deals at all that were at their cheapest of the year surrounding the sale, suggesting that shoppers have plenty of time to bag a good deal this year." In the EU, a check of Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts found: "Consumer protection authorities checked 314 online traders and found that 30% referenced discounts incorrectly during such sales."

Back-to-school is a peak in demand, not a proven drop in price. Back Market states: "First, Back to School is one of the biggest purchasing moments of the year for laptops and tablets, particularly for families and students seeking reliable devices at accessible prices."

A sale price is a real drop only when it is below the lowest price of the last 30 days. Our guide on how to read a price history chart shows how to test this.

How to catch a drop

You do not have to guess the month. Watch the price instead:

1. Open the model's page. Every laptop page has a price chart, one point per week. The Dell Latitude 5420 is one example. Its price change: +32.3% over 4 weeks, seen 10 October 2026.
2. Read the chart. Our price history guide explains what each point means and when a drop is real.
3. Set up a price alert. Set one up from the price tracker, so you do not have to check every day.

When not to wait

Waiting has a cost. A refurbished laptop is one machine at one shop, and a good offer can be gone tomorrow.

The Grade matters more than the month. A lower Grade is often the cheaper way to the same machine, so check it before you wait for a drop. Our guide to refurbished laptop Grades explains what each Grade means.

A good offer at a good Grade today is worth more than a guess about next month. Our price history guide shows how to tell if today's price is a good one.

Questions people ask

When do refurbished laptop prices drop?

They drop when more machines come on sale or fewer people buy. That happens when companies replace their laptops, when a new processor generation launches, when shops clear old stock, and sometimes in sale events. This site began to record prices on 30 August 2026, so our data cannot show a yearly season yet.

Do refurbished laptops get cheaper when new processors launch?

Sometimes. Back Market saw older MacBook Air models drop in price after the M3 launch. We found no source that measures this for Intel or AMD laptops. Intel launched its Core Ultra 200V laptops in September 2024, and AMD announced its Ryzen AI 300 in June 2024.

Is Black Friday the best time to buy a refurbished laptop?

Not always. Which? found that no Black Friday deal it tracked was at its lowest price of the year on the day itself. Compare the sale price with the 30-day low on the model's price chart before you buy.

Should I wait or buy a refurbished laptop now?

Buy if the offer is a good price for its Grade and specs. Our price history guide explains when to wait and when to buy. To wait without checking every day, set up a price alert from the price tracker.