With a major Black Friday sale looming around the corner, interest in refurbished items is at an all-time high. We answer questions about refurbished items, how the Canon Store sale works, what to expect, and some tips and tricks to ensure you can grab that coveted camera or lens!

Q: Where do Canon refurbished products come from?

Canon says this about the origin of refurbished items:

Products are returned to Canon for a variety of reasons, including overstock balancing, miscellaneous returns from retailers, suspected mis-operation, and minor damage to the box.

In our experience, many refurbished items are indistinguishable from new — the only difference is they don’t coming in original packaging. This suggests that the majority of refurbished stock may be just overstock or retailer returns. Very few items have noticeable wear or use. Canon ensures that all items have undergone rigorous inspections to meet the specifications of a brand new product.

Q: How quickly do refurbished items sell out?

When discounted, refurbished items can sell out very quickly. For each camera and lens, typically there is a fixed amount of inventory at the beginning of the sale. For some items this can be large, and other times only a few. The best deals can sell out within seconds or minutes, and most great deals usually won’t last more than a few hours.

The key strategy for the Canon refurbished sale is: buy first, think later. You can always cancel orders before they ship, or leverage their generous return policy if you change your mind later. You cannot back-order for a refurbished item at the Canon store.

Q: Will the Canon store restock after selling out?

Yes, but you shouldn’t count on it. Refurb store “restocks” can happen periodically during the sale. This is rarely “new inventory”, but are instead cancelled customer orders (due to customer cancellation, or failed payments). These items are released back to the Canon Store in batches throughout the sale, but as they are very low in quantity, they can sell out within minutes after each restock.

Q: What’s the return and price adjustment period? How about warranty?

The Canon Store has a 14-day return policy, and has been known to honor price adjustments during this 15-day window. Refurbished items have a 1-year Canon USA warranty (just like a new item)!

Their website also mentions a “Holiday Extended Return Policy”:

Purchases of eligible products made through the Canon online store only between November 4, 2024 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 15, 2025. Offer not valid on products that are considered final sale and/or not eligible for return.

Q: What will the prices be like? Will they be better than last year?

We don’t know what the prices will be like. Prices can fluctuate year-to-year as the price depends on the supply and other factors. What we do know is there will be many great deals (briefly) available and the Black Friday refurbished prices are almost always the lowest of the year.

Our advice is to not get hung up on whether or not a refurbished lens is at the lowest-ever price, but instead take advantage of the deals while you can. These deal prices are set well below the used market for the lens, so there is nearly no risk.

Q: What day and time will the refurbished sale start?

We don’t know which day the sale will start this year, but historically the Canon Store has started their deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Historically, the Canon Store has started their Black Friday or Cyber Monday refurbished sale at 12 AM (midnight) Eastern Time Zone, although in the past there can be up to a 1-hour delay for the sale prices to percolate throughout their system.

Q: How do I get notified when the sale starts, or when items restock?

The best way to not miss the Canon Store sale is to subscribe to our site. We’ll send you an email when the deals begin. You can also add individual items to your watchlist, or add price alerts to get notified when they’re in-stock.

Q: How do I support the CPW site?

Purchases from the Canon Store via our links support our site and the work we do. Thank you!