Probably depends on the value. Most, I believe, are offered as 'second-hand'; speaking for Amazon, it's usually the first option I look for when buying stuff from them. Of all I've received bought as 'second-hand' have been perfectly serviceable, often with simply a split corner of the packaging. The keyboard I'm typing on, as well as the track-ball I use, were acquired in this way, among many other purchases. I suppose if an item is returned severely damaged in any way, it would be binned, or sent to a 'job lot' centre for treatment if the value justified it. Hope this helps.