If you’re looking at picking up an iPad in 2017, either for yourself or a loved one, make sure you take a look at all the available options. Going straight to Apple for an iPad will only end one way: you paying full price for one.

If you want a brand new iPad, then, of course, go the Apple route. But if you’re interested in securing an iPad for less, read on, as there are a couple of things you need to know about.

The first – and most important – question you need to ask yourself is this: do you really need a brand new iPad? What if you could save a few hundred dollars by going with a reconditioned one?

iPads aren’t like phones; people use them differently. They also last a lot longer as they spend most of their time either in your bag, on your lap or resting on a coffee table or sofa. Basically, when you buy an iPad you don’t usually get another one for a good five years.

New iPads Are Very Expensive

What kind of iPad do you want? Top of the line models, direct from Apple like the 128GB iPad Pro 9.7 will set you back close to $1000, while the less potent, standard iPad starts at $329/£329.

There is a pretty significant gap between the two iPads, however, besides the price. The iPad Pro is a monster akin that is essentially the equivalent of some laptops and desktop PCs, while the iPad is more like a big iPhone.

But What If You Could Get An iPad Pro For Standard iPad Money?

Gazelle, a US-based retailer of reconditioned Apple products, has a selection of iPad Pro slates on offer, ranging in price from $498 for the 32GB iPad Pro 9.7 to $588 for the 128GB iPad Pro 9.7.

Or, around the same price of a standard iPad.

These are certified used, meaning they have been treated, updated and, for the most part, look brand new – and if you can’t tell that they’re not new, then nobody else will be able to either.

And it’s not just the Pro models; Gazelle retails ALL iPad models, right down to the iPad 2, though that one is probably worth avoiding. They also do phones and MacBooks too.

I honestly do not know why anyone on a budget would pay top dollar for Apple products. Not when there’s a myriad of options out there like Gazelle where you can pick up Apple hardware at a hugely discounted rate.

I know, I know – it’s “reconditioned”. But who actually cares? You’re saving money, you still have a functional product that looks new, and, in the event you do not like it or something isn’t right, well, you can simply return it.

There is no shame in trying to save a few bucks. God knows if everybody was a little more frugal we’d all probably be a lot better off in the long run, rather than putting everything on credit and/or deferring payments for 12 to 24 months.

And as I said above: if it doesn’t meet your standards, return it and get your money back.

This is where Gazelle beats sites like eBay and Craigslist every time; it’s an actual retailer which values your business and will do everything it can to ensure you come back and use it again.

Check out Gazelle’s full lineup of iPads, iPhones, MacBooks and Samsung phones and see how much you could save on your next, big tech purchase.