How Much Can You Really Save on Best Buy Open Box?
By Andrew Pizzello, CPA ยท 2026-04-15
Everyone knows Best Buy open box is cheaper than new. But how much cheaper? Is the discount consistent, or does it vary wildly? And do prices change over time, or does Best Buy set it and forget it?
We built the first open box price tracker specifically to answer these questions. Here is what the data shows.
Average savings by category
We track Best Buy open box prices across 10 product categories. Every six hours, our system checks current inventory and records every price. Here's what typical savings look like:
| Category | Typical savings | Best deals we've seen |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics Cards | 15-25% | 35%+ on previous-gen GPUs |
| Monitors | 20-35% | 40%+ on ultrawide and gaming monitors |
| Laptops | 15-30% | $400-600 off premium ultrabooks |
| Audio | 20-40% | 50%+ on high-end headphones |
| Storage | 10-20% | 25%+ on NVMe drives |
| Processors | 10-20% | 25%+ on previous-gen CPUs |
| Memory | 10-15% | 20%+ on DDR5 kits |
| Motherboards | 15-25% | 30%+ on enthusiast boards |
| Peripherals | 15-25% | 35%+ on mechanical keyboards |
| Networking | 15-25% | 30%+ on mesh WiFi systems |
The hidden pattern: prices drop over time
Here's something most shoppers don't know: Best Buy open box prices are not fixed. When a returned item first enters open box inventory, the discount is usually modest, around 10-15%. If it doesn't sell within a few days, the price drops further.
This is why price tracking matters. The same open box GPU might be listed at $520 on Monday and $480 by Friday. If it still hasn't sold by the following week, it could drop to $450. The price history charts on our tracker show exactly this pattern across hundreds of products.
When to pull the trigger
Based on the patterns we've observed:
- 15-20% off new price: Good deal, but consider waiting if you're not in a rush. It may drop further.
- 20-30% off: This is the sweet spot. Jump on it, especially for in-demand items like GPUs and gaming monitors.
- 30%+ off: Exceptional deal. Buy it. These don't last long.
The best time to shop Best Buy open box
Open box inventory spikes after:
- Holiday returns (January): The single biggest influx of open box products. December gifts that didn't work out flood back to stores in early January.
- Back-to-school (September): Laptop and monitor returns as students figure out what they actually need.
- New product launches: When a new GPU generation drops, the previous gen gets returned and shows up as open box at steep discounts.
- After major sales: Black Friday, Prime Day, and other big sale events generate a wave of impulse-buy returns two weeks later.
Dollar savings vs percentage savings
A 15% discount on a $100 keyboard saves you $15. The same 15% on a $2,000 laptop saves you $300. When it comes to open box, focus on dollar savings for big-ticket items and percentage savings for smaller purchases.
The categories where open box delivers the most dollar value:
- Laptops: $200-600 in savings on premium models
- Monitors (27"+): $100-400 off, especially on 4K and ultrawide
- Graphics Cards: $80-250 off current-gen GPUs
- Mesh WiFi Systems: $50-150 off multi-pack router systems
How to use price tracking to get the best deal
Here is the process we recommend:
- Find the product you want on our Best Buy tracker
- Check the price history chart. Is the current price near the lowest it's been?
- If it's at or near the lowest tracked price, buy it
- If it's higher than the historical low, wait a few days and check again
- Subscribe to our deal alerts so you don't miss a price drop
This is the same approach that tools like CamelCamelCamel brought to Amazon shopping. The difference is that nobody was tracking open box prices until now.