Should I buy a used monitor for work from home?

Yes — a used or refurbished monitor can be a great buy for work from home.

It’s often an easy way to stretch your budget and get a larger screen, higher resolution, or better panel quality than you could afford new. A good used monitor can be especially worthwhile if it’s in clean condition and the price is meaningfully lower than current new-sale pricing.

A simple rule of thumb: only go used if the monitor is at least about 30% below the normal sale price. If the discount is smaller, a new monitor with a warranty may be the safer value.

Refurbished monitors from a reputable retailer or the original manufacturer are often a safer choice than random peer-to-peer listings, since they’re more likely to be tested and cleaned before resale. Warranty coverage varies by seller and can change, so check the exact terms before buying.

For WFH, also make sure it has the connections you actually need — for example HDMI or DisplayPort, and USB-C if you want single-cable charging plus video from a laptop.

If buying locally, inspect it powered on before paying and check for dead pixels, backlight bleed, flicker, and missing accessories like the power supply or required cable.