5 minute readUpdated
Where the damage comes from
Appliances get marked long before anyone cooks with them. A refrigerator is loaded and unloaded several times between the factory and a showroom floor, and each handling is a chance for a corner to catch a forklift, a door to scuff against a wall, or a panel to dent against another crate.
The rest happens in stores. A unit gets used as a floor model, a customer's return is opened and cannot be resold as new, a delivery is refused at the door because the buyer noticed a scratch. All of it produces the same result: an appliance that works exactly as designed but cannot be sold at full price next to an unmarked one.
What the damage does and does not affect
The distinction that matters is between the cabinet and the mechanicals. A dent in a side panel is sheet metal. It does not touch the compressor, the motor, the control board, the seals or the wiring. A scratch in a door finish is the finish.
Damage that would affect function is a different category and should not be sold as scratch & dent at all — a bent door frame that breaks the seal, a cracked interior liner, a damaged control panel. That is why the location of the damage matters more than the fact of it.
Damage worth understanding before you buy
- Side panels: usually invisible once installed between cabinets or against a wall. The best value in scratch & dent.
- Doors and front faces: visible every day. Fine if you do not mind, but it should be discounted more than side damage.
- Corners and edges: cosmetic, though worth checking that the door still closes squarely and the seal sits flat.
- Interior liner cracks: a real problem in a refrigerator or freezer. Ask specifically.
- Control panels and glass: check that everything lights, responds and reads correctly.
What happens to a unit before it reaches the floor
A marked appliance arriving at the warehouse is not put straight out for sale. It is checked for function first — a washer is run through a cycle, a dryer is checked for heat and tumble, a refrigerator is checked for cooling and for its ice and water function, a dishwasher is checked for fill and drain. What was tested goes on the listing.
Then the damage is written down: not just that there is some, but where it is, because that is what decides whether you will look at it every day or never see it again once the unit is installed. The mark comes off the price, not off the performance — which is the whole reason the appliance is cheaper than the identical unmarked one.
What a listing should tell you
- Where the cosmetic damage is, specifically enough that you can picture it in your kitchen.
- Which functions were tested, rather than a blanket claim that the unit works.
- Whether a warranty option is available on that particular unit.
- The price, and a comparison price only where a verified retail price for the same model is on record.
Scratch & dent is not the same as used or refurbished
A used appliance has been installed and run in someone's home, sometimes for years. A refurbished appliance has been repaired — something failed and was fixed. A scratch & dent unit generally has neither history: it is a new or barely handled appliance that got marked in transit or on a floor.
The categories overlap in practice, which is exactly why the listing should tell you which one you are looking at. Ours says the condition on every unit, along with what was tested.
What to ask before you buy one
A seller who answers all five clearly is a seller you can buy from. A seller who is vague about where the damage is has told you something important.
Five questions that tell you what you are actually getting
- Where exactly is the damage, and can I see a photo of the actual unit?
- What was tested, and what were the results?
- Is this new, open box, used or refurbished?
- Is a warranty option available on this specific unit, and what does it cover?
- What is the return position if something is wrong on arrival?
Questions
Is a scratch and dent appliance new?
Usually it is either new or nearly new — a unit that was damaged cosmetically in shipping, used as a floor model, or returned unopened. It is different from a used appliance that ran in someone's home, and different from a refurbished one that was repaired after a failure. The listing should tell you which it is.
Does scratch and dent damage get worse over time?
Cosmetic damage to a painted or stainless panel does not spread. A dent stays the same dent. The exception is damage that breaks a protective coating in a wet environment, which can rust over years — worth checking on a washer base or a dishwasher tub edge.