Better Used or Refurb'ed?

I have been looking for a 17-55 for a little bit now and found a few on eBay. The two I am deciding on are the exact same price. ($830ish after cashback). One is used, but with no internal dust whatsoever. The seller's word on the lens is that it is almost mint, but has had it for over a year. The other one would be a refurbished one from cametaauctions, who is a well known seller here. Are there any negatives about a refurbished item?

no, warranty makes it a good choice over used if you're worried about that

I would go refurbished. Actually, I bought both my camera body and kit lens refurbished and besides the box being different (they always put it in a 'refurb' box), you would never know either wasn't new. Plus, as EmmaRosa said, you get the warranty. If they're both the same price, there's no decision in my mind.

I would consider refurbished ONLY if there is proof from the manufacturer that the item was truly refurbished by them, was checked out fully, and has paperwork for a true warranty.

The big box store I work for sells gasoline powered items that have been returned as "reconditioned" after they go to some nearby shop. Supposedly, the new buyer gets manufacturer's warranty but not the same store warranty as buyers get with new items. I would shy away from the "recon" items because there is seldom any paperwork defining what was wrong and what was done to resolve the issue(s).

I would NEVER buy used photo equipment such as cameras and lenses from any individual who I did not know personally and have a level of trust for. The only photo equipment I have sold (back in the mid 1960s) was to folks I knew well at the time.

I've used two refurb lenses in the past. I couldn't tell that they weren't new. They worked flawlessly. They came in a white Canon labelled box which was labeled refurbished.

SkipD wrote in post #10475143
I would consider refurbished ONLY if there is proof from the manufacturer that the item was truly refurbished by them, was checked out fully, and has paperwork for a true warranty.

The big box store I work for sells gasoline powered items that have been returned as "reconditioned" after they go to some nearby shop. Supposedly, the new buyer gets manufacturer's warranty but not the same store warranty as buyers get with new items. I would shy away from the "recon" items because there is seldom any paperwork defining what was wrong and what was done to resolve the issue(s).

From experience, there's a big difference in refurbished and "reconditioned". Skip's right about warranty. I almost got sucked into buying a "reconditioned" gas-powered generator until it was explained to me that even though the generator body was warranteed, there was no warranty on the engine.

Having said that, a factory-refurbished piece is sometimes even better than new because it's had one-on-one attention to all the details.