Refurbished Fire TVs for $24.99 on eBay [Expired]

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A week ago, I came across an eBay listing for $24.99 Amazon Fire TVs. The listing is still active and is for just the Fire TV itself, without the power adapter or remote. I was intrigued because the seller had sold hundreds, and the units were factory sealed by Amazon in made-to-fit small retail boxes, different from the standard retail box. I ordered one and it arrived today. Here’s what you should know if you’re considering buying one.

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The eBay listing says these Fire TVs are new, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, they are factory sealed by Amazon with the same frustration-free pull tab found on the regular retail Fire TV packaging, so in that sense they are new. But what’s inside the box is obviously a refurbished device that was probably purchased by someone, returned, and repackaged by Amazon. A little research on the seller, Cargo Largo, reveals they deal in “the sale of undelivered and excess inventory”, so they likely purchased these units wholesale from Amazon.

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The unit I received was practically new without a single scratch or fingerprint, however the plastic wrap and protective strip around the unit were not applied with the same precision as one would find on a brand new device. The serial number on the box matched the serial number reported by the Fire TV itself. The serial number indicated that it started life with version 51.1.0.1 of the Fire TV software. I had no trouble bypassing the initial update, but unfortunately it arrived with software version 51.1.3.0 so this particular unit was not rootable. I would guess that, just like the refurbished Fire TVs sold by Amazon, these will all have different software versions. Some will be rootable, while others will not be rootable; it’s luck of the draw.

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If you’re planning to control your Fire TV with a keyboard anyway, this is a pretty great deal. Buying a $19.99 power adapter gets you a functioning Fire TV for $45 plus shipping. If you buy one to use with just a keyboard, be aware though that you’ll need a Fire TV remote to complete the initial setup since the first thing the Fire TV does is search for a remote and there doesn’t seem to be a way to get past that screen without connecting a remote. Once you’ve completed the setup, you won’t need the remote again. Even if you factor in the Fire TV Stick’s non-voice remote for $14.99, you’ve still got a complete Fire TV for just under $60.

21 comments
  1. John Hale says:

    Not a bad deal. Too bad since they are refreshed we cannot tell if they are rootable or not.

    Kinda a luck of the draw

  2. hdmkv says:

    Thanks, just ordered 2. That makes 5x FTV’s around the house for me :D!

  3. Jimmy Velazquez says:

    Sold out already, son of a…

  4. Joe Mama says:

    Or you could buy a MeLE F10 and get a better remote in the process while still saving money over a new Fire TV.

  5. Steve says:

    Sure hope they restock.. Sorry I missed it, it was a good value.

  6. chris wolfe says:

    I bought 4 of these and unfortunately they were all on an a non rootable software…still a good deal though. Hopefully someone will find a way to root 51.1.3.0.

  7. harry says:

    So I order one and its coming Tuesday. I just realized that they don’t come with power adapter. so I ordered that too. and then the game controller and the remote from amazon. I just need full kodi to replace my apple tv 2 that I sold for 170$. SHould I root and unlock bootloader if SN allows it, or kodi will have full functionality by sideloading it?

    • Joe Mama says:

      If you only want to do Kodi and don’t need launcher capabilities you can get by fine without root. If you CAN root it, and feel comfortable doing so, I would go ahead and root it just in case down the line you find a reason for root.

  8. BoomSchtick says:

    I got mine today. Has firmware version 5.1.1.3.0_user_513011520. Used all the plugs and remote for my existing one to get into it.

    Works great!

  9. William Hughes says:

    I bought 3 and 2 of them are not rootable. I will have to wait to see if the third one is rootable. I have not read any posts that read any of that batch have been rootable. I believe all of them came with 5.1.1.3.0 I purchased an Amazon Fire TV streaming device when they first came out and I rooted it immediately so I do have one of tge 4 that are rooted. I don’t mind, it was still a great value at $30.

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