Dented refrigerators and scuffed ranges rarely appear on national websites. They are sold within a short radius of where they landed, and freight economics is the whole explanation.
Damage happens in handling, not manufacturing
Most cosmetic damage occurs in transit or during warehouse handling, when a unit is dropped, struck by equipment or crushed by stacking.
The mechanical function is usually untouched, since the injury is to a painted panel or a door skin rather than to the compressor or the control system.
Insurance and freight claims resolve the financial loss between the parties, after which the physical unit still exists and must be sold somewhere.
Freight cost sets the selling radius
Appliances are heavy and bulky, so shipping cost is a large fraction of the delivered price even at full retail.
On a discounted unit that fraction becomes prohibitive, which means a damaged appliance is worth much more near its current location than far from it.
Local dealers who collect from regional distribution points therefore dominate the trade, and their inventory reflects whatever happened to arrive damaged that month.
Assortment is unrepeatable by nature
A scratch and dent dealer cannot order a specific model, since supply is the byproduct of accidents rather than a catalog.
That makes advertising particular products pointless and makes the floor the advertisement, which is why these dealers operate showrooms and rarely maintain deep online listings.
It also means a shopper is choosing among what exists rather than selecting a model, a reversal of the usual appliance purchase.
Warranty status varies by source
Units sold as new with cosmetic damage may retain the manufacturer warranty, while units that were returned, used for display or repaired often do not.
Dealers commonly offer their own limited coverage in place of it, backed by a local service relationship rather than by the manufacturer's network.
Asking who honors a failure, and for how long, separates a genuine discount from a transfer of risk to the buyer.
Placement determines whether damage matters
A dent on a side panel is invisible once a unit is installed between cabinets, while damage to a visible door affects a kitchen every day.
Dealers price accordingly, discounting hidden damage less than visible damage, because the market values them very differently.
The practical skill in buying this way is knowing the installed sightlines of the space, which the buyer knows and the dealer cannot.