Should I Buy a Refurbished Phone?
If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, a refurbished model might catch your eye, especially because it can save you a lot of money. You could even snag a later model at a much lower price compared to buying it new.
While buying a refurbished phone can be a smart way to save money, there are a few things to consider before making your decision. One of the main benefits is the cost savings, but there are also risks involved, particularly when buying from an online marketplace!
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These risks can include issues with the phone’s condition, potential warranty limitations, or even the possibility of buying from an unreliable seller. It’s important to weigh these factors carefully to determine if purchasing a refurbished phone online is the right choice for you.
Where Can I Buy a Refurbished Phone
There are many places you can buy a refurbished phone from online, but we can’t guarantee that these places are reputable sellers.
However, we CAN guarantee reliability here at The Big Phone Store! All our refurbished tech comes with warranties guarantees to give you peace of mind when buying refurbished.
Risks of Buying Refurbished Phones from Marketplaces
“An online marketplace is a type of e-commerce website where multiple third parties provide product or service information. The marketplace connects buyers and sellers of a certain good or service.”
A few examples of these marketplaces include eBay, Facebook, and Backmarket.
When you buy from an online marketplace, you’re often dealing with an unknown seller. This means you have to trust that they will deliver what they promise, which isn’t always guaranteed. If the phone doesn’t meet your expectations, getting a refund or exchange can be tricky, depending on the seller.
Although marketplaces often offer some protection, the risk of disappointment remains because there’s little recourse if something goes wrong.
Marketplaces are crowded with many different sellers, making it hard to know who is trustworthy. Some sellers might disappear after fulfilling their orders, leaving you with no way to contact them if you need to return the product.
These sellers don’t always follow strict regulations, so tracing the source of the product or getting in touch with them later can be difficult. Additionally, not all sellers offer refunds, and those who do might charge extra fees for shipping or other costs.
A refurbished phone should go through rigorous testing to ensure it works like new, but when buying from a marketplace, you can’t always be sure these tests were done properly. Some sellers might not even disclose their testing process, so you don’t really know if the phone is genuinely refurbished.
Since some sellers don’t prioritise their reputation, they might make false claims about the quality of the phone, use counterfeit parts, or skip important quality checks. This can lead to a device that doesn’t perform as expected.
Warranty coverage is another major concern when buying from marketplaces like eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Many sellers don’t offer warranties for refurbished or used products, meaning you’re out of luck if something goes wrong.
Even when a warranty is provided, it’s often limited and may expire quickly. If your phone breaks down after 30 or 60 days, you may have no way to get it repaired or replaced.
Used vs Refurbished
The marketplace is filled with many phones labelled “used” or “refurbished.” Before buying from the platform, you need to understand the difference between those two terms.
- Used phones typically come from a previous owner who wants to sell the device after using it for some time. The problem here is that you do not know whether the phone belongs to the person who owns it or not. Moreover, such phones are sold off without proper inspection. Due to a lack of testing, the device’s reliability could be questionable.
Refurbished phones are checked thoroughly to ensure it works without issues. The seller inspects and performs a series of tests on them. When a device passes these quality checks successfully, it can be refurbished. Nonetheless, it comes with its own set of drawbacks when purchased from an unreliable source.
Note: Sometimes sellers may label “Refurbished” as “Used”, which could confuse consumers unfamiliar with the differences between used and refurbished products, and also lead to questions about the actual quality of the device. On the other hand, buying a refurbished smartphone directly from reputable retailers reduces the risk of purchasing a defective phone. The quality of your phone will be verified at every phase during the purchase.
Benefits of Buying Refurbished Phones From The Big Phone Store
It takes a lot of hard work to build up a customer base and reputation. However, you can easily trust a company that has been in the business of selling refurbished phones for many years. They have a proven record of accomplishment that ensures your satisfaction and safety.
If someone has been in this industry for a long time, chances are they know what customers want, how to meet their expectations, and how to provide customers with a hassle-free experience.
💡 The Big Phone Store has been selling refurbished phones since 1999. We are the oldest and one of the largest retailers in the UK of refurbished and new smartphones. So our buyers know they are in safe hands when they purchase from us.
Refurbished retailers make sure that each product undergoes multiple inspections before being shipped to the customer. This includes testing all the major parts of the mobile phone (screen, motherboard, etc.) to make sure it works properly.
Only those devices that pass the inspection process get approved for sale. If there is anything wrong with the device, it gets rejected immediately. Therefore, it reduces the chances of getting faulty products.
💡 At The Big Phone Store, we carry out a full diagnosis to ensure that each mobile phone is 100% functional. In addition, over 90 quality tests are performed on every phone, after which they are categorised based on their cosmetic appearance. Read our article “How Are Refurbished Phones Tested?” to learn more about what we inspect.
Unlike in the marketplace, where you have little guarantee that you can even get help if something goes wrong. A phone sold through a retailer lasts longer and has better warranty coverage.
💡 Refurbished phones from The Big Phone Store come with a 12-month warranty that protects you against any technical or manufacturer defects. If something goes wrong with your phone, you can have it repaired or replaced.
The price promise match offered by The Big Phone Store guarantees that customers pay the lowest possible price at checkout without worrying about hidden charges.
The team of experts at The Big Phone Store monitor and compare prices across various markets to deliver the best deals for refurbished phones. They will find the item’s market price and match it against the price you see during checkout to ensure you do not end up paying extra money.
So, What Should you Do?
Buying a refurbished smartphone can seem like a tricky decision, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s important to choose a reliable product at a reasonable price, especially since your phone is an investment you want to last.
At The Big Phone Store, we make sure you get a great deal without compromising on quality. We pride ourselves on 100% customer satisfaction, delivering the best balance of price and quality. We stock phones from top brands like Samsung, Apple, Huawei, Google, LG, and more, ensuring you have plenty of trustworthy options to choose from.
Whether you’re upgrading your current phone or looking for something entirely new, The Big Phone Store offers a range of refurbished and new models to fit your budget and needs. We’ll help you find the perfect device that meets your expectations.
Upgrade today by selling your old device! Click on the links to find out value of your mobile phone and how to 'Sell My Phone,' benefit from 'Phone Trade-In' or 'iPhone Trade-In' for the best value.
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