Who is the UK’s Fastest Growing Phone Refurbisher?

UPDATE:

It feels like we jumped the gun on our last update – it was only the beginning. In the last three months, our website traffic has skyrocketed, making November our best-ever month by a long, long way.

In terms of Google Search traffic alone, our website has reached a growth rate of 3.6x across only SIX MONTHS! (May-November). We also saw our estimates for total website traffic come dizzyingly close to TEN TIMES what they were at this point two years ago.

The Big Phone Store

The numbers don’t lie – in 2023, The Big Phone Store is officially the fastest-growing independent refurbisher and recycler of mobile phones in the UK!

Between August 2021 and August 2023, The Big Phone Store has grown to over 360% of its original size over the 2-year period, according to data provided by ahrefs*. This represents a faster growth rate than any independent mobile phone refurbisher or recycler (of a comparable size or greater) in the UK.

+365.3% visitors per month since 2021

What is a Refurbished Phone?

A refurbished phone is any phone sold after its original packaging has been opened. This can range from “Like New” devices that have barely been touched to phones that have had previous owners and undergone repairs. At The Big Phone Store, all our refurbished phones—whether “Like New” or “Good”—are thoroughly tested to ensure they work perfectly, and we provide a 12-month warranty on every device. The grading system reflects cosmetic condition, meaning the more signs of use, the lower the price—but every phone functions as expected.

Refurbished Phones: A Rapid Growth Industry

The stigma around refurbished devices is fading fast, especially as big names like Apple, Curry’s, O2, and GiffGaff have jumped on board. More people are thinking about their environmental impact and the rising cost of living, making refurbished phones an increasingly attractive option.

What’s more, many people are realising that the newest phones often offer only marginal improvements over models from previous years. If a phone from 2020 already has a great camera, full-HD display, and strong battery life, why spend hundreds more on a 2023 model that offers only incremental upgrades?

This shift in consumer thinking is reflected in global market trends. According to Market Research Future, the global refurbished phone market is set to grow at more than 12% annually, with the UK leading the way as the fastest-growing market in Europe.

What does “Fastest Growing” mean?

There are a number of different ways to measure growth rate. When we say we’re the fastest growing, here’s what we mean:

1. We have the greatest percentage growth rate of any independent refurbisher or recycler of our size or larger.

For larger websites, percentage growth rate is the more reliable measure. The only independent refurbishers with a larger overall increase in traffic than The Big Phone Store were Mazuma and musicMagpie. Of these three sites, the Big Phone Store’s percentage growth rate was by far the highest.

2. We have the greatest overall increase in traffic of any independent refurbisher or recycler of our size or smaller.

For smaller websites, an overall increase in traffic is the more reliable indicator of growth. This is a simple fact of mathematics – a website that starts at zero visitors will have an infinitely large percentage growth rate! In addition to this, there is no way for us to be sure that we’ve counted every single UK refurbisher below a certain size. For both of these reasons, we’ve chosen to exclude any site with an estimated monthly traffic of less than 10,000.

Sites larger than The Big Phone Store

The Big Phone Store attracts tens of thousands of visitors every month, and is well on its way to becoming one of the largest independent refurbishers in the United Kingdom.

Sites a similar size to The Big Phone Store

These are the sites that have recently shared near-identical website traffic estimates with The Big Phone Store – in other words, our closest competitors.

Sites smaller than The Big Phone Store: 

The following sites were found to have lower amounts of estimated traffic than The Big Phone Store: We Buy Any Phone, Handtec (Site traffic has decreased since 2021), UR, Sell Any Mobile, Reboxed, Fonebank (Site traffic has decreased since 2021), Mozillion.

We are increasing the size of our lead compared to every one of these sites.

Honorable mentions

These services may be fast-growing, but they do not represent independent refurbishers or recyclers.

1. Fastest growing third-party mobile phone recycling website: Back Market
2. Fastest growing recycling service provided by a mobile network: GiffGaff
3. Fastest growing recycling service provided by a manufacturer: Apple Trade-In

Find Out Why Folks are Flocking to The Big Phone Store

It’s simple: with outstanding customer service, unbeatable prices, and a mission to reduce e-waste, The Big Phone Store is the best place to buy refurbished phones or recycle old ones for cash. Our customers trust us because we offer value, quality, and reliability, all backed by years of experience and a commitment to sustainability.

Find out for yourself why so many people are turning to us—and how we can help you save money, make greener choices, and get the tech you need, all in one place.

*All figures provided are based on Ahrefs data, which reflects estimated Google search traffic. Actual figures may be higher. All information is accurate as of 20/08/2023.