Usually, a refurbished electronic device is one that has been previously returned or re-sold to a retailer for any reason.
While in most countries there is no set legal definition, devices sold as "refurbished" tend to also come with the following assurances.
These include: Many independent electronics refurbishers operate their own online retail store.
Manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung increasingly operate trade-in programs when buying a new device through their online store, which allows them to easily sell their own refurbished products.
Back Market and Mozillion are examples of online marketplaces specialising in pre-owned electronics.
Meanwhile Swappa, Amazon, TikTok Shop, eBay, Ovantica are all large online platforms where independent electronics refurbishers can sell their products.
According to a 2024 report by GfK, this is primarily driven by cost, as well as the increasing necessity of owning digital devices.
[9] According to the same report, another contributing factor is increased environmental awareness, as both smartphone manufacture and electronic waste are sources of pollution.