June 2026
Back Market is a French-founded marketplace for refurbished electronics — phones, laptops, tablets and more. It does not refurbish phones itself. Instead it acts as a platform connecting buyers with professional refurbishers, and quality-controls them on your behalf.
It is now one of the largest refurbished phone marketplaces in the world, operating in 18 countries including the UK.
Yes — Back Market is a legitimate, well-established business with strong consumer protections.
12-month warranty on every device sold through Back Market. If your phone develops a fault within 12 months, Back Market coordinates the repair or replacement.
30-day returns — if you are not happy with your phone for any reason, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.
UK consumer law — as a UK-based operation, Back Market is subject to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which gives you additional protection beyond their own warranty.
Refurbisher vetting — Back Market grades and monitors the sellers on their platform. Refurbishers with consistently poor feedback are removed.
Back Market uses their own grading scale:
Excellent (Renewed Premium): The highest grade. Minimal to no signs of use. Battery health typically 90% or above.
Good (Renewed): Light signs of use — small scratches possible but nothing that affects function. Battery health typically 80–90%.
Fair (Renewed Value): Visible signs of use but fully functional. The cheapest option if you are not concerned about cosmetics.
GadgetRank recommends buying Excellent or Good grade for most people. Fair can be a good deal if you plan to put a case on the phone immediately.
The savings are real. A refurbished iPhone 15 Pro in Excellent condition on Back Market typically costs £200–£350 less than buying new from Apple. For Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the saving is often £250–£400.
Selection — Back Market carries a wider range of models than most UK refurbishers, including older models that have been discontinued.
Price — competitive across most iPhone and Samsung models.
Transparency — they show you exactly which refurbisher is selling the phone and what their ratings are.
Variable quality between sellers — Back Market vets refurbishers but quality can still vary. Read the seller ratings before buying.
Battery health — always check what battery health the listing specifies. Some Good grade phones have batteries at 80% which means you may want a replacement within a year.
Delivery times — some phones arrive in 2 days, others take a week or more.
UK-based refurbishers like ur offer a more controlled, consistent experience. Back Market offers wider selection and sometimes lower prices, but with more variability between sellers.
For most buyers, both are excellent options.
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