The best sites to buy reconditioned

If for the planet and the wallet, buying a second-hand product has only profits, used and reconditioned are two channels each with their advantages and disadvantages. The opportunity has its advantage the immediate availability of products with the possibility of organizing a hand overhaul when you are in the same geographic area as the seller. This transaction mode also makes it possible to touch and verify the product yourself, which can be an advantage when you know it, or a disadvantage if-on the contrary-you do not have the technical skills for good assess. Finally, the opportunity between individuals leaves more room for maneuver to negotiate, sometimes by opening the door to exchanges.

Reconditioned products: Choosing the right dealer

The market for reconditioned products is a cornerstone of the circular and sustainable economy. In full swing, he has largely professionalized in recent years, including in France, under the influence of large international platforms. Let’s do a check in.

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The reconditioned, what is it ?

Limit its ecological footprint and/or pay cheaper, these are the two main arguments put forward by those who allow themselves to be tempted by the purchase of a second -hand technological product. A market on which two main channels compete: the opportunity and the reconditioned. If classified ads like Leboncoin have turned a market formerly dominated by brands such as Cash Converter or Cash Express, the supply of reconditioned devices has revolutionized the sector.

Buying a used product is acquiring it as it is, potentially with dysfunctions and various broken parts. As part of a reconditioned purchase, the coveted product is “rehabilitated” according to a specific charter. Sometimes this repair consists only of a simple verification of the main operating points of the device. If it is recent and in good condition, the reconditioner will have a margin of intervention minimal and will assume its sale after having noticed that the product in question responds to its specifications. Other times, on the other hand, the different control stages give way to the replacement of certain parts (typically, the screen or the battery of a smartphone). A restoration guaranteeing the acquisition of a functional product which will last.

Spare parts can be provided by the manufacturer of the device or be only “compatible” references. It is often difficult to know what are those used by reconditioners, who nevertheless engage their responsibility – and their guarantee – on the repairs made. Most also provide a minimum percentage of the available battery capacity (generally 85 %).

To summarize, in a case we buy a product that has already served in the state where his owner has decided to sell it, from hand to hand after a connection on Leboncoin or at an intermediary, professional. In the other, we are moving towards a product verified by a professional workshop, according to a more or less exhaustive list of criteria, and rehabilitated if necessary using new parts. In the first case, it is necessary to review the device yourself to ensure your physical condition (scratches, etc.)). In the second, reconditioners guide customers by developing a product notation grid.

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Advantages and disadvantages compared to the occasion

If for the planet and the wallet, buying a second-hand product has only profits, used and reconditioned are two channels each with their advantages and disadvantages. The opportunity has its advantage the immediate availability of products with the possibility of organizing a hand overhaul when you are in the same geographic area as the seller. This transaction mode also makes it possible to touch and verify the product yourself, which can be an advantage when you know it, or a disadvantage if-on the contrary-you do not have the technical skills for good assess. Finally, the opportunity between individuals leaves more room for maneuver to negotiate, sometimes by opening the door to exchanges.

On the other hand, apart from recent products delivered with original invoice, the opportunity does not allow to claim a guarantee. And this is one of the main advantages of the platforms of reconditioned products, where sellers guarantee the products they sell (generally between 6 and 12 months, or even more). It is necessarily reassuring, as well as having access – in terms of after -sales service – to a reconditioner or a renowned platform, capable of playing a role of mediation between buyers and sellers in the event of a dispute.

Products passed by a complete reconditioning process also offer a guarantee of satisfaction, justifying the financial surplus generally observed compared to the occasion. The only reserve to have: check the nationality of the reconditioner and do not hesitate to rely on the opinions of previous buyers. From an ecological point of view, favoring French reconditioners is obvious, even if they are often a little less aggressive in terms of tariffs practiced (and they will not be helped by subjugation to private copying, cf. insert).

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How to choose your platform ?

Backmarket	Certideal	Cdiscount	Recommence	Yesyes
Status	Platform	Reconditioning	Platform and Reconditioner	Reconditioning	Reconditioning
Origin of products	Diverse	Diverse	Diverse	Buy -back to individuals (80 % French)	Mainly France (direct recovery or partners)
Location of workshops	Diverse	France	Diverse	France and Europe	France
Number of points verified	At least 40	30	At least 21	56	42
Origin of spare parts	China, mainly	Diverse	Diverse	New original or own stocks	French suppliers, Samsung origin and Apple compatible
Return	Yes, 30 days	Yes, 21 days	Yes, according to legal terms	Yes, 40 days	Yes, 14 days
Guarantee	12 months minimum	24 months	Variable up to 24 months	24 months	24 months
Number of state grades	3	3	3	4	2
Sellers control	Yes	/	Charter of good practices to respect	/	/

Shops, platforms, reconditioners … Not always easy to navigate in the jungle online offers. In order to help you see more clearly, we have drawn up a table, on a dozen criteria, of the main sales sites of repackaged products in France, selected for their notoriety and for being the most cited in a previous survey published on Digital. These criteria represent, ultimately, The main points of vigilance to have when consulting the different offers for the same type of product on different platforms. Beyond the proposed price and the target product model, they will help you make your choice.

The first thing is to check whether the repackaged product site that we visit is a platform or a reconditioner that sells live. Amazon Warehouse, Cdiscount or the essential Backmarket are, for example, platforms (or marketplace) which aggregate the offers in reconditioned products of a multitude of sellers. Recommece, Certideal, Smaaart or Yesyes are, them, reconditioners who sell live, but also sometimes on the aforementioned platforms. It also happens that platforms also play the role of reconditioners. This is for example the case of Cdiscount who, for a few months, has offered on telephony the “reconditioned by Cdiscount”, namely products rehabilitated and repaired by the company teams.

Regarding the origin of products and spare parts, they are variable. Some sites manage to provide themselves mainly by buying their old devices to individuals, as a start -up, 80 % of which come from France. However, the giant backmarket explains to us that it is vital for its platform and resellers to multiply the sources of recovery. With 250,000 products included in 2021, to obtain only in France is impossible. Blackmarket, which is present in 16 countries through 1,500 partners, points out to us that the biggest pool is in the United States, a market on which the resumption of old equipment by brands is a culturally anchored phenomenon. Note that a multitude of partnerships are seen in France between specialized websites and large brands to facilitate the resumption of old stores in store.

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These scales mean that, for reconditioners around the world, obtain smartphones manufacturers (Apple, Samsung, etc.) Sufficient part of the original manufacturer to restore the devices is impossible, especially since these brands keep a good part for their own after-sales services. A vast majority of reconditioned products therefore use certified and compatible parts from China. The supply of spare parts is at the discretion of reconditioners and sellers, and it should be noted that certain brands – for the concern of customer information – sometimes signal the use of compatible but not “official” parts. This is why a warning message may appear on an iPhone using an alternative battery, for example. A problem that some reconditioners take their body. Backmarket, thus has a R&D technical unit which helps its selling partners in component sourcing, to ensure that the parts used are reliable, recognized and certified.

When making his choice, several technical criteria will weigh in the scale. The possibility of changing your mind and making a return (it is possible, often between 14 and 40 days); the duration of the warranty (between 6 and 24 months); or the state grade (there are generally 3 or 4, ranging from impeccable). Please note, this report only concerns the aesthetic state of the products and not their functional state. The sellers start from the principle that as reconditioned products, all have been verified and are 100 % functional. The DGCCRF (repression of fraud) would like more information to be provided on the operating state of the products (battery capacity, for example).

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The “made in France” is an argument increasingly put forward by French reconditioners, in opposition to marketplace who make third -party sellers work from all nationalities. And since the purchase of a reconditioned product is also a gesture in favor of the environment, as much to shorten the chain as much as possible. It is also reassuring to know that our interlocutor is in France, with a after -sales service and French workshops. Platforms therefore invest in this sense. Backmarket requires, for example, its sellers to offer a after -sales service in the country’s language in which they wish to sell. As for Cdiscount, it has a “reconditioned in France” label with fifteen French actors guaranteeing products tested, repaired and re -elected in France, with a after -sales service also managed from France.

Vendors control, if it is not a selection criterion for the customer, is no less important. By questioning the main platforms, we have systematically found the presence of quality charters and good practices to respect. Backmarket also informed us of the 40 -day audit period which precedes any integration of a new seller, during which his number of daily sales is limited. This allows the platform to exercise control over sellers, especially since mysteries are regularly carried out by company technicians, for validation for validation.

Why this is important for the planet

When you extend the life of a product, you are de facto buying new products. Be able to count on reliable, durable and – of course – repairable products is therefore fundamental. Obviously, on the tech market, it is illusory to hope to be able to do without new, which leads technological advances and allows you to supply the second -hand market. On the other hand, it is obvious that with consumption modes more turned towards repair and the use of reconditioned products, in opposition to overconsumption, we fight waste and overproduction. To convince yourself of the interest of the approach, it is never superfluous to recall some data on the ecological incidence of the sector.

• 70 different materials are necessary to make a smartphone
• 70 kg of raw materials are used for the manufacture of a single phone
• 75 % of the carbon footprint of a smartphone comes from its manufacture
• 88 % of phones replaced in France (on average every two years) are still functional
• 30 million mobile phones sleep in drawers in France, only 15 % of the devices are collected to be recycled
• The 100 % recycled phone is a chimera. Apple, who announced it, does not yet know how to manufacture it
• The extraction of materials generates massive pollution worldwide
• Unicef ​​denounces the work of thousands of children in these mines

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Private copy: a royalty that risks plumbing French reconditioners

This may not have escaped you, in November 2021, the Sirrmiet (interprofessional union of the reconditioning and regeneration of IT, electronic and telecoms materials) informed its misunderstanding and anger in a press release, following the vote by the Senate of a law subjecting the products reconditioned to the “tax” private copy. “This will increase the price of reconditioned devices, harming the purchasing power of the most modest French people and digging a digital fracture already present. All without counting the catastrophic impact she will have on the French reconditioned sector, subject to tough international competition from actors with often unfair practices “, regretted the union. David Mignot, co -founder of Yesyes, said on this subject when we questioned it: “This measure should not question a French quality reconditioned sector, important for the economy but also from an environmental point of view [. especially since there are a large number of foreign reconditioners who will never pay this fee [In addition to one] unfair competition which already existed with VAT “.

Numériques engages in the circular economy and the ecological transition

The best sites to buy reconditioned

Summary : More economical and ecological than new and-in principle-more reliable than the occasion, the reconditioned seduces more and more consumer in the field of high-tech, first of all smartphones. But the models and practices are very different between the different actors. French Smaaart and two German actors, As Good As New and Rebuy are undoubtedly the most qualitatfis and the safest. Conversely, it is better to avoid the best known as Backmarlet and Certideal.

The reconditioned market suffers from the absence of a common framework: any actor can position himself as “reconditioning” and sell in market places. The opacity of the sector is regularly pointed out by consumer specialists. And those who make the most advertising are often the least recommendable. Here is a review of each actor, preferably.

Smaaart: long -term guarantee and circular economy

We have already told you about this particularly reliable French actor: Smaaart, a company specializing in the reconditioning of phones which stands out for its long -term warranty and Globally very positive customer feedback (without tank notes). Compared to other sectors of the sectors such as Remade, Rebuy or Recommece or in market places that also sell reconditioned (Backmarket, Cdiscount, Fnac or Amazon), SMAART has a longer warranty on its products (Up to 24 months for 20 € more against the 6 legal months)).
By putting the circular economy at the heart of its business (the products are exclusively reconditioned in France) and notably supporting the league against cancer, Smaaart appears as one of the most ethical and ethical players of this market. The savings made by the consumer remain important with 34% on average compared to new purchase. Smaaart highlights a figure: a reconditioned smartphone purchased from her house, it is 80% saving for the planet compared to the new (in carbon cost + raw materials).

AFB Shop: less recent products but a unique model and excellent feedback

We stay in Germany to evoke AFB Shop. which has 20 subsidiaries including Four in France : in Nantes, Caen, Grenoble and Annecy. The company is Very well rated on Trustpilot (4.7/5) and on most platforms that reserve this brand.

It has the distinction of being a nonprofit organization, Which is rare enough to be reported. It offers a whole range of reconditioned products, from computers to smartphones. Its added value undoubtedly comes from the eco-responsible and social values ​​that it has: it is recognized as a public utility and makes people work with disabilities. Its model is recognized in particular by the Emmaus label.

To equip herself, she Bought computer parks from large companies who renew their equipment to give them a second life. THE smartphones you find will therefore be less recent that those offered by other brands but their prices are very interesting. The website is clear and offers a very interesting reconditioned guide, the products are guaranteed for 12 months at no additional cost, and some 24 months with extension rates that vary according to the products. It is our stroke of heart If you are not looking for the latest super connected smartphone.

As good as new: and in the end, Germany wins ? Not this time

Cross the Rhine to talk about a very interesting German actor. The company AS Good As New has since 2008 have its own reconditioning factories in Germany. It has a large range of products (phones, tablets, computers, consoles, connected watches) and offers a 30 -month warranty With a free return possible the first 30 days. She tops up several rankings made by comparators. You can also use the platform to sell your old device.

However, shared customer opinions in France include a fairly large share of disappointments. If the choice is great, you take a higher risk of disappointment than at Smaaart And AFB Shop. However, the duration of warranty and the content of the opinions suggest that this remains a safer place than the marketplace Backmarket (Or As good as new is present) or the seller Certideal.

Rebuy: the longest guarantee and a lot of Apple products

Rebuy was created by German students and proposed, basically, to give a second life to video games before expanding its range to the reconditioning of electronic products. It has the longest guarantee on its products: 3 years old. The German company presents itself as the European market leader with more than 2 million products in stock and a choice of configuration of the wider models than on Amazon Renewed for example. Rebuy receives thousands of individuals from individuals, controls them, note and put them back on sale.

Backmarket: Large offer, risky purchase and ecological cost

Backmarket was created in 2014 and offers both phones and computers, televisions or reconditioned household appliances. It is the company that has the widest offer. It is not strictly speaking a reconditioner, it is a platform that connects buyers and sellers of reconditioned products.
The problem: sellers who are on the marketplace are often based far from France and particular in Asia. This has an advantage the price with “46% saving” on average. But that has several drawbacks:

• Strong uncertainty about product quality (battery, quality of accessories, lifespan, etc.))
• Potential difficulties with after-sales service
• And it’s not very ecological,

This allows him to offer products among the cheapest to backmarket also benefits from powerful support and networks and press articles sometimes a little too flattering to be completely sincere. The most skeptical on the evolution of the model will note that Goldman Sachs has entered the capital of the company which assures him a royal way on the American market but must question us about the evolution of his model in the years to come.

Devil’s sale: interesting promises but glaring limits

Another French actor is interesting: sale of the devil. Established in France, it offers several types of high-tech products with a 6-month warranty only (the legal limit). She Works in partnership with Paygreen To calculate the carbon impact of each order and compensate for it via a forest project.
However, we note negative feedback from several customers, disappointed with the after-sales service (communication problem, slowness, disputes, impossibility of reimbursement) as relayed on the site of 60 million consumers. The overall note of the company on Trustpilot is among the lowest of the players in this market.

Certideal: in full swing but also risks of disappointment

We also told you about Certideal, which went from “trusted third party” to “exclusive reconditioning” by changing its original model between 2016 and 2019. If you go regularly on Youtube, you have necessarily seen one of their advertisements pass. Like Backmarket, Certideal plays on aggressive marketing by highlighting the attractive prices he offers to his customers.

60% of the phones offered come from the American market. Certideal bought operators and does not go through individuals. These phones are then controlled and reconditioned in a workshop in the Paris region. The opinions are generally positive despite some problematic feedback (with an improvement since Negative opinions went from 20 to 9% between 2019 and today)).

Remade: the remedy worse than evil ?

REMADEINFRANCE highlights the longer guarantees with 12 months without additional payment and 35 control points on these products. The big problem is that customer comments are particularly negative. The Norman brand obtains the extremely low note of 1.8 /5 on Trustpilot. Including 75% “bad” (1 in 5) out of 71 reviews. Customers bring back Articles that do not work or not properly and/or that do not meet their expectations. Some also share very long response times and lack of care despite products (batteries) still under warranty. In short, the company has a detestable e-reputation and almost disappeared at the end of 2019. 211 employees were dismissed during his acquisition by a British company and several preliminary investigations were opened. The former CEO of the box bought 30% of the capital a few months later, “a spit in the figure of the employees” for the CSE of Remade.