Is Back Market A Reputable Website To Buy Your Refurbished Tech? Here's What Users Say

There's no getting around it: Prices for consumer tech are sky high. That's why so many of us shop around for deals when it comes time to buy a new phone, laptop, or tablet. An increasingly popular way to save is by buying refurbished tech instead of buying it brand new. The good news for us bargain hunters is that there's no shortage of websites ready to assist us in this pursuit. While you may have heard of eBay Refurbished and are likely familiar with Amazon Renewed, one platform that's been getting more attention lately is Back Market, a website focused solely on refurbished electronics. The company was founded in Paris in 2014, and since then, according to its own figures, has sold over 30 million refurbished devices. 

If you're new to Back Market, you probably want to know if the website is actually trustworthy before you spend your money. After all, we've all seen our fair share of fly-by-night sellers and questionable listings when shopping for used tech online. Back Market promotes the tech it sells as "verified refurbished," which means it has been inspected by industry professionals in accordance with the company's standards. 

What makes the website so attractive to potential buyers is the chance to save up to 70% compared to buying a product new. Purchases on the website are covered by a one-year limited warranty that guarantees products are free from defects. Even with all the safeguards in place, opinions of the website are mixed, with some users reporting positive experiences and others citing issues with product quality and customer service.

For many of us, buying refurbished tech feels like a gamble. And it's true, there are a lot of things to consider before buying a renewed iPhone, and we may wonder if a refurbished Android phone is worth it, or whether we should just buy new? That's why websites like Back Market often give us pause. That said, many have taken a chance on Back Market and walked away satisfied, with some saying the devices they purchased on the site exceeded their expectations in both appearance and performance. The platform has an overall rating of 4.5/5 on Trustpilot and has accumulated over 15,000 reviews in the United States. One satisfied customer had this to say, "This refurbished iPhone 15 Pro Max checked all the boxes I needed it to. Significantly less expensive than a new model, and the phone itself arrived in immaculate shape."

A Redditor on the r/Backmarket subreddit who bought an iPhone 11 said they were happy with their purchase and the company's customer service. Over on r/Frugal, Redditors were equally positive, including a couple of repeat buyers who said they never had any issues. Several had bought Apple products on the platform, including iPads and MacBooks, with one Redditor saying that after using Back Market that they'd never buy new, and the two MacBooks they'd bought had "lasted forever" until they could no longer be updated. On the MoneySavingExpert forum, most users agreed that the refurbished phones on Back Market worked as expected, with one person saying, "My nephew has bought two from them and reckons he's had no problems....Apparently, they deal in 13 countries now, so guessing they aren't scam artists." The general consensus is that Back Market is a legit website for buying refurbished tech.

While there are a good number of positive reviews about Back Market on various forums, not everyone walked away from their purchases as happy customers. Buried in the positive reviews on Trustpilot are complaints ranging from accessories not working to buyers receiving the wrong device. A couple of users reported that the laptops they received worked fine, but the included chargers were broken, or they received an aftermarket charger that wasn't fully compatible with their device. The opinions on Quora were harsher, with one user warning, "buyer beware," and going on to explain that they received the wrong phone and had to deal with what they described as Back Market's slow, inflexible, and ultimately dishonest exchange process. The user did acknowledge, "When they are good, they are very, very good; when they are bad, they are horrid." Another commenter on Quora went so far as to call the website a "scam."

A Back Market user on the r/Backmarket subreddit described the company's customer service as "non-existent," with another asking, "How do you get a hold of customer service?" in response to someone saying they had a positive experience with them. On the r/Scams subreddit, a user in the UK said they had to go through the company's legal documents to find the phone number for its customer service. Another Redditor said, "We have been completely scammed by Back Market, who took £700.00 for a new phone and never delivered. I have been trying to get my money back from them for a month, and nothing, they simply continue to ignore me with ridiculous excuses." The risk with Back Market seems to depend less on the platform itself and more on the individual seller and how the company handles things when something goes wrong.