Phonecheck, an industry-trusted mobile device certification provider, recently announced it is a preferred partner for Back Market, the leading renewed electronics marketplace. While great news for both companies, how does this translate into benefits to mobile device buyers and sellers?
The market for refurbished phones is forecasted to grow to a worldwide industry value of $65 billion by 2024. Keeping devices in circulation through repair and refurbishment combats rising e-waste levels, expected to hit 120 million tons by 2050. This is, in part, due to the fact that Americans discard 416,000 cell phones every day. Newly released data further quantifies the impact of refurbished electronics versus new.
As the industry grows, so does the need for quality assurance. Buyers want regulated, industry-wide standards for quality and authenticity. Sellers are looking for ways to differentiate, increase sales and generate more revenue per device. By leveraging the use of comprehensive device certification, sellers typically see much brisker sales and a higher resale value. A strong alliance between industry leaders can infuse more trust into transactions between buyers and sellers.
Phonecheck as a preferred partner offers Back Market sellers additional tools to enhance used device diagnostics and certification, further supporting quality as a top priority for the marketplace.
"Refurbished device sales have been booming, but quality still remains a top concern. Our goal is to give consumers no factual reason to buy new. Services like Phonecheck increase assurance even further to create airtight trust," said Lauren Benton, U.S. General Manager at Back Market. "The Phonecheck partnership also provides additional quality data points to our sellers. With sellers now required to provide IMEI numbers, this is a perfect time to start leveraging these metrics and reports."
Phonecheck certification is supported by the company's exclusive Device History Report, providing crucial details on device authenticity, ownership status, carrier information, repair history, functionality and more to Phonecheck users. Devices undergo a comprehensive diagnostic and certified data-wipe process, accredited by the Asset Disposal and Information Security Alliance (ADISA), through the enterprise-scale testing and certification suite. Phonecheck's programmatic certification goes beyond diagnostics and data-wipe to report accurate, verified data on each device for sellers to deliver as an added value to their customers in the resale process.
BackMarket, which has sold refurbished devices to more than six million customers, has its own stringent program in place to monitor the quality of devices, including an approval process that sees two out of three potential sellers denied access to its marketplace. The company also monitors seller performance in real-time and offers buyers a 30-day money-back guarantee and one-year warranty.
As of this year, sellers on Back Market are now required to provide an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, a unique identifier, for every phone listed in its marketplace. As a part of its 80-point certification process, Phonecheck can analyze IMEI numbers and confirm if a device has been reported lost or stolen, was blacklisted, or is subject to an insurance claim. This provides additional data points for Back Market sellers to continue improving quality and be successful on the marketplace.
"You wouldn't purchase a car or home without a Carfax report or home appraisal. At Phonecheck, we believe the same should apply for any used device purchase," said Jax Futrell, Chief Operating Officer at Phonecheck.
