No one can deny the meteoric rise of used phone sales. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), shipments of used smartphones will reach 413.3 million units in 2026 with a compound annual growth rate of 10.3% from 2021 to 2026. The growth in sales is due to trade-in programs and increased sales of higher-priced devices.
With so many used phones available to consumers, choosing the best refurbished phone for your needs and then choosing the best place to buy used phones can be overwhelming. Our Complete Guide to Buying Refurbished Phones can help you decide what type of used mobile device is best for you. Below you’ll find some of the top places to buy used phones in 2023 (in no particular order).
eBay
Launched in 1995, eBay was one of the first online markets. It is now one of the leaders in e-commerce worldwide. Because it caters to individual sellers and small businesses, it’s one of the top places to buy used phones.
Some of the great perks about buying a refurbished phone from eBay are that you can filter for exactly what you’re looking for, and it offers a money-back guarantee thanks to the fact that they use PayPal for purchases. eBay also has a robust feedback system to let buyers know which sellers to trust.
A few things to be aware of — there are no restrictions on who can sell specific items (Tip: Add “Phonecheck” to your search terms to find eBay sellers who will provide a Phonecheck certification with their device.) and buyers need to watch the listing type. The various listings include auctions, buy right now, bidding contracts, and tentative agreements.
Swappa
This e-commerce site was founded in 2010 as a source for only Android products, but quickly became a top place to buy used phones and sell them. While eBay has the seller pay the fees, Swappa is different in that it charges the buyer any associated fees. While this may not seem like a pro, it does encourage more sellers to put their products on this site, therefore increasing the inventory. Swappa’s fees are generally less than $20 and their refurbished phone prices tend to be some of the lowest you’ll find, so often it’s worth it to pay the fees.
Some other pros of buying a used phone on Swappa are the listing requirements. All listings:
Swappa also uses PayPal, so all listings are protected.
To help ensure the quality of the refurbished phone, buyers can look through the listings for the Phonecheck badge on certified listings from Enterprise Sellers. In the future, buyers will be able to filter listings by Phonecheck status so they can find used devices with their comprehensive Device History Reports.
Back Market
Backmarket came onto the scene as a place to buy used phones with a mission to challenge people to rethink their tech consumption and help control the “megatons of e-waste.” It has sold refurbished devices to more than six million customers and has a 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 a one-year warranty.
Backmarket sellers are required to provide an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number (a unique identifier) for every phone listed in its marketplace. 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 in the marketplace.
