The World of Back Market: A Platform for Purchasing Refurbished Tech

Back Market is a global marketplace that claims to offer a platform where customers can purchase refurbished technology products, with the aim of not only providing good deals but also being environmentally friendly. The platform boasts a wide variety of products, including iPhones, Samsung Galaxies, MacBooks, AirPods, video game consoles, iMacs, and Windows laptops, among others. This suggests that Back Market is a one-stop-shop for customers looking to purchase refurbished technology products.

One of the most interesting aspects of Back Market is its premium refurbished tech offerings. The platform clearly states that it offers brand-new batteries on select items, such as iPhones, which can be a major selling point for customers looking to upgrade their devices without breaking the bank. However, it's worth noting that not all items sold on Back Market are coming directly from the original manufacturer.

The platform claims that only one out of three sellers applies to sell on Back Market, and that these items undergo a minimum 25-point inspection by industry professionals before being listed for sale. This level of scrutiny suggests that Back Market is committed to providing high-quality products to its customers. Furthermore, each item sold on the platform comes with a one-year warranty, which is significantly longer than many other refurbished technology platforms.

Another notable aspect of Back Market's business model is its pricing strategy. The platform offers items in three different condition categories: fair, good, and excellent. Fair items are characterized by slight scratches or dents, while good items have faint signs of wear that are not noticeable from more than 20 inches away. Excellent items, on the other hand, appear like new with no visible scratches.

When browsing the platform's listings, customers can see detailed breakdowns of each item's condition, including high-quality photos and clear descriptions of any defects or damage. This level of transparency is essential for building trust between customers and sellers. For example, a listing for a Surface Pro 6 includes a photo that clearly shows the device with a keyboard, which suggests that the platform is not just selling refurbished devices but also providing accurate representations of each item's condition.

One potential drawback to buying on Back Market is the uncertainty surrounding the origin of certain items. While the platform claims to guarantee the quality and authenticity of its products, there may be instances where an item does not meet expectations due to a flaw in the refurbishing process or a misunderstanding between seller and buyer. In such cases, it's essential for customers to carefully review the warranty terms and return policies before making a purchase.

Despite this potential uncertainty, Back Market seems to have delivered on its promises to provide high-quality refurbished technology products at competitive prices. The platform's vast selection of products and detailed breakdowns of each item's condition make it an attractive option for customers looking to upgrade their devices without breaking the bank.

In addition to its wide range of products, Back Market also offers a convenient way to purchase refurbished electronics directly from reputable sellers. This can be particularly appealing for customers who value the convenience of shopping online and want to avoid the hassle of searching for deals on individual websites or through local pawn shops. By offering a platform that connects buyers with trusted sellers, Back Market is helping to democratize access to high-quality refurbished technology products.

As we explored in our initial analysis of Back Market, one potential area for improvement is in the communication between sellers and customers. In some cases, the platform's messaging can be unclear or ambiguous, which may lead to confusion or misunderstandings between buyers and sellers. However, this is a minor issue compared to the many benefits that Back Market offers to its customers.

Ultimately, Back Market represents an exciting opportunity for consumers looking to upgrade their technology without breaking the bank. By offering premium refurbished tech products at competitive prices, the platform is helping to reduce electronic waste and promote sustainable consumption practices. Whether you're in the market for a new iPhone or a high-end gaming console, Back Market's vast selection of products makes it an attractive option worth exploring.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Back Market claim that theyare a platform to allow youto purchase refurbished tech,(cash register dings)which is not only betterfor the environment sinceit's not a brand new pieceof tech, but importantly, it'salso good for your wallet.So let's take a look at Back Market,see if we can get somegood deals first of all,and second of all, isthis really the best spotto buy your refurbished tech(whip snaps)(record scratches)or are we going to give you a PSAon why it's a scam like mostof the rest of these sites?So a global marketplace for reborn tech,it's premium refurbished tech,so let's keep that phrase in mind.Premium refurbished tech.(titles slap)They do have a widevariety of things to do,so we got good deals.iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, MacBook,AirPods, video game consoles,iMac, Windows laptops,I mean, it looks likepretty much everything,and we also have the most wanted,so we've got ourselvesMacBooks, PS5s, lightnings,iPhones with brand new battery.Actually, that's something interesting.So this is an iPhone 12with a brand new battery.They're very clear thatit is a brand new battery.So with this, it's verified refurbished,which means that it isrefurbishing that you can trust.Just one out of threesellers apply to sellon Back Market make the cut.So the way I understand it,Back Market is a marketplace.So not all items that you purchasefrom Back Market are comingfrom that actual company,so there're other companies who refurbish,but they do say that it's guaranteedby a minimum 25-point inspectionby industry professionalsand receives a one-year warranty.Okay, the one year warranty is a big deal.Most refurbished pieces of tech comewith like a 30-day return policy.You know, there's very littleif any warranty attached.I'm certainly willing to pay moreif I get myself a one-yearwarranty, so that's good.We also have a very clearbreakdown of the condition.So fair is 381, good is399, and excellent is $410.So if I buy fair, it's someslight scratches or dents.Good is a few faint signs of wearbut not noticeable morethan 20 inches away.Excellent is like new,no scratches visiblefrom eight inches away.Time to get the ruler outand take a look to seehow good these things are.So for 349, I can getmyself a Surface Pro 6,which does appear to comewith a keyboard, right?And it's in the photo, it says QWERTY.Man, I just, this is the one areawhere their communication'snot super clear.Do we gamble?Do we try to get the Surfaceand hope it comes with a keyboard?Let's do it.(slaps on table)Ha, you know what?This one actually may be cool.The fourth gen iPod Touch.So I bought an iPod Touch fourth genfor the channel back in like 2010,but I didn't have the money for it,so I borrowed like 200 bucks from my dad,bought the iPod at Walmart.I'm not even gonna exaggerate,I think I made like 12 videoson this thing in 24 hoursand then returned it.You know, maybe it's timefor me to buy an iPod Touch fourth genand not return it this time.Maybe that's a good idea.Ooh, maybe we pick up a coupleof used consoles as well,because this would be adirect DKOldies competitor.70 bucks for a fair condition Game Boyor $100 for good.That's definitely better than someof the like the playerpacks that DKOldies sell.I think I've got everything I needto place a substantialorder at Back Market.Let's see exactly how cleanand how refurbishedthese items really are.Okay my friends, BackMarket has delivered,all my items except for one.So I did also, in addition to these,order an iPod Touch fourth generation,which that order was canceled,although I did get a refundand they just said, "Hey,they were out of stock."So fair enough.I will give Back Market some props.We ordered all this stuff last week.Every single item showedup I think within six days.Six days, so shipping was pretty quick.In fact, two items showed up the next day,like less than 24 hours later.Oh, (laughs) our Razer Kishi.As with pretty much all refurbished sites,they're gonna give you aquality level to expect.This is excellent, the onlyexcellent condition itemthat I have, so I'm curiousto see how really excellent it is.I personally am actually a big fanof buying a controller for your phone.I just don't love using touchcontrols for most titles.This allows me to, I meanyou can play cloud games,but also you can play local stuff,and the downsides here arepretty minimal in comparisonto the amount of money that you're saving.The controller, I willimmediately say, feels quite nice.It's a little bit wide,but it's not too bad.All right, are we goflat up Eau Rouge Ken?Are we going flat?A regular 911?- Gonna go flat on Eau Rouge?- Ah, no.What, no one else went flat.Why didn't anyone else go flat?Oh, okay, all right.You know what?I think that this controller's great,and I think that everyone needs to learnhow to take it flat in a regular road car.- You can get a V2,Kishi V2 refurbished- Kishi, yep.- from Amazon, $65.- I would still savemy 25 bucks, honestly.'Cause like the thingis, for a controller,I don't really care about alot of the bells and whistles.I just want a physical set of controlsthat I can plug into myphone and it just works.And that is exactly what I've got here,and honestly, I care moreabout saving the moneythan getting a slightly nicer experience.I'm actually happy with this.Let's move on to our next one.I think I might know whatthis one is based on the sizeand shape, but let's investigate.- That looks like a bicycle.- Excuse me?Ah, our Surface.Okay, so if I've got the keyboard,I'll be mostly happy.If I don't have thekeyboard, very much not.So I spent $350 on this,and it is in fair condition,and there's a keyboard, hey, okay.All right, well that's just everything.Nicely padded, I will say.What the, what is this?Do you see this?It's like got indents on the back.Wait, wait, wait, oh.This is not the actual surface.It's a skin.It's a silver skin to goover how it was scuffed.But I'm actually okaywith them doing this,because if I'm refurbishing somethingand it comes in scuffed, it'snot like I wanna get rid of itif it's functional,but also most people aren'tgonna wanna buy somethingwhich has been, you know,scratched up a bunch,so if I can just slap a skin on itand call it a day, that'sactually like, that's reasonable,like I'm okay with that.- That's a bbrand.- bbrand? (laughs)I will say though,yeah, so this Alcantara,it's definitely seen better days.It's a little scuffed,although a lot of this is just remnantsfrom the box I think.Yeah, it's definitely been like well used,but honestly, it is clean enough.- Alcantara is one of those ones,I don't think I couldever get a used Alcantara,because all the sweat and the--- Like, the amount of thighsthat this has sat on.- Like, oh,Austin's. (laughs)- Just soaking up them thighs.- Like--- Yeah, oh.- Let's take a look onthe inside, shall we?Again, keep in mind, faircondition, so you know,might, some scratches, but,oh no, that's actually,that's really good.Wow, that's a damn clean screen.Yo, is Back Market good?Look, I had like good vibesfrom the jump with Back Market.Like the websitewas pretty well designed,(notification dings)they had good information on products,shipping was fast, pricingwas a little bit expensive,but not hugely so.I'm willing to pay a premiumif I get slightly nicer items insteadof the crapshoot that it normally is.This looks like it's in good shape.Lemme fire it up and see.Let's not get too excited,but this looks good.Okay, so we got Windows10 and it has been wiped.Now lemme take, oh no, no,nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.That screen's super jacked up.You see that?You see that?So I see a big white dotthere which is not coming offand a couple white dotshere and white dots here.Ooh, oh, oh, oh, oh.- I'm thinking a pixel,whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.- It's also die, it's flickering.- Yeah.- So I don't think, thebattery's dead to be fair,but I moved it a little bitand the Surface connectorstarted flickeringand it restarted.I'm just gonna have to admitto myself at some pointthat refurbished tech is badand that no one should ever buy it.We're gonna just disconnect the keyboard.The screen don't work.It just does not,there's no touch abilityfor this whatsoever.This is not okay.The dead pixels bythemselves, thumbs down.But the fact that thetouchscreen does not workon a Surface, massive L.I am going to return this, gothrough the customer service,and I will see you on the other sideon whether or not they fix it or whetheror not I'm gonna just deeplyregret my life decisionslike usual.So I did go through the processof returning the Surface.So to give Back Marketa little bit of credit,it was pretty straightforward.Took me like a minute onlineto file a return request,they gave me a prepaid label.They also offered if I wantedto jump on a video callto troubleshoot the issue,but a dead touchscreenwith burned out pixels was not somethingthat could be solved via a video call.A few days later, I got an email saying,"Hey, we were unable to fix the Surface,"we're gonna give you a full refund,"and that was that.So I don't wanna give them like huge propsfor doing the sort ofbare minimum when it comesto returning a broken itemthat I shouldn't have gottenin the first place, but ifthere's any positive takeaway,I'll say that Back Marketdid make the processfairly straightforward.It's hard to ask for much more,besides sending me a Surfacethat worked out of the box, but.Next up, what do we have here?Surely something thatworks flawlessly, right?Oh, it's not an Xbox, it's just chilling.Okay, so this is in fair condition.Oh good lord, okay, come on,come on, come on, okay, ah.Dude, I forget how heavy Xbox Series, ah.Oh god, that's fair.That's fairly fair.The weird thing is, Idon't know why the top,oh, you know what it is?No, I know.Someone put it like this andthey like put controllersand stuff on top of it.That's why this part's all scuffed.I think that's what happens.The front is actually decent.I would say, if this works,you can either just not care,'cause keep in mind thatwe got this for $430,so a pretty decent discountover a brand new Series X.If this really bothers you,I would consider maybegetting either a dbrandor one of like the Xbox little shells,but let's be honest, it's a black console.I'm gonna stick it under my TV.I don't really carethat much, so not great,but if it functions, it's notthe end of the world and...Huh, well that is a controller.- On Amazon right now, youcan get a renewed Series X.- But it's Amazon renewed.- For $399.- What?Oh.If I'm getting higher quality,like better tested items fromBack Market than other sites,then that makes sense, I'm willingto pay a premium for that.What I'm seeing here thoughis that like something like this,nothing about this seems likeit is more premium in anyway.This seems like exactly thekinda stuff that I would getby buying refurbished from Walmartor Amazon or even GameStop,so that's my concern.Okay, so I was able to set the Xbox upand unfortunately wedidn't get it on camera,but it actually told methat I have two yearsof Xbox Game Pass Ultimate included.It just activated andit is on the account.Oh yeah, there we go.Perfect, see?This Xbox console comeswith 24-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.Which, hang on, how much is that worth?- Over $400.- Okay, cool.I have no idea why itcame with this, but sweet.Okay, but hang on, butbefore we get too excited,even though that was areally, really good thingto have included, let'sactually load up a discand see if it actually works.- Who cares about the disc?You got 24 months of Game Pass.- Yeah, exactly, who needs to play games?Now let's see if thisthing actually works.I hear disc noises.- I think you gottago to the home screen.Oh, no.- Hey.Why is it black?Hey.- Ooh, Minecraft music.- Ah.Look at that.- Go slap a tree.- Let's celebrate.Oh god, I don't know anyof the controls for this.Okay, well, things back on the up.See, look at this.We're going on a journey together.There's the ups and the downs and the ups,and hopefully lots more ups after this.Ups, ups, ups.All right, we've got ourselvesthe N64, and the Game Boy?We'll find that one out in just a second.Okay, so this was in good condition.Actually, these both are.And I'm sure that they will be goodand I'm sure that we willhave no problems whatsoever.- How much did you pay for that?- $140, which is actuallyroughly equivalent,we were looking it up,it's roughly equivalentto DKOldies pricing.I would say this seems likeit's in pretty good shape.A little scuffed, but not too bad.Importantly, we also do havea first-party controller,something that DKOldiestypically upcharges you for.Now the thing is, I don't knowexactly what they had to doto refurbish this, but there'sno warranty sticker anywhere,there's nothing else, itjust seems like a very clean,straightforward N64.Let's give it a try, shall we?Oh.Wait, what?What, well, okay.Hey.- Nice.- 'Kay.- What game are you playing?- Cruis'n USA.Oh wait, is it,- Yeah, buddy.- Oh wait, it's glitching.Lemme restart it again.- Try the other game.Like, we can't discount the factthat it might just be the game.- 'Kay, well this, I will immediately say,has not crashed on me at all, so.Well, okay, I will say N64does seem to be working,so maybe we actually were justhaving a Cruis'n USA issue.Okay, so this is fine.Why don't we take a look at our Game Boy?What could go wrong?Now, I actually did a videoon a Play it Loud Game Boyjust like this back in 2010,2011?- Before fire or after fire?- That's years before fire.That's long-hair Austin.Ooh, no.- Hey guys, this is Austin.(both laughing)- Hey guys, this is Austin,and today I'm here with areview of the original Game Boy.Now the gremlins are doing their thing.I purchased this ingood condition for $100.The Game Boy that I bought for that video,I bought for five bucks back in the day.♪ You're old ♪♪ You're old ♪- Look at the screen, look how scratchedand scuffed the screen is.Even like, it's clear plasticand it's like already scuffed.I mean, that at the veryleast needs a new screen lens,at the very least.Do you guys see how bad that is?- It's almost as badas when Old Man McClary had toclose down the general store.(laughing)- It's definitely been well used.The thing is though is thatlike, look at like, (sighs)look, the Game, the Boy is rubbed off.(laughing)It's Game Y.- Could have said literally anything else.(Pokemon Red title music)Okay, now I look at it head-on,the screen is so scratched.So it depends on the way you look at it,but like, so there's abig scratch along hereand there's a lot ofscratches like literallyin the top left where allyour text fields would be.Now, if you're notfamiliar with using a DMG,this screen is truly awful.Like, just look at howsmeary the entire image is.Especially for something like this,like obviously once you getinto like a battle, it's fine,but like it just, itlooks like, just like poo.I mean it works.I will give them, it works.My concern here is that I don't knowif this is necessarily good.I would say it's more acceptable,mostly because of thescratches on the screen.Next up, let's take a lookat what I believe isour iPhone refurbished.So this is a fair conditioniPhone 12 that comes to usat the low, low price of $381,which is certainly moreexpensive than you would expectfor a iPhone 12, but freshbattery's not nothing.Some fairly deep scratches on the screen.Well actually no, I take that back.They look deep.I actually can't feel them,but certainly, noticeable scratches.Some chips along the edge.In fact, actually quite a bad one there.It looks like someone didnot wear a case on this.Oh, and there's also somescratches around the camera lens,but fair condition I actuallythink is a pretty good wayto describe this one.This actually is maybe alittle nicer than fair.So I finished setting up the phone.I haven't really seen any red flags.The screen seems like it's in good shape,Face ID works and whatnot,but what I do wanna do ischeck the battery health,which is here in Battery Health.100%, boom, okay.So I will just believe themthat there's a fresh battery,because especially with an iPhone 12,there's no way that ifthis was not replaced,you would be anywhere closeto 100% at this point.And this is a test of thecamera on the iPhone 12,which I would say stillholds up pretty well today.I'm kind of a fan of this.I mean yeah, we did pay $381,but considering that this is, what,half the price, even alittle less than it was new,I don't love the condition,I would probably have spent alittle bit more in hindsightto get a slightly better than fair,but even fair I think is apretty good way to describe it.Some minor nicks and scratches,the screen's a little scuffed,but that's minor enough thatI can kinda get away with itfor that kinda price,and importantly, while it's more expensivethan a standard iPhone 12 refurbished,you get a brand new battery,and without a brand new battery,feel like this is notgoing to last very long,but I think the standard iPhone12 with the 60 Hz displayand the new batteryshould be pretty solid.Would like to move on to our next item,which should pair nicelywith our brand new refurbished iPhone 12,which are a pair of Ear Juice 9000s.- Oh, these are wefurbished?- What's up?- Witerally.- These are wefurbished?- Witerally.- I regret telling you guysthat the shoot was today.I should;ve just not told youand it would've been a much quieter--- He pays us(laughing)to sit here for hours on end.Not--- On a Saturday.- Yeah, at like 5:00 p.m.- It's creepiest right now.(laughing)- So these should be our AirPodsthat have been refurbished.So AirPods third gen withthe MagSafe charging case,which cost, hmm $125, for used AirPods.Great.- That doesn't sound great.- Well, would it soundbetter if I told youthat they're not the new AirPodsbut they're the AirPods 3,which are the base modelthat you could probably findon sale for like not that much?- So brand new atBest Buy right now, $150.- So I saved 20 bucks bygetting them pre-broken in.This is supposed to have a glossy case.It's matte because I thinkthey took like a magic eraseror something and likesanded the whole thing downto get rid of the scuffs.Let's open 'em up and see.Okay, they immediately fire up.In fact, our iPhones should startto see them for pairing, and yes they do.Okay, so we'll go ahead and connect 'em.Oh, I hear the spatial.(bass note resonates)Oh yeah,I hear the spatial already.(chill electronic music)Yo, okay.So you know what?I mean, okay,I still think the valueproposition's a little trickywith these just becauseyou could buy new onesthat have never been insidesomeone's ear holes beforefor a little bit more money.That being said, theseAirPods 3s are actually legit.Like, I'm impressed.I actually had quite low expectations'cause I always thinkAirPods are kind of whatever,but like those are pretty good.So I guess what's the setupwith this Back Market sortof overall experience?As with all refurbished items,it's a little bit up tothe luck of the draw.I would say our phone was fine.I would say the AirPodsare also pretty good.Some of the other items,(clears throat) Surface, not so fine,but I, (sighs) Back Marketactually did a pretty good job,like honestly.I do think, especially consideringyou've got the warrantyand the return policy and everything,you are getting somethingthat's a cut above most normalsort of Amazon, Walmart,you know, GameStoprefurbished kind of thing.Took a little bit ofa journey to get here,but as long as you're patientand are willing to takeadvantage of that return policyif you get somethingthat's really scuffed,I'd give 'em a good rating.Good job, Back Market.Change your name though, sounds too sus.