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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Refurbished tech marketplace Back Market opened a US store.
- Consumers can test used devices before purchasing them.
- Back Market aims to curb the upgrade cycle and reduce costs.
Back Market, the online refurbished tech marketplace, offers buyers who want to save money on electronics (and reduce e-waste) good-as-new products repaired by experts. Starting today, the retailer has taken the process to its first-ever brick-and-mortar store, where buyers can shop for secondhand phones and laptops in person — just like at an Apple Store.
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The company’s pilot store opened its doors on Wednesday in New York City’s Soho neighborhood, inviting consumers to see and touch repaired devices before buying them.
“When people experience refurbished tech in person, they see the quality, the savings, and the potential to live smarter,” Back Market CEO Thibaud Hug de Larauze said in the release. “We believe this pilot can spark real trust and momentum for a more sustainable way forward.”
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Most used-tech retailers, such as Gazelle or Best Buy’s outlet, only exist online (though the latter offers an in-store pickup option). The lack of a physical store can create a degree of separation for buyers already unsure about what they’re getting and whether it’s legitimate.
Local shops that buy back and repair tech are independent, and therefore can vary widely in terms of standards and certifications. Being able to interact with and test a refurbished device before committing might help to close the consumer trust gap and increase the already growing demand for repaired technology.
Back Market’s NYC storefront.
Back Market
Sustainability and cost savings
The store won’t just offer tablets and phones; Back Market said it will host repair services, events, workshops, and more in the space that drive toward its mission to establish a circular economy in consumer tech and undermine the industry’s constant push to upgrade. Back Market’s goal, it said, is to “make sustainability practical, rewarding, and easy to act on.”
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The biggest perk for consumers, however, is price. Refurbished tech can be up to 70% cheaper than new devices; at the time of writing, an iPhone 15 Plus, normally $729, goes for $493 at Black Market. That’s before you trade in an old device, which brings the price down even more. Even a refurbished iPhone 15 Plus from Apple is still $619.
“As inflation, tariffs, and rising tech prices make shoppers increasingly cost-conscious, refurbished tech offers a smarter path forward,” Back Market said in the release. In April, during the first wave of the Trump administration’s tariff panic and speculation about the impact on device prices, Hug de Larauze told me the company saw a threefold uptick in demand.
Lauren Benton, Back Market’s US general manager, noted that the store aims to drive interest among US buyers, only 5% of whom buy used tech.
Also: Tariff-proof tech? Back Market’s refurbished devices keep prices down
“In Europe, refurbished tech is already a $50 billion market, and the same shift is underway in the US,” she said in the release. “We see younger consumers leading the charge, with 60% of Gen Z trying refurbished for the first time.”
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In-store, Back Market said visitors can expect an interactive challenge to tell new and refurbished tech apart, grading that breaks down the why behind the cost of each refurbished device, cleaning and repair services, and trade-in support that “highlight[s] the ongoing value of what people already own.” The store also offers Google Fi Wireless plans.
Visit the store
Back Market’s pilot store is now open at 449 Broadway in Manhattan, and will be open until Dec. 21 (just in time for holiday shopping). Learn more here.
