Used vs. Refurbished Phones

If you got excited when you watched Apple’s release of the latest iPhone 13, you probably were shivering when you heard its price. Indeed, to get hold of the latest iPhone 13 from the fruity brand, you will need to spend at the very least A$1,199 in Australia (and that’s just the “mini” version!). A new fancy toy that is out of reach for many.

That’s why more and more Australians now decide to buy used phones or other second hand products. And the success of Gumtree and eBay, to name a few, is a sign of this growing trend in our consumption habits.

However in the pre-owned devices market, not everything is of the same quality and standard.

Refurbished products are good for your health!

Today, 2 types of pre-owned products exist: used (second hand) products and refurbished (or renewed) products. Both of them:

• have had a previous life
• can be old models but also very recent ones
• are much cheaper than the brand new devices

However, the comparison stops here. A second-hand phone, or any other product which is not refurbished, typically doesn’t provide any warranty to the new owner.

And when we know that there can be ten times more bacteria on a smartphone than on the toilet seat, personally we’re not very keen to buy the used phone of Matt92 posted on Gumtree! 🦠

7 differences between a used phone and a refurbished phone

Contrary to a second hand used phone for which the purchase is purely based on the confidence the buyer has in the seller, a refurbished phone is much more similar to a brand new product in terms of quality and warranty. …and it’s also bacteria free! 😉

In short, the purchase of a refurbished product provides more confidence and trust to the buyer. This is thanks to the following:

1. Full test and inspection: each refurbished phone has been verified, tested and cleansed by a qualified professional before being sold again
2. New components (if necessary): some repairs may have been done on the device (e.g. replacement of the screen or battery) to ensure it is 100% functional and operates exactly the same as the brand new version
3. Traceability: you can ask and get the contact details of the refurbishing company which brought your device back to life
4. A double quality rating system: the first is the grading that indicates the cosmetic condition of the device (e.g. if it has minor marks of usage, the grade will be lower). A second rating is are from customer feedback about the product and/or the refurbishing company.
5. Compatible accessories: accessories are also included in a refurbished phone (e.g. a refurbished mobile phone will come with a USB charger and a SIM ejection pin)
6. A warranty: a refurbished product will come with its own warranty in case of any issues (12 months minimum at Rebold)
7. Customer care: the buyer can benefit from customer support throughout the second life of the device

Buying a refurbished phone is like adopting a little cutie kitten, but with its health and vaccination record book! …because we don’t want it to pass you over its fleas, it would not be pretty 😁

And by the way, here at Rebold we've got lots of nice cutie kittens to adopt...uh refurbished phones sorry! 

Which refurbished iPhone is best for you? Check out Rebold's top picks