Back Market Phone and Computer Refurbisher Review
Things To Consider From My Experience
I don’t typically buy stuff just to buy stuff. When I was looking for another used computer for the kids, I looked on eBay where I found MY awesome 2015 refurbished computer. After doing all the research on the most reliable Macs, I started looking around to see if there were any options better than eBay. I searched NewEgg, Amazon, and other companies that were on the slider at the top of the Google search. I’m guessing that’s where I found Back Market.
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My wife and one of the kids are usually a little gun shy about purchasing refurbished anything online. I understand this, however, I’m very hesitant to overpay for something I can pay less for if I can…so I won out since I was doing all the leg work anyway.
I started looking on Back Market’s site and as I toggled back and forth between the different sites, it was pretty clear that, most of the time, Back Market was not only lower in price but it also gives you options between how much memory, a “Condition” threshold (Fair/Good/Excellent), a choice of which refurbishers/sellers you can choose from and price points you’re most comfortable with.
Once you’ve found the product you’re looking for, depending on the product, you can click on the different specs options, whether it’s memory, color, condition, etc.; just as I mentioned above. If you scroll down from the top of the product description page, you’ll find which refurbisher you’ll be purchasing from, if you choose the particular specs. Sometimes you can change one thing and you’ll be purchasing from a completely different refurbisher, so if you prefer a particular refurbisher, you may try searching through that refurbisher’s products page. Not all Refurbishers (or Sellers) are the same.
When you go to the Refurbisher’s profile page, you’ll see their rating (out of 5), how long they’ve been working with Back Market, a short description (some leave much to the imagination, but are still pretty good) and a listing of their products.
My Personal Choosing Method…Kinda
I chose to purchase slightly older, more time-tested devices that have a good track record based on a LOT of YouTube video reviews. I’ve never been the guy who needed the newest things first, so it works for me and I tend to pay less for certain things after some time has passed.
Specialties
I had an idea in my head, thinking back from my warehouse working days, that if a refurbisher mainly specialized in a particular product type, they may be more familiar with those things rather than trying to be a jack of all trades. I could be wrong for thinking that, but it seemed to not be a bad idea based on my experience. That’s not to say that refurbishers that had multiple different types of products, brands, etc. couldn’t send out a great product that is fully checked, certified refurbished and working well. It just made sense to me.
These refurbishers COULD have multiple technicians, geeks and geniuses on staff to check and certify that their different products work as intended. On the other hand, the people who have, for example, mainly Apple computers, iPhones, androids or whatever, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re great at it. I once ordered a couple of things based on this notion and had to send both things back that I bought from them. I was wrong in those instances. When dealing with refurbished items, it CAN happen. You just MAY have to do a little more checking to make sure your product is working by checking it once you get it.
The best results I’ve had, though, were when they specialized in certain products. When I bought my daughters’ computers, they either specialized ONLY in MacBook Pro/Air laptops or they mainly sold Apple products. The same goes for when I bought iPhones for my wife and I. As a matter of fact, when I had to get a refund from one Seller, I just went back to the other refurbisher that I had a better experience with. The packaging wasn’t as good, but the phone worked properly.
How Long Has The Seller Worked with Back Market
How long has the Seller been selling their Goods on Back Market? Some refurbisher may be newer and not as familiar with the process. This is another way I now choose which ones to purchase from. Everyone has to start somewhere, but I also know there are growing hiccups that happen when working with new partners. Looking through my old purchases, I can see that one of the items I needed a refund for was purchased from a vendor that kinda falls into that category. It doesn’t mean they CAN’T do an exceptional job, it just didn’t work out that time for me. Don’t let that deter you, because it may be why it costs less and things may work out perfectly.
Remember! When you change a metric, spec, color or ANYTHING, really, it will probably change which Seller you’ll be purchasing from. So if you have preferences, you may need to cross check your Refurbisher’s with your Specs. In some cases, you may want to just search through your preferred Sellers. Keep in mind that even if you choose a product through a Seller’s portal, if you change any of the Specs, you may ALSO be changing your Seller.
The Eye of The Beholder
When buying Refurbished Goods keep in mind visual conditions may vary a little. Different Sellers on the site may have slightly different ideas regarding the condition. I’m sure there is probably a checklist that they might have to go by, but it’s still up to the refurbisher’s eye, I think. My personal lowest threshold was always at least “Good”.
I’ve gotten computers and phones from Back Market and even when I ordered the Good conditioned items, most of the time there weren’t many if any noticeable dings or marks. On one of the items there are noticeably more dings than the others. For me, it wasn’t as big a deal, since I planned to put it in a case anyway. In THAT case, a person COULD make a good case for purchasing the Fair Conditioned ones if it works the same. Moreover, it came with a 1 Year Limited Warranty, which I’ll touch on later.
Newer Phones
My sister said the newest devices in excellent condition were not as competitive, which is understandable. I told her about my experience and it turns out that wound up buying a Good Condition iPhone11 on Back Market and she seems very happy with what she received.
Double-Check The Carrier Compatibility
NOT ALL PHONES WORK ON ALL TOWERS!
When buying phones on BackMaket.com, make sure the phone you want will work with the carrier/towers you’re currently on or switching over to. If you know the mobile company, you can find out which towers they use if it’s not already in the name. You can do a search online or you can contact the company and ask. That information should be out there somewhere. Your other alternative is to purchase a phone that is FULLY UNLOCKED (GSM/CDMA). I’m pretty sure those can be used on most carriers.
Great Return, Refund and Warranty Policies
Warranty:
First let me say that when you buy on Back Market, each purchase comes with a Limited Warranty that starts when you make your purchase. You can check out what all is included in this Limited warranty here. Once you set up your account during your purchase, there’s a page where you can see all your purchase information, including your Warranty expiration date. This is great for me, since I’m one who normally forgets about warranties.
Returns & Refunds
I once bought a phone that said that it could be used on all towers. It said it was Fully Unlocked (GSM/CDMA) AT&T/T-Mobile/Verizon. Unfortunately, the Seller sent me a T-Mobile only phone. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and asked if they had any other compatible products, since (by that time) my wife completely switched up her phone mentality and all-of-a-sudden wanted an iPhone. It turns out they didn’t have anything else and made it very easy to return it and get a refund. Now that I think about it, I’m kinda glad it didn’t work because now we’re kinda cute with our matching phones; except she has my color and I have hers. (Sorry about that)
There’s an important point here. If you try to work the people beforehand, you may be able to reconcile the situation more smoothly if you and the Refurbisher can come up with an agreement. It may be a simple fix.
I’m not sure if they all have their own Return policies and methods, but it seemed like Back Market had certain checks and balances, as well as the individual Seller/Refurbisher. I could be wrong. After sending back a two items, there were a few consistencies;
1. Take pictures of the phone On/Off
2. Take picture of every angle (Top, bottom, both sides) and upload all pictures
3. Print off the return slip that you download after you’ve done the other steps.
4. Make sure you carefully pack the item back with all the contents.
5. Follow all instructions they give in the list of things you need to do.
I’ve never had any issues getting my refund following their directions. It may be a slight setback and inconvenience to have to go through this, but the best thing to do is to chalk it up to the game. You know you’re working with refurbished items and the possibility still remains that something may not be completely perfect. Some people don’t want to have to deal with ANY of that. I get it.
Just follow the directions per their process, and (from my experience) you SHOULD get your money back or exchange.
Incentives:
My sister also mentioned that she used the code I gave her, which saves New Customers $10 off their first purchase. The way I look at it is even if I can get a few dollars off the taxes, it’s a good thing. Once you sign up on the site and make your purchase, you also have access to your own Back Market Referral Code, which you can give to friends/family who may be thinking of making purchases, too. It gives you the POWER of saving your people money, while adding credits to your account, which you can use towards other things you may need or want in the future.
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I think this is a good introduction to some of the benefits of purchasing from Back Market. Everyone has a story and a testimony and this is part of mine, purchasing from this company. From my personal experiences, I will definitely look here first (if not one of the first) in the future if I need to buy electronics that have to do with computers and phones.