Description
Back Market is a French online marketplace for refurbished electronics: smartphones, laptops, tablets, game consoles and household appliances, restored and sold by professional refurbishers rather than by Back Market itself.
Founded in Paris in 2014, the company has raised more than €1 billion from investment funds such as Eurazeo, General Atlantic and Goldman Sachs. Besides what it earns on each sale, it charges a service fee per order: 2 % of the basket at most, from €0.49 to €7.99 (table updated in August 2024), shown before payment.
Every device comes with a 12-month commercial warranty from the seller, on top of the two-year legal warranty, and can be sent back free of charge within 30 days. Back Market requires at least 85 % battery health and up to 100 checks on each phone, and tests its sellers with mystery orders. It claims 91 % less CO2 than buying new. A life-cycle study that ADEME carried out at Back Market’s request, without its funding, found in 2022 that refurbished smartphones and tablets come out clearly ahead of new ones.
In June 2022 UFC-Que Choisir took Back Market to court for misleading practices: crossed-out prices of new products the site didn’t sell, service fees revealed only at payment, and a 12-month warranty presented as a bonus when the legal warranty already runs for two years. Back Market rejected the claims.
Strengths
- Recent phones and laptops for less than new, with a 12-month seller warranty and free returns within 30 days.
- A minimum battery health of 85 % and up to 100 checks per phone, set by Back Market for all sellers.
- Each device sold is one less made new, and ADEME’s 2022 study confirms the gain for phones and tablets.
Weaknesses
- Quality depends on the refurbisher behind each listing, so the seller’s reviews are worth reading.
- A service fee of up to €7.99 is added to each order.
- A venture-funded company built for fast growth, sued by UFC-Que Choisir in 2022 over its prices and warranty claims.
Who it is for
People who need a smartphone, laptop or tablet and would rather not pay for a new one, and who take the time to compare sellers and grades before buying.
Sources
- Back Market: About us, Quality, Service fees, Warranty, ADEME study, checked November 2026
- Solutions Numériques: L’UFC-Que Choisir porte plainte contre Back Market (June 2022)