An iPhone 6s for less than $200? Back Market brings US consumers a smarter way to buy electronics that cost less to people and the planet - just in time for Earth Day

NEW YORK, April 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Back Market, the world’s leading – and most fun - marketplace exclusively dedicated to selling refurbished electronics, has opened the virtual doors to its American online store, bringing US consumers the quality, service, user experience and general sense of sanity that has made it a favorite of European buyers of smartphones, tablets, computers and other electronic products. The company, which turned over $120 million in sales last year, is well positioned to address a growing trend in the US market, where the sales of refurbished smartphones alone are forecasted to grow by 30% from 2015-2020 and reach 55 million units (IDC).

Appropriately, Back Market is launching its US expansion on Earth Day, an acknowledgment to the contribution buying refurbished electronic equipment can have on the health of the planet, slowing the flood of e-waste that pollutes the environment.

Back Market has assembled a global network of more than 250 certified providers of refurbished products, each carefully qualified to meet the exacting quality and customer service standards it has set. The site launches with more than 2,000 specific product types covering a range of major brands, device types and feature configurations, along with a customer service mantra that strikes fear into the hearts of amateur Craigslist sellers everywhere. The site also features a unique and efficient “like new” buying experience unlike any other in the refurbished/used electronics space in the US, and showcasing only the best available product, in both price and quality, for each category using its proprietary algorithm.

Back Market takes on the new device aristocracy to provide American consumers, who are becoming frustrated with high electronics prices and planned obsolescence, a viable (and cheerful) alternative to buying new. With minimum 6-month warranties, 30-day returns, detailed product inspections, descriptions, and reviews, as well as audits of its suppliers, Back Market provides unheard of levels of quality and confidence in the used category for the first time, all at prices typically 30-50% less than brand new.

“There is a growing demand for high quality refurbished electronics, especially as price points rise. The latest smartphones have recently topped the $1,000 mark, making them out of reach, or at least undesirable, for a large percentage of regular smartphone users. At the same time, there is an inherent distrust and dissatisfaction with the typical buying process for used electronics. Back Market’s approach addresses these trends head on with an experience that gives people the selection, price, and most importantly, the confidence to buy a product that meets their needs and budget,” said Serge Verdoux, Director of Operations at Back Market USA.

Earth Day launch not a coincidence

But out-of-pocket expense isn’t the only cost that Back Market wants to challenge. It addresses the cost buying new has to people and the planet as well. There’s no doubt that the current pace of new electronics consumption comes at a great human and environmental cost because of the way new devices are manufactured. Back Market’s battle cry is “Made in China, refurbished in America,” with a strong intuition that a growing refurbished market will bring more repair jobs to the country (instead of only to sweatshops churning out new devices elsewhere). In addition, by keeping electronics in circulation for longer, we can begin to lower the 6.3 million metric tons of electronics waste that we currently produce in the US each year and that contain hazardous materials that can seep into the soil and water, endangering people and directly damaging the environment.

That said, just because a lot is at stake doesn’t mean that Back Market doesn’t have a sense of humor. On the contrary, it’s determined to keep things light, and has imported its trademark lame joke culture to the buying process: offering products categorized as “Stallone” (rugged and a little beat up), serving up promotions laced with a good dose of sarcasm and cheesiness that keeps buyers coming back for more, and surprising customers with small and sometimes weird tokens of appreciation - pizza or flowers occasionally included.

According to Vianney Vaute, CMO at Back Market, “We don’t take ourselves too seriously precisely because electronics companies have gotten too serious. We believe that people have common sense and understand that electronics aren’t meant to be totems. They need to work well and do their job, but that’s all. They’re just electronics and that’s the point. Is a new mobile device worth all the cost, not just to your budget, but to the big picture, when there are more sane and perfectly suitable alternatives available? We think most people will agree that the answer is generally no.”

Back Market first launched its marketplace in 2014 in France and has since expanded to 5 other countries, including the USA. It is currently on course to deliver its new level of value, quality and service - as well as its first pizzas - to American customers by the end of the month. Before you blow your next paycheck on some shiny new thing, come check out what’s shiny, not new, but still awesome at www.backmarket.com.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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