Best second-hand tech retailers

Second-hand or refurbished tech shops offer a sustainable alternative to buying new, keeping old gadgets out of landfill, as well as helping to save money on your next purchase.

In our first-ever second-hand tech retailer survey, we asked 2,495 people to share their experiences of buying pre-loved smartphones, laptops, tablets and smartwatches from 18 shops. 

We were pleasantly surprised by the results – 10 retailers received a customer score of 80% or more. And of these, at least 90% of respondents said they’d recommend them. That means you’re spoilt for choice on places to find bargains – particularly worth knowing if you’ve been wary of buying pre-owned tech. 

Read on to find out which four retailers met our criteria to be crowned Which? Recommended Providers for second-hand tech.

Best second-hand tech retailers

We asked 2,495 Which? Connect panel members and members of the public about their experiences buying second-hand devices. 

Our star ratings reveal how customers rated each retailer on a range of measures, from delivery to customer service.

You can scroll across to find out which shops came out on top for metrics such as product quality and accuracy of the product description. 

Clicking on a retailer's name will take you to the retailer's website.

Which? Recommended Providers for second-hand tech

To become a Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) for second-hand tech, a retailer must have: 

• a customer score of at least 80%
• at least four stars for customer service
• at least four stars for value for money. 

We also check their returns policy and T&Cs. Any retailers that give unclear or misleading information about returns are excluded.

We won't award a brand a WRP if we have concerns based on findings from our investigations or testing. 

Four retailers are WRPs for second-hand tech: Samsung Certified Re-Newed, The iOutlet, Dell and Envirophone.

Samsung Certified Re-Newed

With a customer score of 83%, it's one of the highest-scoring shops, and the best choice if you’re after Samsung tech. 

Samsung Certified Re-Newed got four and five stars across all the areas we looked at.

Products are inspected by experts, fitted with genuine Samsung parts, and repackaged. No wonder customers gave it a full five stars for product quality. Several told us you wouldn’t be able to tell the products were refurbished, with one saying: 'You wouldn't believe it was second-hand,' while another described it as 'masterful work'. Another customer praised the 'very fast' delivery. An impressive 97% of respondents said they would recommend it.

Samsung Certified Re-Newed stock does sell out, and new batches are typically added between October and November. 

The iOutlet

The iOutlet is one of only two shops in our survey to get five stars for customer service (the other being Samsung). One customer called the customer service ‘top-notch’, and another said: ‘They were so helpful, courteous, easy to communicate with on the phone as well via email.’ 

The iOutlet primarily sells Apple products, but also stocks Google and Samsung phones, as well as some game consoles and PCs. Devices get a 70+ point diagnostic check, and phones come with a battery of at least 75% of the original capacity. 

Customers liked the quality of the products and the accuracy of the product description, with one happy shopper telling us that the device they bought 'looked and performed like new, despite being refurbished'. It also got five stars for value for money. 

Dell

If you're looking to buy a Dell laptop, desktop or monitor, it’s worth checking out the refurbished devices available from the brand itself. 

Shoppers loved the range and availability of products, and told us that the quality of the products was good, too. One person said that they'd checked the built-in diagnostics on the laptop they bought, and it had been used for less than 10 hours but had cost 25% less than the lowest price they could find. 

Dell was praised by customers for its value for money, which got four stars. One respondent told us that devices are ‘well-discounted’ and another said they got a ‘huge saving’ compared to buying a brand-new device.

Envirofone

Envirofone got four stars across the board, plus five stars for value for money. It focuses on trading-in your tech, but also sells a variety of products including phones, tablets, laptops, wearables and games consoles. 

In September 2025, the Envirofone brand was acquired from global IT asset disposal company SK TES by recommerce specialists, including Matt Green, co-founder and director of the iOutlet, and Sam Hargreaves, who launched Technology Recycle Group (later acquired by ReBuy). 

Customers in our survey liked the value of devices, with one saying: 'They offer high-quality devices at a fraction of the cost of new ones.' People also liked the 'smooth and reliable' buying process and fast delivery. 

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Tips for buying second-hand or refurbished tech

The majority of retailers in our survey (apart from Apple, O2, and Samsung Certified Re-Newed) assign a grading to the products they sell based on their condition. This varies from shop to shop, but generally, you’ll find like-new devices graded as ‘Like New’, ‘Premium’ or ‘Excellent’, for example, with products showing more signs of wear graded as ‘Good’ or ‘B’ or ‘F’ grade. Make sure you know the condition of the product you're buying. 

• Wait until after a new product launches – there’s usually an influx of last-generation products to second-hand retailers shortly after a new launch, as people sell old devices to raise money for a new model.
  
• Check the software support available for the device – if you’re buying an older device, you might find the software it uses is no longer supported. This means that you won’t have access to important security updates and bug fixes.
• Make sure you know who you're buying from – customers were positive about their experiences with Amazon Renewed and eBay Certified Refurbished, but keep an eye out when shopping on online marketplaces. Check that the seller falls under the marketplace’s official refurbished scheme. Look for ‘Renewed’ on Amazon listing titles, and ‘Refurbished on eBay’ on eBay.
• Check the item – don’t buy a device with less than 80% battery health. You can usually check this in Settings. Look for signs of wear, camera lens scratches, and check that the ports work.
• Know the returns policy – under consumer law you have 14 days to notify the store that you want to return an item, and then a further 14 days to return it. But for peace of mind, it’s worth checking whether there's an extended returns period, and what the shop’s faulty goods policy is.

Check out our detailed advice for buying a second-hand laptop or refurbished smartphone. 

How much can you save?

In October 2026, we compared the price of refurbished products at some of our Which? recommended provider stores with their original price, and found substantial savings:

• Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max (2TB, glacier): £2,199 (iOutlet, 'A+' grade), compared to £2,499 (John Lewis) - a £300 saving
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro (256GB, silver): £899 (Envirofone, 'Excellent' grade), £999 new (Argos) - a £100 saving
• Apple Watch Ultra 4 (49mm, natural titanium): £673.99 (iOutlet, grade A+), £749 new (Currys) - a £75.01 saving
• Samsung Galaxy S26+ (512GB, black): £1,079 (Samsung Certified Re-Newed), £1,269 new (Currys) - a £190 saving
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 (256GB, blue shadow): £1,349 (Samsung Certified Re-Newed), £1,499 new (John Lewis) - a £150 saving

Prices are correct as of 22 October 2026. 

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