Yes, Back Market is a legitimate marketplace for refurbished electronics. Founded in France in 2014, it has grown into one of the largest dedicated refurbished-goods platforms in the world, operating in 17 countries and holding strong ratings across independent review sites. That said, "legit" does not mean perfect. This review explains exactly what you are getting, what to watch out for, and how Back Market stacks up against alternatives like Apple Certified Refurbished and Amazon Renewed.
Table of contents
- What is Back Market?
- How does Back Market work?
- 10 things you should know before buying on Back Market
- Back Market vs. Apple Certified Refurbished: key differences
- Conclusion: Is Back Market legit?
- FAQ
What is Back Market?
Back Market is an online marketplace that specializes in selling refurbished electronics.
Founded in France in 2014, the company has grown to become one of the world's largest distributors of refurbished devices, now operating in 17 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company positions itself as a champion of the circular economy, helping consumers buy certified-working devices at lower prices while reducing electronic waste.
Back Market offers products such as smartphones, laptops, video game consoles, kitchen appliances, and more, all of which are certified to be in working condition. Every seller on the platform is vetted, and only about one-third of merchant applicants are approved.
The platform also provides a one-year warranty and a 30-day money-back guarantee on all purchases, giving buyers meaningful protection whether or not the product meets expectations.
How does Back Market work?
Back Market is a third-party marketplace, meaning that independent professional refurbishers list and sell products there. Back Market itself handles payment processing, customer service, and warranty enforcement, but the physical refurbishment is done by the merchant.
To buy on Back Market, start by searching for the product you want, such as an iPhone, MacBook, or tablet. Results appear in a card-style layout showing price, cosmetic grade, and seller rating.
You can filter results by price, brand, model, storage, and condition grade. Once you select a product, you choose the cosmetic grade: Excellent, Good, or Fair. You can also read seller-specific comments describing the exact state of the unit.
To ensure quality, Back Market only works with established, certified refurbishing companies with proven track records. You can read reviews of individual sellers on their profiles to get an idea of their consistency before you commit.
10 things you should know before buying on Back Market
Check the following sections to understand if Back Market is legit and what you should look out for in your next purchase.
1. Marketplace reviews
The reputation of Back Market is good overall, though not flawless. These are the scores from independent review platforms as of early 2026:
- Back Market customer reviews: 4.3/5 from over 120,000 verified reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.5/5 from over 20,000 reviews
- Sitejabber: 4.0/5 from over 2,000 reviews
The most common complaints on Trustpilot and Sitejabber involve shipping delays and occasional seller inconsistency, particularly with cosmetic grading. When issues arise, most customers report that Back Market's support team does resolve them, usually within a few business days.
2. Refurbishment process
Back Market does not refurbish products itself. This is the most important distinction to understand.
Each seller on the marketplace follows Back Market's mandatory quality standards, which require full functional testing, replacement of any defective components, and cosmetic grading. Back Market also places anonymous test orders from its own sellers throughout the year to verify that quality standards are being maintained.
The result is a marketplace where refurbishment quality can vary somewhat across sellers, but where the floor is meaningfully higher than a random used-goods listing on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. Products that fail Back Market's quality checks are removed from the platform.
3. Pricing
When buying on Back Market, pricing is one of the most important considerations. Prices can vary greatly depending on the product, seller, and cosmetic grade.
On the one hand, you can sometimes find an item at a fraction of the retail price - savings of 30% to 60% are common for older iPhone and MacBook models. On the other hand, newer flagship devices may be discounted by only a few dollars relative to retail.
Take a look at these iPhones refurbished by Back Market in real time and see the discounts for yourself:
64GB storage
White
It is also worth comparing Back Market prices against Apple Certified Refurbished and Amazon Renewed, since the best deal on any given model shifts regularly.
Learn more: Renewed vs. Refurbished: Is There Any Difference?
4. Cosmetic condition
Every item sold on Back Market goes through a strict quality grading process for its cosmetic condition. Functionality is tested to be equivalent to a brand-new product regardless of cosmetic grade. These are Back Market's refurbished grades:
| Condition level | Appearance | Durability score | Chances of technical issues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Like new | High | Very low |
| Good | Light signs of wear | Above average | Low |
| Fair | Notable signs of wear | Average | Average |
You will be able to see and choose the cosmetic condition of a Back Market product inside the product details, as is the case with this MacBook:
Fair products are the cheapest, while Excellent-graded items are the most expensive. Some Back Market devices also come with a completely new battery installed by the seller.
Learn more: What Are Refurbished Grades A, B, and C?
5. Warranty
Back Market provides a one-year warranty on all of its products, plus a 30-day return policy. The warranty covers the following:
- Hardware and software defects
- Replacement or repair for a defective device
- Full refund if the seller cannot repair or replace the device
In addition, Back Market offers an extended protection plan through Asurion that covers accidental damage for 13 or 24 months and extends the original warranty for an additional year, along with battery replacement coverage.
One important note: the warranty is primarily backed by the individual seller, with Back Market acting as a guarantor. In practice, this means the experience of filing a warranty claim can vary slightly by seller, though Back Market support will step in if a seller is unresponsive.
6. Shipping
Back Market offers free shipping to the 48 contiguous United States, and orders are typically delivered in 1 to 3 business days.
Products are generally shipped within one business day of order completion. Large or heavy devices may ship within two business days. Back Market provides order tracking through your account dashboard.
7. Payment
You can pay for any product on Back Market with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and Affirm (which allows splitting payments into installments). Some sellers also accept PayPal. Prepaid cards associated with major networks are accepted as well.
You can also trade in your current device to reduce the purchase price. Eligible trade-in categories include:
- Phones
- MacBooks
- Tablets
- Game consoles
- Audio products
You can initiate a trade-in assessment directly on the product page of an eligible item:
8. Product variety
Back Market offers a wide variety of electronics and home products.
Electronics available include smartphones, tablets, laptops, home theater systems, gaming consoles, headphones, cameras, and more. The platform also lists home and kitchen appliances such as cooking devices and vacuum cleaners. For Apple product buyers specifically, you will find iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and AirPods from multiple sellers at varying price points.
9. Packaging
The refurbished items sold by Back Market do not come with the original retail packaging. They arrive in the seller's own protective packaging, which varies by seller, brand, and product type. All sellers are required to package items securely enough to guarantee safe delivery.
10. Accessories
If the product you purchase comes with accessories, they will be new and compatible with the device.
- Smartphones always come with a compatible charging cable.
- Laptops always include a charger.
Check the product details page for a full list of what is included. Back Market requires sellers to include the necessary accessories for each device category.
Back Market vs. Apple Certified Refurbished: key differences
A common question is how Back Market compares to buying directly from Apple's certified refurbished store. Both are legitimate options, but they serve different buyer priorities.
Apple Certified Refurbished products are refurbished directly by Apple, include a one-year Apple warranty, and come in new-equivalent packaging with all original accessories. Prices are typically discounted around 15% from retail, and selection is limited to current or recent models.
Back Market offers deeper discounts, a broader range of older models, and access to multiple competing sellers so you can comparison-shop. Discounts of 30% to 60% on older iPhones and MacBooks are common. The trade-off is that quality and experience can vary slightly across sellers.
For buyers who want maximum peace of mind and are purchasing a current-generation Apple device, Apple Certified Refurbished is worth considering. For buyers who want the best price on a previous-generation device and are comfortable with a third-party marketplace, Back Market is a well-established choice.
If you want to compare live prices from both sources side by side, RefurbMe does exactly that across Back Market, Apple Certified Refurbished, and Amazon Renewed in real time.
Check out all refurbished Apple products sold by Back Market here:
2023 release
32GB storage
Silver
2018 release
Conclusion: Is Back Market legit?
Yes. Back Market is a legitimate, well-established marketplace that has been operating since 2014, with a presence in 17 countries and over 10 million customers served. It has been covered by Forbes, TechCrunch, and other major publications. Independent review scores consistently land between 4.0 and 4.5 out of 5. Sellers are vetted, warranties are enforced, and the platform has real customer support.
The nuance is that Back Market is a marketplace rather than a single retailer, so the experience is shaped partly by whichever seller you buy from. Reading seller reviews before checkout and understanding the cosmetic grading scale will help you avoid surprises.
If you are looking for refurbished Apple devices, RefurbMe lets you compare live prices from Back Market alongside other certified refurbishers such as Apple and Amazon Renewed. You can also set up price alerts to catch the best deal at the right moment.
FAQ
Last updated: May 4, 2026 · First published: Nov 3, 2023
