Used smartphones increasingly popular: back market on the upswing

The online marketplaces Back Market and Refurbed are enjoying rising sales figures, while end consumers are increasingly interested in used electrical appliances. In Germany, this is particularly the case for smartphones.

French provider Back Market reports an exceptionally strong first half of 2025 for Germany: the gross market value (GMV) – which indicates the total value of all goods sold via the platform – increased by 56 percent year-on-year in the second quarter and by 35 percent overall in the first half of the year. This makes Germany one of the fastest growing markets in the world, together with the USA and the United Kingdom. The figure should not be confused with actual sales, but shows that significantly more has recently been bought and sold via the platform. For 2025, Back Market is forecasting a total GMV of three billion euros and is talking about a record year.

End consumers under pressure

While the trend towards second-hand electronics has been going on for years, Back Market suspects a specific cause behind the recent jump in its figures, as many households are under financial pressure. Be it due to rising prices, geopolitical uncertainty, or the unclear outcome of current trade conflicts.

Competitor Refurbed from Austria has also recently recorded a very positive development. Founded in 2017, the company was profitable in all eleven national markets for the first time in June. Refurbed is active in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and nine other countries. The company has generated more than 50 percent of its total external sales in Germany to date.

Used smartphones are the most popular

According to the available figures, used smartphones in particular are becoming more popular with consumers. In 2023, a representative telephone survey conducted by the consumer advice center found that a total of 19 percent of consumers had already bought a used electrical appliance. Two thirds of them stated that they had already bought a second-hand smartphone, making it the most popular product. Around two years later, the trade association Bitkom wanted to know in a representative online survey how many people had ever bought a second-hand smartphone. The answer was yes to 18 percent of respondents. Around 1000 people were questioned in both surveys. Based on this, the proportion of people who own a second-hand smartphone is likely to have risen by around a third in just under two years.

The trend is also recognizable globally. The US market research company International Data Corporation expects the number of second-hand smartphones shipped to increase by 8.8 percent annually until 2027. Starting from around 282.6 million devices in 2022, there would then be around 431.1 million smartphones entering a second life in 2027.

(nen)