UK-based technology retailer Currys is trialling sales of refurbished tech on its website, following demand for its pre-loved items – with 80% of the refurbished product lines selling out within the first week of sales.
Currys said with customer demand being driven by a growing eco-consciousness, as well as the financial challenges of the cost-of-living squeeze, it started selling cheaper, pre-owned mobiles, laptops and Chromebooks on currys.co.uk in November 2022.
Refurbished laptops are in particularly popular – without any supporting marketing activity, one in 10 online users searching for laptops organically browsed the available refurbished listings.
The refurbished products are individually checked over, restored (if required), and repackaged by Currys. Thanks to its tech repair centre, located in Newark, Currys was able to process 600,000 individual tech items in the past twelve months, a proportion of which are then made available for resale.
Currys also works to offer shoppers product support both online and in-store, meaning customers have extra peace of mind when buying pre-owned.
Previously only available via the ‘Currys Clearance’ eBay store, buyers of second-hand products now have all the payment options they would expect when purchasing new items via currys.co.uk, meaning a range of ‘buy now, pay later’ options are available on all items. Currys also guarantees that each refurbished item is sold with charging power outlets and leads.
Until now, customers have only been able to buy second-hand tech which has been graded as being in ‘excellent’ condition. However, a range of items in ‘very good’ and ‘fair’ conditions are available at even lower price-points as of this week. Regardless of their condition, all items are sold with a 12-month technical guarantee, meaning if a product develops a fault, Currys has customers covered.
Mandeep Gobindpuri, head of development – circular economy, Currys, said: “In the UK we produce the second highest amount of e-waste per capita in the world. As much as we all love brand-new tech, we need to address this challenge. E-waste is a core reason why we are committed to our ‘Long Live Your Tech’ campaign, which helps customers make more informed environmental decisions when buying and disposing of technology.
“Buying refurbished saves customers money and saves good tech from landfill. This trial is a win for customers, and a win for the planet.”
