eBay is calling on shoppers to focus on refurbished over new when it comes to their tech items, as the cost of living continues to rise and two thirds of adults are spending less on non-essentials.
The focus comes as eBay looks to avoid the 2 million tonnes of wasted electronic items discarded by households and companies across the UK.
Having shown the value and environmental benefits of pre-loved fashion through its partnership with Love Island, eBay is asking UK shoppers to consider refurbished items to extend the life cycle of tech already in circulation, as 25% of consumers (16.8 million) look to upgrade their home tech this year based on our survey results.
New research from eBay UK has found that though the nation wants to save money (80%), there’s no parting them from the tech brands they love as over a quarter (27%) are still prepared to invest more in brands they know and trust like Apple, Samsung and Dyson. Coveted products from these brands such as AirPods, 4K TVs and Airwraps are available refurbished with up to 50% off the RRP, but 18% of shoppers are reluctant to buy due to concerns over it arriving with defaults and 16% worry it won’t work properly.
eBay added it is on a mission to reassure customers of the quality of refurbished items available on the online marketplace. This comes as independent climate action NGO, WRAP, reports potential savings of up to £8bn per year, equating to as much as £280 per household, if everyone shops for only pre-loved or refurbished items. Despite nine in 10 adults being aware of refurbished tech, a quarter of consumers have never purchased it themselves.
‘Refurbished’ items on eBay have been expertly restored and vetted to work like new, allowing shoppers to save on popular products including recent releases and previously discounted models as they upgrade their home tech.
Ranging in condition from ‘Certified’ where items have been refurbished by the manufacturer or authorised sellers and are in pristine, like-new condition, to ‘Good’ where there’s some moderate wear, but still refurbished by quality-vetted sellers’, all items are expertly restored,have a one year seller guarantee, as well as a money back guarantee and come with free delivery across the UK.
Mark Monte-Colombo, head of refurbished technology at eBay UK, said: “Refurbished is a great solution to getting the tech you love for less and keeping products in circulation. With the cost of living continuing to rise, we’re supporting families by showing the breadth of products you can kit out your homes with, including new tech for kids to keep them occupied over summer.
“When people think of refurbished items, they tend to think of just iPhones, laptops – however we want to show there’s so much more available – from trending kitchen appliances to highly sought-after hair stylers and even drones.
“We know quality and trust is key for customers – every product is refurbished by experts and goes through extensive testing to make sure it meets the highest standards per condition.”
The refurbished category on eBay continues to grow, from mattresses to kitchen appliances, there’s multiple ways to incorporate like-new goods into the home, saving unnecessary waste in landfill. In 2022, shoppers that opted for refurbished on eBay saved 13,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions, which is equivalent to 200,000 new phones being made. Plus over 400,000 kg of waste was saved, the same weight of over 3.4 million phones.
Anne Wingfield, managing director GB&I at Dyson, added: “From Airwraps to cordless vacuum cleaners and air purifiers, we sell a range of refurbished products through eBay, and do so in total confidence. All items have been professionally inspected, cleaned and refurbished by members of the Dyson Renewed team in-house, enabling shoppers to trust in the goods they’re purchasing. Buying directly through our eBay Outlet, our refurbished offering means more shoppers can enjoy genuine Dyson engineering and science that goes into all our products, whilst keeping high quality tech out of landfill.”
See more images from eBay’s Refurbished Residency following Internet Retailing’s visit to the London pop-up.
