Refurbished market

Optimising value
power for established trade-in programs.

Refurbished consumer electronic products offer far more than an accessible entry-price proposition. Used effectively, they can broaden product choice, help customers access premium technology, accelerate upgrades, generate additional accessory, warranty, and cross-selling opportunities, attract customers from competing sellers and strengthen loyalty. 

10 pages9 min readPublished on By the Alchemy research team

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Three findings at a glance
70%

of consumers say that staff-assisted in-store trade-in with instant payout is their most preferred experience.

38%

of consumers say trade-in improves brand perception because it makes a brand seem more environmentally responsible.

32%

of consumers don't trade in because the value they receive is too low.

Explore the data

Respondents purchasing a device from the same one as the brand traded-in

Region
Source: Alchemy proprietary research, n=11,218
Executive summary

What's inside this report

Discover how OEMs, retailers and carriers can optimize established consumer electronics trade-in programs to increase participation, conversion and customer value.

You'll learn
  • Set trade-in values that balance consumer expectations with commercial objectives.
  • Use price guarantees and flexible payout options to strengthen customer confidence.
  • Reduce friction through better customer service and logistics options.
  • Improve in-store and online trade-in journeys to expand participation across channels.

For established trade-in programs, improving conversion requires more than simply making trade-in available. Programs must offer competitive values, provide greater certainty through price guarantees and flexible payment options, and remove friction through effective customer service and convenient logistics. Trade-in should also be visible and accessible across online and in-store channels throughout the purchasing cycle.

An optimized trade-in program can deliver value beyond the recovered device. It can bring purchases forward, encourage customers to choose higher-end products, increase accessory and warranty sales, strengthen loyalty and improve brand perception. This report provides research-backed actions to help OEMs, retailers and carriers increase participation and maximize the commercial value of their existing programs.

The research was commissioned by Alchemy in August 2026. It comprises a quantitative online survey of 11,217 consumers across the UK, US, Germany and Poland, covering seven consumer electronics categories.

Table of contents

Inside the report

01

Synopsis

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02

Introduction

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