Back Market partners with Uswitch

Uswitch has partnered with Back Market to add refurbished smartphones to its comparison platform alongside Reboxed. 

The partnership puts one of Europe’s biggest recommerce brands on a mainstream UK mobile comparison site and gives refurbished devices greater visibility alongside new phone purchasing and upgrade options.

Uswitch is the first UK comparison site to partner with Back Market, Europe’s largest refurbished technology marketplace.

Back Market joins Reboxed on the Uswitch platform, giving consumers the ability to compare refurbished devices from the two suppliers in one place.

Uswitch has also introduced a common A, B and C grading system to tackle inconsistent descriptions of device condition, where terms such as “Pristine”, “Like New” and “Excellent” can mean different things depending on the retailer.

Under the Uswitch system, Grade A devices look and work like new, Grade B devices show some signs of use and Grade C devices may have visible wear.

Grade A devices must also have battery health of at least 90 per cent.

The grading takes account of battery and cosmetic condition alongside functional testing, factory resetting and checks against lost and stolen device registers.

Repair history and details of replacement components are not currently included because Uswitch says the information cannot yet be consistently tracked across the refurbished market.

Uswitch also offers “New Battery” devices fitted with a replacement battery for an additional premium.

Refurbished demand growing

The Back Market partnership comes as higher new handset prices increase the appeal of buying refurbished.

Uswitch says UK phone prices could increase by up to eight per cent this year, while refurbished phone sales grew four per cent year-on-year during the first three months of 2026.

A Grade A 256GB iPhone 17 listed through Back Market on Uswitch costs £631.99, compared with Apple’s £799 new price.

A Grade A 256GB Samsung Galaxy S26 costs £604.99 compared with £879 new.

Uswitch expects demand to increase as flagship prices rise and another iPhone generation arrives in September.

More partners

Uswitch has hinted it may add further refurbished suppliers.

“We’re always looking at ways to give shoppers more choice and will keep evaluating other retail partners” the company said.

Uswitch is also looking at closer bundling between refurbished handsets and airtime plans, which could enable consumers to directly compare the cost of a refurbished handset with a SIM-only tariff against a conventional new handset contract.

Uswitch believes refurbished devices will increasingly cease to be viewed as a separate category from new phones.

“It’s only a matter of time before shoppers stop thinking of ‘refurbished’ as a separate category. New-phone prices keep climbing and refurbished devices come with rigorous testing and a year’s warranty as standard.”