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The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Businesses and charities call for UK to scrap VAT on refurbished electronics
Ministers are facing fresh calls to scrap VAT on all repaired and refurbished electronics, with businesses, charities and community groups arguing the move would help households cut costs and stop electrical goods being binned prematurely. In a letter to the environment secretary, Steve Reed, the signatories say that removing VAT on repaired electronics should be part of a wider push to cut waste, extend the life of products and develop a 'truly circular economy'. At the moment, refurbished electronics sold by businesses in the UK are generally subject to the same VAT rate as new electrical goods. Katy Medlock, the UK general manager at Back Market, said cost remained the 'number one deciding factor' influencing whether consumers chose refurbished electronics over new. 'If we want to reduce e-waste by making refurbishment the norm, refurbished products must be as accessible as possible,' she said. 'Cutting VAT on reused, refurbished and repaired goods and services would directly benefit consumers by lowering prices, making it a no-brainer for more people to choose sustainable options.' Ease and accessibility are also still missing from most repair options, said Dr Adam Read, the chief external affairs and sustainability officer at Suez UK, one of the country's largest waste and recycling companies. 'The first barrier is people don't actually go out to the shop to buy [electronics any more],' he said. 'They literally push a button on a phone and a new toaster appears within 24 hours.' Repair, by comparison, can feel slow, uncertain or inaccessible, he said. 'If you could get the same item for half the price from a reputable repair system, you'd see a huge upturn in demand – and that's got to be good for everyone, whether they're students, low-income households or just people trying to be frugal.' Fiona Dear, a co-director of the Restart Project, a charity that promotes repair and reuse of electronics, said policy needed to catch up with growing demand from businesses and communities, and welcomed support for measures that could make repair more accessible. 'We know that, like community repair groups, many businesses are interested in repairing more products – and there are some great examples of innovation to repair and reuse at scale. 'But keeping things in use is often harder and more costly than it should be. Policymakers can be wary of opposition from business, so it's great to see some well-known brands joining the call for ambitious measures that can make repair and reuse simpler and cheaper for all of us.' Repair and reuse should be seen as a way to boost green jobs and skills, the letter says. It estimates that growth in the repair economy could generate 31,000 jobs by 2035, rising to more than 80,000 by 2040. 'It's green jobs, it's good economics, it's great for communities,' Read said. 'I think there's huge potential in the workforce that currently is underemployed or out of the economic system. 'Just like carpenters and plumbers never go out of fashion, people working in repair and reuse are going to become absolutely critical to the way the economy runs in the future.' He added that interest in the sector was already growing, especially among younger people. 'You look at the colleges that are offering these types of practical courses – whether it's west London or Manchester – they're inundated with 18- to 24-year-olds that want to learn skills that are going to be applicable in the future.' The letter is backed by 25 organisations and businesses, including Currys, Back Market, Suez, the Restart Project and repair cafe networks across the UK. A Treasury spokesperson said: 'The government is committed to reducing waste which is why our circular economy taskforce will help develop a strategy for England with a roadmap to increase the reuse and recycling of electrical equipment. 'The chancellor makes tax policy decisions at fiscal events [budgets]. We do not comment on speculation around future changes to tax policy'.
Daily Mirror
06-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
iPhone 12 Pro slashed by £649 in significant price drop deal
The iPhone 12 Pro is Apple's first 5G model Consumers hoping to upgrade their phone but looking to avoid paying over the odds upfront, a secondhand model is always an option. Shoppers can buy a refurbished iPhone 12 Pro (128GB) from £230, a significant saving of £649. When sold new, the device retails for £879. The refurbished phone is available to buy from BackMarket, an online retailer that specialises in tech goods. BackMarket promises verified refurbished goods, and says every device has been 'tested and restored to perfect working condition according to industry standards'. Prices vary depending on which colour buyers select, for example, the Silver shade of the iPhone 12 Pro is £230, the Pacific Blue hue is the second cheapest at £234, the Gold colour is £249.48, and the Graphite option is £251. Wowcher is also selling a refurbished iPhone 12 Pro (128GB), with prices starting slightly higher at £239. The device is available in four colours. BackMarket's iPhone 12 Pro is advertised as in 'fair' condition, but consumers can choose from other conditions and storage space options. To buy the phone in 'good condition' it costs £280, for 'excellent condition' it's £290, and for 'premium condition' it's £400. The same phone with 256GB is priced at £273, and for 512GB it is £306. It's worth highlighting that the iPhone 12 Pro was first released back in 2020. On Samsung's official site, consumers can buy refurbished Galaxy devices. This Galaxy S24 FE, with built-in Galaxy AI, is £100 off, now offered for £549 from £649. Meanwhile, Amazon is selling a brand new 5G Galaxy A16 mobile for £144.11. It has a memory space of 128GB and a screen measuring 6.7 inches. Returning to BackMarket's offer, shoppers who have an old phone to trade in get additional money off; prices vary depending on which model they trade in. The refurbished iPhone 12 Pro has more than 14,000 reviews, with one customer describing the model as 'absolutely perfect'. They added: "I ordered the iPhone 12 Pro in good condition, and there are ZERO faults. The phone feels as if it's brand new; it's not slow, battery life is as it should be, and there are no visible scratches to the eye!! I was sceptical about ordering refurbished phones, but this has definitely changed my view on this. No complaints!! 10/10." Another was disappointed with the phone's battery life, saying: "Nice and easy to use and buy a new phone. The Battery Health percentage should be stated in the description. I feel the condition of the phone I bought was misadvertised due to the 80% battery health. This phone will need a new battery soon." The refurbished iPhone 12 Pro has two different battery options to pick from: the standard battery is classed as 'good', which BackMarket recommends for average daily use. For £272, shoppers can buy the device with a new battery, which BackMarket advises for 'heavy' average daily use. One buyer said it was their first time purchasing a refurbished phone and was 'impressed', adding: "I bought an iPhone 12 Pro in good (condition) and it was perfect. It looked new and had no scratches at all. The battery was at 89%."
The Star
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sales of refurbished tech products surge under US tariffs, says Back Market
The French startup specialising in the online sale of professionally refurbished phones, computers, gaming consoles and accessories says growth in the US has accelerated. — Image by Freepik LONDON: US sales of French startup Back Market, which sells refurbished tech products, have surged in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs, as more consumers turn to devices already in the country, its CEO told AFP on June 3. Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on allies and adversaries alike in moves that have rocked the world trade order and roiled financial markets. But the French startup specialising in the online sale of professionally refurbished phones, computers, gaming consoles and accessories says growth in the United States has accelerated. When tariffs were announced, "there was no mechanical impact on new product prices but there was fear and an immediate reaction in demand", said Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Back Market's CEO and co-founder. "We saw our growth triple the following week" and nearly two months later, "it's still stronger than before", Larauze said during an interview at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in London. Founded in 2014, the startup has become one of the flagships of French tech, operating in 17 countries and valued in January 2022 at approximately €5.1bil (RM24.69bil). Back Market achieved profitability in Europe last year and hopes to generate global profits in 2026. Its revenues grew by 45% year-on-year in 2023, reaching €320mil (RM 1.54bil) . In the United States, its biggest market outside Europe – with France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain leading the way – profitability is close, Larauze said. With tariffs, Trump created a "huge incentive for Americans to consume circularly and locally", Larauze said, noting that the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in the fabrication of tech products is twice as much as that of commercial aviation. If US tariff policy "can have positive effects on the environment and American purchasing power, obviously, we're thrilled to meet this demand". – AFP
CNET
03-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
Refurbished Tech Is Always an Option for You, and It Could Be a 'Joyful' One, Too
I've been writing about the right-to-repair movement and finding more sustainable ways to buy tech for years, but it wasn't until earlier this year on a routine Tube journey across London that I heard of Back Market, a refurbished tech marketplace originating in France. While avoiding any possible eye contact with strangers, as is good Tube etiquette, my gaze drifted up to a Back Market advert above the window pane. "Sorry, cats. Tech now has multiple lives too," it said. It was amusing and immediately made me want to know more. It turned out that I was late to the party, and this was just one of many cheeky ads that Back Market has run on the London Underground network and beyond. The aim of the company's campaigns is to normalize buying refurbished tech by making it fun, Back Market's CEO Thibaud Hug de Larauze said at SXSW London on Tuesday. Back Market projects a slogan onto the Apple Store in London. Back Market "Don't make people feel guilty, like you're a bad person because you're buying new," he said. "It's not going to work. It's not going to change people's behavior." Extending the lifespan of our phones, laptops and other tech products, whether through repair, responsible trade-ins that prioritize recycling or buying refurbished devices is critical to ensure we're not wasting precious minerals and exerting pressure on the natural world in ways that contribute to the climate crisis. It's serious stuff, but Back Market's lighthearted approach is about sparking "a joyful revolution" in the world of refurbished tech, said Hug de Larauze. Buying into this revolution is good for the planet, and for protecting the wellbeing of the people in developing countries whose health is impacted by mining for minerals or recovering them from discarded e-waste. It's also good for another reason – avoiding price rises on new tech sparked by tariffs. The repair and refurbish movement Back Market isn't the only marketplace willing to pay for your old tech and to sell you a refurbished device, but it's one part of a more widespread movement for change. Earlier this year, the company partnered with iFixit, which is equipping people around the world with the tools they need to repair their own tech while advocating for right-to-repair legislation. "We want to enable people to repair by default, if they want and if they can," said Hug de Larauze. "If they cannot, let's trade in easily and adopt a refurbished one." Together the companies are encouraging people to increase the time they hold onto their phones to five years, rather than the current average of two and a half years. They're also applying pressure to phone manufacturers to increase software support to 10 years. But Hug de Larauze has an even bigger request for tech companies, which he describes as "the next fight we need to push for." At the point when tech manufacturers cease to provide ongoing support for devices, he wants them to unleash the hardware they've made so that it can be fully divorced from the operating system. The idea is that an old iPhone, for example, could get a new lease on life as something like a baby monitor or security camera if combined with different software. This feels like a big ask for tech companies, with the main argument against the proposal likely to center around security concerns. Still, the world of refurbished tech is changing quickly. Over a million refurbished devices were purchased through Back Market last year alone and according to Hug de Larauze, there are already signs that people are holding onto their smartphones for longer and trading in more often. "For me, it's about building a global ecosystem of service for everybody to basically access to repair by default," he said. "Obviously, keep the device longer, but if for some reason you cannot, then easily trade it in and access refurbished devices instead."
Phone Arena
05-05-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
It's the best time to buy a premium tablet at a killer price: a week of Back Market UK flash sales!
Receive the latest mobile news Subscribe By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy 7 days of flash deals: check out these iPad deals from Back Market! Use code MYBESTIPAD for extra $20 off on purchases above $350 Old model iPad Pros have incredible value Where to find reliable refurbished iPad models? Have at least 80% battery capacity (Premium grade units are 90%+ guaranteed) Be fully tested — USB ports, SIM slots, GPS, cameras, LED flash, Face ID sensors, et cetera. Be IMEI legitimacy-checked Come with 1-year warranty, 30-day money-back returns Tablets have slowly carved their way into the tech space and nowadays every techie either wants one or has one. Apple's iPads are highly sought-after for their excellent speakers, huge ecosystem of apps and accessories, and powerful powerful hardware if you spend the cash for a higher-tier option like a Pro or an Air. But what if you could get one without paying what you would for a pro-grade laptop?Yes, it's possible — you don't really need to always go for the latest model. Apple's M-class chips were way, way ahead of their time when they launched in 2020. And when the first M1-equipped iPad Pro dropped in 2021, so did our jaws, as the processor has quite a lot of headroom and power to deal with anything that iPadOS might ask of fact, this author is still using an iPad Pro M1 to this day, only occasionally thinking about an upgrade, but ultimately — a reason to do that has not yet become that being said, here is a number of iPad deals you can get at Back Market for a limited time!Any iPad Pro from 2021 onwards will come with an M-class chip — M1, M2, or M4 (the latest, 2024 models). And each of them will have a 120 Hz ProMotion screen, quad speakers, support for Apple Pencil Pro, Magic Keyboard, Stage Manager desktop experience, and Face you want to save even more, you can get an iPad Air from 2022 with its own M1 chip, and support for Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard.M1 still has the power to run the full suite of features that iPadOS 18 comes with, Apple Intelligence included, and even the new console-grade games that have recently started coming out in the App Store still list M1 as the minimum you don't need to scour the second hand market and toss a coin when deciding whether a seller is legit or not. Back Market is an established reseller of electronics that specializes in picking up devices, inspecting them, doing the necessary repairs, and selling them at great you are shopping at Back Market, every unit you are looking at is specifically graded, so you know exactly what you are buying. Each device is guaranteed to:So, go ahead and check out these hot deals listed above, or visit Back Market to browse their full selection of consumer electronics!
