Refurbished Samsung phones 2025: How to buy a tried and tested secondhand Galaxy smartphone

Our team of experts has reviewed more than 70 Samsung phones over the years, so when we recommend the best Samsung phone for you, you can be sure that we’re speaking from experience. But what if you’re unable or simply unwilling to pay full price for our recommended picks?

Thankfully, there is an alternative route that means you can pay a lot less for practically the same experience. Buying a refurbished Samsung phone from a trusted source can get you an impeccable smartphone, with full peace of mind, at a significant discount.

In the following article we’ll be running through some of the things to look out for when shopping for a refurbished Samsung phone. We’ll show you some of the best places to buy refurbished and secondhand Samsung handsets, as well as highlighting a couple of important things to look out for in order to make sure you avoid buyer’s regret.

If Samsung isn’t your cup of tea, check out our guide to buying a refurbished iPhone instead.

Refurbished Samsung phones: Everything you need to know

What does refurbished mean?

Refurbished smartphones are secondhand, which means they have been bought, used and sold or traded in for cash or credit.

However, if you use one of our recommended outlets (see below) or a trusted alternative, you’ll receive a range of benefits that you wouldn’t if you bought the same phone directly from a private seller on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.All of the following outlets will offer something like the following: each refurbished phone candidate will receive a multi-point inspection (typically involving around 25 to 30 tests) from industry repair experts to ensure that they are in good working order. They must be found 100% functional as the manufacturer intended, and generally you’ll find that the battery must attain at least 80% capacity.

Most outlets will then grade phones on their own scale depending on the level of cosmetic damage – or the number of minor nicks and scrapes on the body and display. Back Market goes with Fair, Good, Excellent and Premium, but the top level can invariably be described in words to the effect of ‘as good as new’, with a slightly higher price to match.

All refurbished phone outlets worth their salt will supply a minimum one year guarantee, essentially replicating the manufacturer’s provision when brand new.

Essentially, a refurbished phone from a reputable outlet should offer you all the assurances and protections of a brand new handset, but at a significantly reduced price. It’s win-win.

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Best refurbished Samsung phones: At a glance

Where are the best places to buy a refurbished or secondhand Samsung?

1. Back Market

Back Market is one of the newer names on the refurbished tech market, offering a wide range of devices from phones to laptops and games consoles. Reassuringly, one of the most popular categories on its website is ‘Samsung Smartphones’, and at the time of writing this was listing 167 such products for sale. Each listing is granted one of four condition ratings, with Premium ensuring ‘no signs of use’ and all-Samsung parts. Back Market also gives you free 30-day returns and a 12-month warranty.

2. Amazon Renewed

Amazon is already among the most popular places to buy brand new phones, but it also has an extensive refurbishment programme – or, to use Amazon’s lingo, ‘Renewed’. The online retail giant offers a replacement or refund if you’re not fully satisfied with your renewed phone up to one year from purchase. It’s important to distinguish this Renewed initiative from Amazon Marketplace, which doesn’t carry the same level of protection.

3. Music Magpie

Despite the name, Music Magpie is actually one of the country’s top refurbished phone dealers. Free delivery and a 12-month warranty come as standard on every single order, as does a 14-day money back guarantee. The company goes with a simplified three-grade system based on the cosmetic condition of the phone, with the real onus being the above-and-beyond 90 point diagnostic test it carries out before any phone is ready for sale. The company is keen to talk up its ‘Excellent’ rating on Trust Pilot, too.

4. eBay

eBay is a little different to the other services on this list in that it doesn’t sell refurbished phones directly. Rather, it serves as a shop front for individual sellers offering their refurbished wares. Even more so than with Amazon, you need to be wary of the difference between eBay’s refurbished phones and the kind of secondhand offerings that the website has built its reputation on. If you want to be safe, use the eBay accounts of established high-street stores, such as Currys. Alternatively you can read up on any feedback the seller has received, or even message the seller directly.

5. Samsung

If it’s safe bets you’re after in the refurbished market, then they don’t come any safer than Samsung itself. That’s right, the South Korean manufacturer offers its own ‘Certified Re-newed’ programme that promises phones that are “As good as new… for less”. Samsung’s offers might not be the absolute cheapest, but there’s that invaluable peace of mind factor, not to mention the provision of a brand new battery with every refurbished phone.

Top tips for buying a secondhand Samsung phone

We absolutely recommend buying a refurbished Samsung phone from one of the above outlets, but if you’re sourcing a secondhand unit from a private seller it’s important to be wary. It’s not uncommon to encounter stolen phones when buying in this manner, which is a crime on the part of both seller and buyer. It’s also possible that you’ll find yourself locked out of your stolen purchase further down the line.

Here are some tips on how to avoid dodgy goods when shopping for your second hand Samsung phone.

1. Ask for an original receipt or proof of purchase

One way to authenticate your purchase is to ask the seller for a receipt. Private sellers in particular should have one to hand, even if it’s in electronic form. Such documents can be handy for any warranty claims that the phone might still be eligible for, but the main purpose is good old fashioned peace of mind.

2. Check the IMEI number

Every phone has a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity number, or IMEI. This is the number that gets reported to the phone carrier when a device is stolen, which enables them in turn to lock the phone remotely, rendering it all but useless. You can check that a Samsung phone hasn’t been stolen by typing its IMEI (Settings > About phone > Status > IMEI information, or dial *#06#) into a service like IMEIpro.info.

3. Check the seller’s return policy

All of the outlets we’ve recommended above offer a solid returns policy, letting you change your mind after a certain period of time and get a full refund or replacement. This is another reason to be mindful of buying from private sellers – they will be cheaper, but your purchase will likely be final.

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4. Check that the phone is wiped and operational

If you’re buying your Samsung phone from a private seller, see if you can physically check the phone before you purchase. Ask that the seller charge it up beforehand so you can assess its operation before money changes hands. Also ensure that the seller performs a factory reset of the phone, either in front of you (ideal because you’ll see that the phone is operational, and that the seller knows the password) or before you make the exchange. This will wipe all previous data from the handset. Ideally, you’ll want to then set up the phone with your account right there and then to check that it works with your SIM (be sure to bring a SIM tool or sturdy pin), and isn’t locked to a different network.

5. Always meet in a safe public place

Make sure that any meeting with a private seller takes place in a public place. If the phone is legit, that shouldn’t be a problem for them, and should indeed be preferable for both parties (an honest seller will likely be wary of you too). If you can take a friend with you, do so.

Written by

Jon Mundy

Jon is an experienced freelance journalist who got his start covering the nascent mobile gaming scene just as the first iPhone came to market. He now covers consumer technology and culture for a range of websites. As well as providing smartphone and tablet reviews for Expert Reviews, he has written for the likes of TechRadar, Trusted Reviews, Tech Advisor, and ShortList.

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