To a buyer, Back Market and Refurbed look alike: refurbished phones, a warranty, country websites across Europe. To a seller they are two different systems, with their own way of setting a price, taking an order and asking for the paperwork. This guide puts them side by side, using only what each one publishes.
The short version
- Both review a seller before access is given.
- Back Market prices one listing per country. Refurbed converts one reference price into every market, and lets you set a market on its own.
- Both want tracking when you ship, and both take the IMEI and the invoice on the order.
- Selling on both works when one stock feeds both and moves within seconds.
At a glance
| Back Market | Refurbed | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting in | An account after validation by their team | Works with selected professional refurbishers |
| Countries | 13 country codes on the EU platform, plus the US and Asia Pacific | More than twenty country sites, in and outside the euro |
| Price | One listing, a price per country | A reference price, converted per market, or a price per market |
| The box | BackBox | BuyBox, per market |
| Warranty | Set in months, 12 at least | 12 months for new offers |
| Shipping | Tracking number required to ship · BackShip labels for subscribers | Tracking link required to ship · labels through the API |
| Invoice | Uploaded on the order | Uploaded on the order, within about 30 days |
| IMEI | On the order line, cannot be corrected later | Item identifiers: IMEI, second IMEI, serial |
Getting in
Back Market’s API documentation says it plainly: after validation by their team, a seller gains access to an account, with the back office and the API. You apply with information about your company, on the platform of your region. Refurbed describes the sellers on its site as carefully selected professional refurbishers, and its API documentation says the credentials come from your account manager.
Neither is a marketplace you open in an afternoon. Expect questions about your company, your stock and how you refurbish. If you are just starting, the guide to starting as a small team covers the order of steps.
Countries and currencies
Back Market runs three platforms. Its API documentation lists 13 country codes on the EU platform: France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Slovakia and Sweden, with the United States and Japan and Australia on their own platforms. Refurbed’s home page lists more than twenty country sites, including Switzerland, Poland, Denmark and Sweden.
On both, some markets are outside the euro. A price that looks right in euro can be wrong in Swedish krona, and those markets are the ones a manual routine forgets.
How a price is set
This is the biggest difference in daily work. On Back Market you do not create a listing per country: one listing carries a stock that applies to every country, and a price, a comment and a warranty per country. On Refurbed you create an offer with a reference price that is converted into each market’s currency, and you can also set the price of one market on its own.
Both have a box to win: Back Market calls it the BackBox, Refurbed the BuyBox, and Refurbed reports it per market. Winning it, country by country, is a job of its own. How MARGIXA does it on both, with one floor you set, is in repricing with one floor.
Orders, shipping and tracking
- Back Market. A paid order line waits for the seller to accept or cancel it. Accepted, it is prepared and shipped, and the tracking number is required to mark it shipped. Each order that has not shipped carries an expected dispatch date. Back Market also offers a shipping service, BackShip, to sellers who subscribe to it.
- Refurbed.An order item arrives as new and the seller accepts or rejects it. To mark it shipped, a parcel tracking link is required, and the identifier of the item should be set if possible. Refurbed’s API can create a shipping label for an order, and for an order going outside the EU, such as to Switzerland, it asks for a commercial invoice in PDF before shipping.
Neither publishes one deadline in days for every seller in its API documentation. On Back Market the shipping time is part of the shipping options of your listing, and the order shows its expected dispatch date. Ask each marketplace what it expects and how it counts a late shipment. More on that in shipping on time on every marketplace.
Warranty, invoices and the IMEI
Warranty.Back Market’s API sets the warranty in months, with 12 as the minimum. Refurbed’s API supports 12 months for new offers.
Invoices.Both take the customer invoice on the order through their API. Refurbed’s documentation adds that an order stops accepting an invoice about 30 days after it was released to the seller, so invoicing in batches at the end of the month can be too late. See automatic invoices for Back Market and Refurbed.
The IMEI. Back Market takes an IMEI or a serial on the order line, and its documentation says the value cannot be corrected once registered. Refurbed takes item identifiers of a stated type: IMEI, a second IMEI or a serial number. Scan carefully on Back Market orders: a typo stays. The IMEI tracking guide covers the routine.
Selling on both from one place
Once one marketplace works, the other is the obvious next step. The risk is not the second marketplace, it is two marketplaces selling the same last phone. MARGIXA connects to Back Market through its Seller API and is listed by Refurbed as an integration partner. With both connected:
- One stock number goes to both, and to Amazon or your webshop if you sell there too.
- Orders from both land in one list, and stock is reserved the moment an order arrives.
- Auto-Pricing works on the BackBox and the BuyBox, market by market, never below your floor.
- The label prints, the tracking goes back to the right platform, and the IMEI goes with it.
- The invoice is uploaded to the order when it ships, under the VAT scheme you chose for that marketplace.
Checklist
Before you list on the second marketplace
- Ask each marketplace for its current seller terms and commission.
- Use the same SKU on both, so one product feeds both listings.
- Price every country, including the ones outside the euro.
- Set the warranty each one asks for.
- Make sure every shipment carries a tracking number or link.
- Scan the IMEI before a Back Market order ships · it cannot be corrected there.
- Upload each Refurbed invoice well inside its window.
Every platform MARGIXA connects to is on the integrations page. The whole product is on the features page.
Back Market and Refurbed change their rules from time to time. Everything above links to what they publish, and their seller support has the last word.
Sources
- Back Market · API Guidelines (opens in a new tab) · Account after validation · country codes · one listing per country · order states · invoice upload · BackShip · warranty and IMEI fields
- Refurbed · public API definitions on GitLab (opens in a new tab) · Merchant API README · order item states · invoice upload · shipping labels · warranty · item identifiers
- Refurbed · home page (opens in a new tab) · The country selector · selected professional refurbishers
See it in the demo. The video opens at one stock for every channel.
For the sharpest picture, open Settingsin the player, chooseQuality · 2160p (4K)and watch it full screen.
Questions we get asked
Should I start on Back Market or on Refurbed?
There is no single answer. Both sell refurbished electronics to consumers across Europe and both review a seller before letting them in. Apply to both, and start with the one that accepts you first.
Can I sell the same phone on Back Market and Refurbed?
Yes, as long as one stock feeds both and the number on each platform drops the moment an order comes in. MARGIXA sends one number to both, and reserves stock as soon as an order arrives.
What are the fees on each marketplace?
Each marketplace sets its commission in its own seller agreement, and neither publishes one rate in its API documentation. Ask each for its current terms before you set your prices.
Do both need the IMEI of the phone I ship?
Both take it. Back Market's API takes an IMEI or a serial number on the order line and says it cannot be corrected once registered. Refurbed's API takes item identifiers such as the IMEI and the serial number, and says the identifier of a shipped item should be set if possible.
Do both need an invoice for every order?
Both take the invoice on the order through their API. Refurbed's documentation says an order stops accepting an invoice about 30 days after it was released to the seller.