eBay pushes buying ‘refurbished’ as cost of living crisis hits consumers
The average household has 49 pieces of tech, with 25% of the nation looking to upgrade their home technology this year, in spite of the cost of living crisis
This comes at a time when a huge 88% of 16-24 year olds are looking to try and save money
Up to 50% savings can be made through buying refurbished goods including TVs, kitchen appliances and projectors from Samsung, Lenovo, Sage and other brands
At an event in central London attended by Tech Digest, eBay called on shoppers to focus on buying refurbished over new in order to tackle the growing cost of living crisis as well as to encourage sustainability.
The focus comes as eBay looks to avoid the 2 million tonnes of wasted electronic items discarded by households and companies across the UK.
Having shown the value and environmental benefits of pre-loved fashion through its partnership with Love Island, eBay is asking Brits to consider refurbished items to extend the life cycle of tech already in circulation, as 25% of Brits (16.8 million) look to upgrade their home tech this year.
New research from eBay UK has found that though the nation wants to save money (80%), there’s no parting them from the tech brands they love as over a quarter (27%) are still prepared to invest more in brands they know and trust like Apple, Samsung and Dyson.
Coveted products from these brands such as AirPods, 4K TVs and Airwraps are available refurbished with up to 50% off the RRP, claims eBay, but 18% of shoppers are reluctant to buy due to concerns over it arriving with defaults and 16% worry it won’t work properly.
Despite 9 in 10 adults being aware of refurbished tech, a quarter of consumers have never purchased it themselves.
‘Refurbished’ items on eBay have been expertly restored and vetted to work like new, claims eBay, allowing shoppers to save on popular products including recent releases and previously discounted models as they upgrade their home tech.
They range in condition from ‘Certified’ where items have been refurbished by the manufacturer or authorised sellers and are in pristine, like-new condition, to ‘Good’ where there’s some moderate wear, but still refurbished by quality-vetted sellers.
All items have a one-year seller guarantee, as well as a money back guarantee and come with free delivery across the UK.
Says Mark Monte-Colombo, Head of Refurbished Technology at eBay UK:
“Refurbished is a great solution to getting the tech you love for less and keeping products in circulation. With the cost of living continuing to rise, we’re supporting families by showing the breadth of products you can kit out your homes with, including new tech for kids to keep them occupied over summer.
“When people think of refurbished items, they tend to think of just iPhones, laptops – however we want to show there’s so much more available – from trending kitchen appliances to highly sought-after hair stylers and even drones.”
From mattresses to kitchen appliances, the refurbished category on eBay continues to grow. In 2022, shoppers that opted for refurbished on eBay saved 13,000 tonnes of greenhouse emissions, which is equivalent to 200,000 new phones being made. Plus over 400,000 kg of waste was saved, the same weight of over 3.4 million phones.
Adds Anne Wingfield, Managing Director GB&I at Dyson says:
“From Airwraps to cordless vacuum cleaners and air purifiers, we sell a range of refurbished products through eBay, and do so in total confidence. All items have been professionally inspected, cleaned and refurbished by members of the Dyson Renewed team in-house, enabling shoppers to trust in the goods they’re purchasing.
“Buying directly through our eBay Outlet, our refurbished offering means more shoppers can enjoy genuine Dyson engineering and science that goes into all our products, while keeping high quality tech out of landfill.”
New data from eBay also reveals the top 10 tech items people want for their homes, listed with typical RRP and refurbished cost:
| Item | RRP | Refurbished price |
| Ninja Air Fryer | £219.99 | £129.00 |
| 4K TV | £329.99 | £229.99 |
| Dyson Vacuum Cleaner | £299.99 | £249.99 |
| Dyson Air Wrap | £479.99 | £429.99 |
| Bose Sound System | £499.95 | £429.95 |
| Simba Mattress | £799.00 | £355.11 |
| Apple Airpods | £100.00 | £79.97 |
| Peloton Bike | £1,345.00 | £995.00 |
| Nintendo Switch | £199.99 | £129.99 |
