There is no doubt that the phrase ‘second hand’ carries a certain stigma with it. When we talk about second-hand goods of any kind, the instinctive associations many people make are with ideas of things old, worn, past their best and obviously not in pristine condition.
While some people might see good reason for buying second hand for the sake of value, others are put off by the idea of making do with other people’s tatty hand-me-downs, no matter how much money they can save.
When it comes to selling used mobile phones, this presents an understandable issue for retailers. They don’t want to only appeal to the bargain hunters amongst us who are more than happy to trade a little quality and condition for price. They want products that will appeal to the widest demographic possible, and they might be concerned that even advertising that they sell pre-owned phones might put off some people who insist on only the best.
The important thing here is that there doesn’t have to be a trade off between the condition of a device and value when it comes to used mobile phones. Many, many pre-owned handsets are available in exceptional order, whether they have been refurbished or from a careful previous owner. The best way to win round the doubters with used phones is for there to be no discernible difference between a new handset and pre-owned – except for the considerable drop in price.
That is why Phoenix Cellular sets such a high store on supplying used mobile phones to retailers in the best condition possible. But how can you be sure you are getting devices in the kind of state that your customers will approve of?
Professional testing, reliable gradings
We put every mobile phone that passes through our hands through a detailed assessment and testing procedure to get to the bottom of just how good a condition it is in. First of all, we look as a handset’s physical state. Every scratch, every chip, every crack, every knock is scrutinised and logged. Then we put it through a minimum 20-point electrical and operational performance test, as we know full well that handsets that look pristine on the outside can still have serious faults once we switch them on.
From these evaluations, we grade each device according to the following scale:
- Grade A Pristine:‘Almost perfect’ handsets we are happy to label ‘as good as new’.
- Grade A:Carry some very minor signs of use that require close inspection to see but otherwise in excellent working order.
- Grade B: Minor signs of use, quantified as more than five scratches/cracks which are obvious to the eye, but nothing that detracts from the visual appearance of the handset.
- Grade C: Average signs of wear and tear, such as obvious signs a handset has been dropped at some point.
The purpose of the grading system is to give retail customers a) assurances over what condition the handsets they order will arrive in and b) guidance as to how to price and position the devices. There is nothing wrong, for example, with buying used phones that have visible signs of wear on them, so long as you are prepared to price them accordingly and market them to the people who are looking for value over appearances.
Similarly, if you want used handsets that you can push to more second-hand-wary customers as a viable alternative to buying new, you don’t want devices with obvious signs of defects. Our Grade A and Grade A Pristine grade is therefore intended to give you absolute confidence about what you are buying.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee on Wholesale Used Phones
If you’re business is new to used mobile phones, we offer our 100% satisfaction guarantee, meaning that on your first order, if you’re to completely satisfied with what we’ve supplied you, you can return it for a full refund, including the shipping! Phoenix Cellular distributes over 60,000 handsets a month across Europe and the rest of the world, even with these high numbers, our return rate sits at below 3%.
Speak to our wholesale used phone trade team today on +441270 449999 to find out more about our used mobile phones, the quality we strive to achieve and our 100% satisfaction guarantee.
