Canada Buyer Guide: Refurbished Apple Deals on Used iPhones (2024)

(Safest) Buying Refurbished iPhones:

Top of the grade in terms of purchasing second-hand iPhones. These devices will not only go through rigorous functionality and software testing; they’ll be repaired to be like-new. This means any refurbished iPhone you buy will be good as new, be less likely to have issues and, in most cases, come with a warranty or guarantee.

(Great) Buying Pre-owned iPhones:

Many stores offer a form of second-hand iPhone purchase called ‘pre-owned’ or ‘certified pre-owned.’ In this case, the device would have gone through some functionality testing and would be sold with some form of warranty and return period. This gives you ‘the buyer’ a kind of guarantee that you can get a replacement or your money back with any issues.

(Some Risk) Buying Used iPhones:

These iPhones are more likely to fall into the category of a private sale, for example via through classified ads, auction sites, or friends. In most cases, all that gets offered is the device matches the photos or description. However, it is unlikely that the iPhone has any parts replaced or been tested for software issues.

So, Orchard is a fantastic place to get your iPhones from, want to know why? It only deals with the highest quality of pre-owned and refurbished iPhones, plus you can end up saving up to 60% off the brand new retail price.

In terms of quality, Orchard excels in their hardware and software testing, quoting that they have two separate technicians run through a vigorous 30-point testing process. Each second-hand iPhone in their shop’s catalog has its own 360-degree photos so you can see exactly what you’re buying. There is a 30-day warranty, free returns/shipping, and no strings attached.

Before you buy with debit, credit card, or PayPal, you can check the unique description of the iPhone’s condition, so you fully understand the condition of the device you’re buying. Buying from a company with a warranty gives you a zero quibble return policy and total faith in the condition of the used iPhone you’re buying.

eBay can be the perfect place to get your paws on a second hand iPhone; it can have some excellent pricing too. It also benefits from PayPal protection if anything goes wrong you can raise a dispute with PayPal and try to get your money back – yes it’s a bit more hassle than a warranty guarantee but gives you some reassurance when buying second-hand electronics.

If you’re planning on using eBay, be aware that this is a prominent market place and a free for all on the type of products listed. What do we mean? You will get devices in ALL SORTS of conditions on there, so you need to make sure you pay close attention to the filter functions to pick the type of device you want, e.g. new, open box, manufacturer refurbished, seller refurbished, used, not working

The way we see it, there are two ways of using a classified ads site to find a used iPhone to purchase. Firstly, with something like Facebook, you can ask friends or friends of friends in via a status update if anyone’s selling one. If you buy it, you know the person, so you will have some reasonable expectations that their description is genuine.

The other option is taking the normal routes through Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace where you have to go by the quality of the listing and how genuine you think the seller is in the items description. Much like eBay, you can ask as many questions as you like, but as there is no buyer protection, we suggest you drill them as much as possible.

If you manage to get it through a friend or someone that has an excellent condition device, sometimes you can get the best deal!

Make sure you read the fine print, in most online listings private sellers and companies will confirm the condition of the phone in the description. It’s a smart move to contact these sellers to confirm this too, really grill them on what state the iPhones in physically and if there have been any software issues.

By doing this, it makes it a lot easier to raise a dispute if any issues occur with the device, especially if you’re building a PayPal case as you had written proof the seller said the device was ok before you purchased.

Find out what the device comes with. If you’re getting some extra chargers and accessories, it’s a big bonus to have these spares especially if this is your first iPhone. After all, there’s no point in getting one and finding out you’ve got to buy a charger too!

If someone still has the box with all the manuals, accessories, case, etc. then it could be a sign that it’s been well looked after!

To get the lowest ticket price for a used iPhone, the best time to buy would be just after the latest model is released. Typically when a new iPhone comes out, the costs of the older ones fall as they’re slightly less in demand and no longer hold the latest technology from Apple.

In terms of Apple releases, the calendar has remained pretty much the same over the past decade. Typically, Apple will hold an event in September where they will announce the new iPhones, following this lately they have shipped the latest devices in October and November.

If you’re buying from a private seller on eBay, Craigslist or Facebook, you should try to work out if they can be trusted. Luckily eBay has seller ratings, and you can check what type of products they sell if it’s all phones they chances are they’re a pretty trustworthy seller.

If you’re using a company, even if they have warranty offers it’s worth searching for their brand name and ‘reviews’ in Google to find REAL customer feedback to see how trustworthy that company is.