Glossary
Trade-in
also: buyback
The mechanism by which a user hands back a used device, usually against a credit, feeding it into a refurbishment flow.
Trade-in is where most consumer refurbishment volume originates. A user returns a device, at a store, by post, or through an online quote, and receives a price or a credit against a new purchase.
The commercial difficulty is that the price is quoted before the device is inspected. The offer rests on what the user declares about its condition, and the actual grade is only known once it arrives. Too generous an offer and margin disappears on arrival; too cautious and users decline. The gap between quoted and confirmed grade is a metric worth tracking in its own right.
For the operation downstream, trade-in flows have a distinctive shape: high variability in condition, seasonal peaks tied to product launches, and a mix of models that shifts constantly. Capacity has to absorb that variability, not assume a steady input.