Consumer Comparison
Back Market vs The Big Phone Store
Marketplace Pitfalls vs Guaranteed Quality
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Back Market and The Big Phone Store both sell refurbished phones - but how they do it is very different.
We both offer refurbished tech, but only one of us actually refurbishes the devices in-house. Here's how that difference affects quality, service, and value.
Price Comparison Snapshot
| Model |  | Backmarket |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel 9 Pro 128GB | Cheapest £404.99
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£0.00 (0%) | Cheapest £387.00 |
| Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 256GB | Cheapest £269.99
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£0.00 (0%) | Cheapest £214.00 |
| P30 128GB | Cheapest £99.99
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£58.21 (37%) | Cheapest £158.20 |
Correct as of: 15/08/2026
Introduction
Why smart buyers choose The Big Phone Store over Back Market
Back Market is one of the biggest names in refurbished tech. But big doesn't mean safe. It's a marketplace — and that single fact changes everything about the phone you might receive.
When you buy from Back Market, you're not buying from Back Market. You're buying from a seller who uses Back Market. The phone in your hands was handled, graded and packaged by someone you know nothing about.
The Big Phone Store works differently. We are the seller. We do the checking. We set the grade. And if something goes wrong, you call us.
TESTING AND REFURBISHMENT
"So, who actually handles my phone?"
The Big Phone Store
At The Big Phone Store, every device comes through our warehouse in Wolverhampton. One process. One standard. One team. If something doesn't pass, it doesn't ship.
We've been doing this since 1999. That's 25 years of knowing which sources to trust, which to avoid, and what it actually takes to keep a customer happy.
Back Market
On Back Market, it could be anyone. Some sellers run professional operations. Others work out of a spare room with no formal testing process. Back Market sets the rules. It can't control how every seller follows them.
That's not a small distinction. The condition of your phone — how well it's been tested, what counts as "Excellent", whether the battery was properly checked — all of it depends on the individual behind that listing.
You won't know which type of seller you got until the phone arrives.
Back Market Review Comparison
Back Market is a legit marketplace, but with a 4.2☆ rating, there's no guarantee that the person you buy your phone from will be legit. Here’s what reviews say:
Trustpilot Overview
The Big Phone Store
Trustpilot Overview
Back Market
What a marketplace can control — and what it can't
Marketplace can control | Marketplace cannot fully control |
|---|---|
Seller rules | Every individual phone's parts |
Platform policies | Each seller's day-to-day grading judgement |
Customer support tickets | How consistently every seller tests and prepares stock |
Listing requirements | How two sellers define "Excellent" |
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Battery standards
The thing customers notice after day one: battery
A scratch on the frame is cosmetic. Battery health determines how long your phone makes it through a day.
Back Market's minimum battery guarantee is 80%. Apple's own guidance recommends replacement at 79%. That's a one-percent gap between "guaranteed" and "needs replacing."
Our minimum is 85%+, with options to upgrade to 100%, and all our Like-New devices come ready with a new battery from day one— that's the difference between a phone that works properly and one that's already on borrowed time.
What this looks like side by side
The Big Phone Store | Back Market | What this means for you | |
|---|---|---|---|
Who handles your phone | Our in-house team in Wolverhampton | A third-party seller — different every time. Can include the underqualified and the unprofessional | You know exactly who's responsible. With a marketplace, accountability bounces between the platform and the seller. |
Quality check | Every device checked in-house before it leaves us | Depends on the individual seller | You're not relying on a stranger's definition of "excellent". |
Grading consistency | One standard, one team | Each seller grades to their own interpretation | "Grade A" means the same thing every time you order — not a lottery depending on who listed it. |
Where phones come from | UK operator trade-ins (O2, EE, Vodafone, Three), corporate fleet buyback, major insurers, Apple and Samsung direct | Hundreds of sellers with different supply chains | You're not getting a device that's been written off, exported, cheaply reworked abroad and sold back looking clean on the outside. |
If something goes wrong | Call us on 01902 256 300 — one team, one conversation | Raise a ticket with the platform, wait for the seller | You speak to a person who can fix it, not a support queue that routes you between two parties. |
In business since | 1999 | 2014 | Experience in this industry is hard to fake. We've seen what bad sourcing looks like, and we've built our operation to avoid it. |
Not all refurbished phones start in the same place
A phone can look cheap at checkout and cost you more later.
Back Market is a global marketplace, with stock coming from hundreds of sellers, countries and supply chains. Some devices are UK-market models; others are not, and the listing may not make that clear.
Imported devices can be worth much less when you trade them in or sell them on. Repairs may also be harder due to different parts, network compatibility or eSIM-only limitations.
The Big Phone Store only sells UK-market, CE-approved stock. We are not trying to sell you the cheapest phone on the page. We are trying to sell you one that still makes sense in two years.
Support should not be a “nice to have”
When something goes wrong, you need someone who will take ownership of it. Not a ticket, a platform or a seller who stops replying.
Our UK team answers 99.8% of queries the same working day, with an average phone response time of 30 seconds and email response time of two hours. That service earned us the Mobile News Awards 2026 Customer Service Award.
With a marketplace, responsibility can be less clear because support may depend on the individual seller. As of 12 June 2026, 1,663 Back Market one-star Trustpilot reviews mentioned customer service issues, including slow responses, unclear accountability and being passed between parties.
When your phone develops a fault, you should know exactly who is responsible for putting it right.
Reddit Reviews
Don't take our word for it. Read Reddit.
Every retailer can point at a good Trustpilot score. Fewer are happy for you to read what people post when nobody's asking them to. Here's what turns up in Back Market threads.
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You’ve seen the comparison. Make the right call
Back Market is a large platform. But a large platform is still just a middleman.
With The Big Phone Store, it's always us. You know where we are, who to call, and what 25 years of doing this properly actually looks like.