Smartphones, connected watches and other digital products will once again be the stars under the tree this year. And it’s a safe bet that many of these items are second-hand. In recent years, the refurbished market has indeed exploded in France. Last year, 2.8 million refurbished smartphones were sold, an increase of 25% compared to 2016. Consumers are of course sensitive to the economic argument with phones much cheaper than new products and that work just as well.
But the ecological aspect is now also taken into account, with customers increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of digital technology. Good for the wallet and the planet, refurbished products only have advantages. At least on paper. Because in reality, the refurbished is not the panacea either. In a market dominated by heavyweights like Amazon, eBay or Rebuy, the vast majority of cell phones sold in France land from abroad, especially from Asia, thus distorting the ecological argument.
“Guarantees on the quality and traceability of products”
In France, some players are still trying to move the lines by promoting the development of a local repackaging industry. This is the case of Back Market, which has just entered the closed circle French unicorns, but also new ones like Quel Bon Plan. Founded by three partners in Saint-Malo, the startup has developed
an e-commerce site which intends to promote the short circuit. “We only work with French reconditioners,” emphasizes Eric Cordon, who already has fifteen years of experience in the sector. “This allows customers to have guarantees on the quality and traceability of products and it also helps to create jobs in France or to maintain it locally,” he continues.
Before launching, the three partners first toured the players in reconditioning in France, making a careful selection. “We have signed with fifteen partners, which represent 80% of the reconditioning market in France”, specifies Henry Favre.
Online at the beginning of the month, the QuelBonPlan.fr site currently offers a catalog of 800 references combining smartphones, accessories, tablets or connected watches. “This will be enriched as and when the stock of resellers,” said Eric Cordon, who hopes with his team to win “5% of the reconditioning market in France” by 2023.