Back Market vs Amazon Renewed: which is cheaper?
Back Market was cheaper on 8 of the 11 refurbished phones both sold when we checked. Who refurbishes, what the grades mean, the cover each gives, and live prices.
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"Back Market vs Amazon Renewed" is one of the refurbished questions people type most in the UK, and it deserves an answer with numbers in it. On 17/09/2026 we lined up every phone that both had in stock as a refurbished listing: 11 of them, from an iPhone 14 Pro Max to an iPhone 17 Pro Max and a Galaxy S25 Ultra. Back Market was cheaper on 8. The table below is live, so the score may have moved since we wrote this.
Is Back Market cheaper than Amazon Renewed?
Usually, and by the most on older flagships. An iPhone 16 Pro with 256 GB was £656 at Back Market and £829.99 on Amazon Renewed, a gap of £173.99, and a 512 GB iPhone 16 Pro Max was £777 against £959.74. A Galaxy S25 Ultra with 512 GB was £77 cheaper at Back Market. Amazon Renewed came out ahead on three phones: the iPhone 17 Pro Max by £67, the iPhone 17 Pro by £10.01 and the iPhone 16 by £5.
| Product | Back Market | Amazon Renewed | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro 256GB | £569.00 | £701.00 | Back Market by £132.00 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB | £803.00 | £832.00 | Back Market by £29.00 |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 512GB | £678.00 | £819.65 | Back Market by £141.65 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 256GB | £479.00 | £649.00 | Back Market by £170.00 |
| Apple iPhone 16 Plus 128GB | £489.00 | £589.00 | Back Market by £100.00 |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max 128GB | £415.00 | £449.00 | Back Market by £34.00 |
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus 128GB | £349.00 | £414.49 | Back Market by £65.49 |
| Apple iPhone Air 256GB | £602.00 | £655.00 | Back Market by £53.00 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB | £929.00 | £1,070.00 | Back Market by £141.00 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro 256GB | £882.00 | £918.00 | Back Market by £36.00 |
| Apple iPhone 16 128GB | £469.00 | £579.99 | Back Market by £110.99 |
Of 11 products with a refurbished price at both shops today, Back Market is cheaper on 11, Amazon Renewed on 0.
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Read the table as a starting point, not a verdict. Each price is the one the listing showed us, and a refurbished price depends on the grade, so a cheaper row can be a lower grade. Both shops also sell on behalf of other businesses, so a price can change when a different seller offers the phone.
Since 18/09/2026 OwlyFinds leaves out a refurbished price that is higher than the cheapest new one in stock, because a refurbished phone that costs more than a new one is no deal. A phone therefore drops out of this table when neither shop has a refurbished price under new: on 19/09/2026 that was the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 16, the three phones where Amazon Renewed had been cheaper two days earlier.
Who actually refurbishes the phone?
Neither shop does the work itself. Back Market is a marketplace of independent refurbishers that it vets, and the seller's name is on each listing. Amazon Renewed works the same way: approved third-party sellers which, Amazon says, inspect, test and clean every product, with Amazon's own guarantee added on top. If you want a shop that refurbishes in its own workshop, that is musicMagpie.
So the real difference is who you deal with when something goes wrong. At Back Market you go through Back Market, and the seller repairs or replaces the phone. With Amazon Renewed, Amazon handles the claim, from the order in your account.
How do the warranty, returns and battery compare?
| Back Market | Amazon Renewed | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells | Vetted independent refurbishers | Approved third-party sellers |
| Cover | 1 year from delivery; a seller can offer longer | Amazon Renewed Guarantee: a replacement or refund if the item is faulty or does not work as expected, for 1 year from delivery |
| Change of mind | 30 days, free returns | Amazon's returns policy |
| An early fault | Express Replacement for up to 6 months after delivery | A claim through Amazon from your orders |
| Battery | Stated on each listing | At least 80% of new capacity, 90% on Renewed Premium |
The cover is close to a draw: a year either way. Amazon's advantage is a published battery minimum and one point of contact. Back Market's is a generous change-of-mind window and a replacement that can arrive before you send the faulty phone back.
One rule catches people out at Amazon: before you return a Renewed phone, back it up, switch off Find My or any other tracking, and reset it. Amazon says a device returned without that does not qualify for a replacement or refund.
What do the grades mean at each shop?
Back Market
- 4Premium (some listings)
- 3Excellent
- 2Good
- 1Fair
Amazon Renewed
- 4Premium
- 3Excellent
- 2Good
- 1Acceptable
Rungs are the order within one seller, bottom to top; the same word does not mean the same thing in two shops. Every rung should be a fully working phone; read the seller’s own definition on the listing.
Both ladders have four rungs and both use Good and Excellent, but the same word does not promise the same phone in two shops. Read each seller's definition on the listing before you compare a Good with a Good. Every rung should be a fully working phone, and the grade describes how it looks, not how healthy its battery is.
When is Amazon Renewed the better buy?
- When it is cheaper for the grade you want, as it was on three recent iPhones on 17/09/2026.
- When you want a battery figure before you buy: Amazon publishes a minimum for Renewed phones.
- When you would rather deal with Amazon than with a seller if the phone develops a fault.
When is Back Market the better buy?
- On older flagships, where the gaps in the table were largest.
- When you might change your mind: 30 days, with free returns.
- When you want to trade looks for price: a Back Market listing usually offers several grades of the same phone on one page.
Check the new price first
Refurbished is not automatically cheaper than new. On 17/09/2026 a Renewed PS5 Slim Digital Edition was £519.99 on Amazon, slightly more than a new one on Amazon (£518.98) or at Currys (£519), and a new one listed on eBay was £430. OwlyFinds now leaves a price like that out of its lists, but the shops still show it, so before you buy anything refurbished, look at the new prices beside it:
Show 2 more listings (out of stock or no price)
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What about eBay?
Listings marked refurbished on eBay were cheaper than both shops on 8 of the 11 phones when we checked, which is why eBay rows appear in our price boxes. They range from brand-certified phones to a seller's own repairs, with different cover, so check which tier a listing is in before you compare it. Our grades guide explains eBay's tiers.
What to do
- Choose the phone and storage first, then compare the same grade at Back Market and on Amazon Renewed.
- Open the new prices too: a Renewed listing can cost as much as new.
- On Amazon, check that the listing is Amazon Renewed, because that is what brings the year of cover.
- On the day the phone arrives, check the battery, the parts and whether it is locked, while you are well inside the return window.