Refurbished AirPods: which model is worth buying refurbished?

Refurbished phones and consoles can save you hundreds of pounds. Refurbished AirPods mostly do not. We priced every AirPods model at the refurbished sellers we compare on 22/10/2026, and set each one against the cheapest new pair that day.

Are refurbished AirPods worth it?

For most models, no: on 22/10/2026 refurbished AirPods saved between nothing and about £37, except the AirPods Max, where the saving was £137. Here is each model against the cheapest new pair from a business that day:

Read on each seller's own pages on 22/10/2026, in stock. Refurbished: eBay business sellers for the Max, the 4, the Pro 3 and the Max 2, A1 Tech Deals for the Pro 2. New: Gadcet for the Max, Currys and Argos for the 4, A1 Tech Deals for the Pro 3 and the Pro 2, an eBay business seller for the Max 2 (plus £10 postage, 14 days' returns). Private eBay sellers had some new pairs a little cheaper, with no returns or 14 days.

Apple's own refurbished store had no AirPods at all on 22/10/2026. What each model costs new is in AirPods prices in the UK.

Which AirPods are worth buying refurbished?

• AirPods Max (USB-C). The one clear saving. On 22/10/2026 refurbished pairs cost £282 on eBay (Very Good, from a business seller), £299 at Gadcet (Used, Good), from £313.99 at Amazon Renewed (£339 for the featured offer), £339 on eBay in Excellent, and £340 at refurbed (Good). New, Gadcet had them at £419 and Amazon at £424.
• AirPods Pro 3. A small saving: £156.30 on eBay (Good, from Currys's clearance shop), £159.99 at Amazon Renewed, £163.49 at A1 Tech Deals (Excellent), £169.39 at refurbed (Excellent) and £179 at Back Market (Excellent). New, A1 Tech Deals had them sealed at £183.99, Gadcet at £194.99, Amazon at £200, and Currys and Argos at £219.
• AirPods 4 with noise cancellation. £91.99 on eBay (Good, a listing naming the noise-cancelling model, MXP93), then £108 at Back Market, from £109 at Amazon Renewed, £116.92 at refurbed and £139 for Currys's own refurbished pair, against £129 new at Currys and Argos. Only the eBay pair saved much. Argos and Currys also sell the AirPods 5 from £119 new.
• AirPods Pro 2. Not worth it: A1 Tech Deals's refurbished pair (Excellent, USB-C) was £137.49 and its sealed new pair £144.99, and refurbed's was £147, more than new.
• AirPods Max 2. Not refurbished, on 22/10/2026: the cheapest refurbished pair on eBay was £399.99, against £389 new from an eBay business seller. Against the shops' £499 a refurbished one saves about £100, so check eBay's new price first. Back Market's was out of stock.

Many listings say "AirPods 4" without saying whether they have noise cancellation, and the two cost £30 apart new. Read the model number or the listing's own words before you compare.

The boxes show our latest check of each seller, so they can differ from the list above by a few pounds: on 22/10/2026 Back Market's AirPods Pro 3 was £179 on its page against £170 in the box.

Why are refurbished AirPods so close to new?

Three reasons, from the prices above. AirPods cost less than a phone, so there are fewer pounds to save in the first place. The batteries are small and wear with use, which makes a used pair a harder sell. And new pairs sell for less than the shops' price on eBay and at smaller sellers such as A1 Tech Deals and Gadcet, which narrows the gap from the other side: the Pro 3 was £219 at Currys and Argos but £183.99 sealed at A1 Tech Deals on 22/10/2026.

What should you check before buying refurbished AirPods?

1. The battery. You cannot see it in a photo. Ask the seller about battery health, and use the returns window to check how long a charge lasts.
2. The case and the model. Check the listing includes the charging case, and which one: USB-C or Lightning, MagSafe or not, and for the AirPods 4, noise cancellation or not.
3. The ear tips. Back Market's AirPods Pro 3 page listed ear tips as not included on 22/10/2026, while refurbed's included silicone tips in five sizes. Apple says its refurbished AirPods are thoroughly cleaned and come with all accessories and cables. Elsewhere, ask whether the tips are new.
4. The warranty and returns. On 22/10/2026: A1 Tech Deals gave 12 months and free 30-day returns, refurbed at least 12 months and free 30-day returns, Back Market 12 months and free 30-day returns, Gadcet 12 months and 30-day returns, and the eBay business sellers we checked 30-day returns. eBay's Money Back Guarantee, read that day, also covers you for 30 days from delivery if a pair is faulty or not as described, though it "is not a product warranty".

What do the grades mean?

On AirPods the grade describes marks on the case and the earbuds, not the battery. Back Market grades Good and Excellent on its AirPods pages, refurbed Good, Very good, Excellent and Premium, A1 Tech Deals Excellent, and eBay sellers Good, Very Good and Excellent.

What each grade means, on phones and accessories alike.

What to do

1. Check the new price first, at the shops and on eBay: for most AirPods it is within £40 of refurbished.
2. Buy the AirPods Max refurbished if you want over-ear AirPods for less: that is where the saving is.
3. For the Pro 3, the 4 and the Pro 2, buy new unless a refurbished pair is clearly cheaper on the day.
4. For the Max 2, compare eBay's new price before anything refurbished.
5. Whatever you buy, keep the receipt and test the battery inside the returns window. When a refurbished saving is worth it, and is the AirPods Max 2 worth it?