Authorised Refurbisher Programme

Manufacturers take two routes into refurbished. Some run their own refurbishment and sales channel, as with Apple Certified Refurbished. Others authorise independent refurbishers to do the work under their rules: Samsung, for example, has started certifying refurbishers in Europe as authorised partners. In both cases the manufacturer controls the quality standard and the use of its brand, while the authorised refurbisher handles the volume.

Authorised status changes where a device sits in the price structure. Devices refurbished with genuine parts and manufacturer-approved processes can command a premium over standard refurbished listings of the same model and grade, sitting between OEM-sold refurbished and the open marketplace. Because a better-refurbished device has a higher resale value, authorised refurbishers can also afford to pay more at trade-in for that brand's devices.

For market intelligence, authorised and non-authorised refurbished listings are different price tiers and should be tracked separately, in the same way certified and seller-refurbished prices are. Benchmarking an independent seller's price against a blend that includes authorised listings will overstate the price that seller can realistically achieve.