Remarketing
Remarketing is the commercial process of redistributing used or refurbished devices through B2B or wholesale channels, distinct from trade-in (which is linked to a new purchase) and standalone buyback (which involves direct consumer acquisition at a defined market price).
The three terms describe distinct transaction structures. Trade-in is consumer-initiated and tied to a new purchase: the consumer receives credit offset against a new device, not cash. Buyback is consumer-initiated and standalone: the operator purchases the device outright at a current market price. Remarketing describes the downstream redistribution of devices acquired through either route, typically in bulk, to resellers, refurbishers, or secondary market platforms. Retailers and carriers who run trade-in programmes often outsource remarketing to specialist operators such as Ingram Micro, Foxway, or Arrow Electronics.
For pricing intelligence, the remarketing layer introduces a spread between the acquisition price (what the consumer or business received) and the resale price the remarketer achieves on the wholesale or consumer market. Tracking prices at both ends of this chain is necessary for accurate margin modelling across the full device lifecycle.