How a Traded-In Apple iPhone Gets Refurbished | WSJ

So you just traded in your used Apple iPhone 11 at your wireless carrier to get a deal on a brand new iPhone 14. Where does that old phone go? How do companies make money on it?
WSJ’s Joanna Stern heads to a U.S. Mobile Phones facility in New Jersey following an iPhone 11 through the refurbished process to explain how the second-hand phone market is a booming business.
0:00 Used and refurbished phones in North America
0:44 Second-hand facilities
1:32 Data erasure and triage
2:23 Cleaning and grading
2:52 Kitting and selling
Tech Things With Joanna Stern
Everything is now a tech thing. In creative and humorous videos, WSJ senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern explains and reviews the products, services and trends that are changing our world.
#Apple #Refurbished #WSJ

[@davidmumbo7764]

That dealer really trashed that reporter. "It's because of you, you can't blame the phone" 🤣😂

[@TheCowboy4000]

Would of been funnier if she slapped him for the comment 🤣🤣🤣

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

@@TheCowboy4000 then he sues her and gets a big settlement from WSJ

[@truegrizzlesfan2292]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. 😂

[@FutureTrunks007]

Savage lol

[@xerb14]

Totally savage 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheJuniorApollo]

One of the simplest, clearest videos of a process that is not so transparent to the public. Well done

[@itsmini6175]

Ok Jimbo

[@Hans-gb4mv]

And yet, I am left with a math question. At the start of the video, it is mentioned that the secondhand phone market is valued at 64.5 billion dollars but we are only talking about 73.5 million devices ... . That simply doesn't add up because that would be a value of 877 dollar per device.

[@chrish.7965]

@@Hans-gb4mv The size of the second hand phone marked is most likely worldwide while the given number of phones sold in 2022 was exclusive for North America.

[@mohmaar8761]

Literally there’s no ‘true refurbishment’ they just clean and sell it. No part’s replacement - maybe because apple charge a heavy price for parts under their ’self-repair’ program.

[@lezhu6856]

@@mohmaar8761 That's intentional on Apple's part. This way, Apple Refurbished actually becomes competitive, because Apple actually replaces the metal casings and does additional inspections. Apple Refurbished is the industry standard for refurbished products.

[@minimalistic_banhaus]

The value in a refurbished phone isn't the fixes that they did, it's knowing that the phone you are getting is working properly.

[@skyfeelan]

also in how we didn't need to mine another rare metal to make that phone

[@spades9048]

I have always purchased new iPhones and I have never once received a defective one nor am I worried about ever receiving one. If I do then I’ll swap it out through a regular return or warranty.

[@cepreupupkin2218]

But not too long cause used before )))

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

And knowing you can return it if there's a problem.

[@thebasketballhistorian3291]

@@spades9048 They meant versus buying it on eBay or from some random seller 2nd hand. Of course a new phone is going to work.

[@JBK63]

Biggest issue for me would be that they aren’t replacing the battery. With older phones that’s a big problem

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

blame apple for that, its not a drop in situation anymore

[@jdillon8360]

why would you replace a battery in every single used phone? If it still has 80 percent or more it may still last for years. If they replace the battery in every phone then the business won't be profitable.

[@andmc93]

​@@jdillon8360 I would preffer a new battery. Even if the phone cost more

[@NonsensicalSpudz]

@@jdillon8360 thats not entirely how that works, also batteries expand sure it still holds a charge, but its still degraded its chemical process, you still end up with a slower device. also a big reason is safety, just because it still holds 80% charge or whatever doesn't mean the battery it self is in a state where its as safe as it was, if these batteries burst its a done deal

[@archerman1]

Buy refurbished from apple, they replace battery and other external parts before shipping it.

[@hirochen.b]

1:57 Woke up and chose violence 💀

[@soupdrinker]

@Neil Deep no it wasn’t

[@maxhill9254]

😂

[@etaigabbai]

2:01 “That obviously doesn’t look so good. That’s because of you, your gonna gonna blame the phone for that”. Bro😂💀

[@S0ulH0und]

savage

[@seekeroftheball]

I was under the impression refurbish meant more than just cleaning the phone. I'll start selling my own phones as refurbished from now on.

[@MightyCoffeeMaker]

Same, issue with refurbished phones is that, often, they won’t even bother to replace the battery , because it is « enough » (80% remaining capacity) No thanks.

[@HallStevenson]

With most "refurbishers", it means wiping the software and cleaning it up. Done. When Apple refurbishes a phone, they replace the battery (and display, I believe). You pay much more but it's effectively a new phone from Apple, including a warranty.

[@IllusiveDev]

@i said maaayyybeee trade in promotions that's why. I got 800 towards a new phone from trading in my 11.

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

I'm not sure what you think refurbished means. They sell you a phone that is near-new condition. They make sure the hardware and software are working properly too.

[@J.R.G.921]

did you actually watch this video? They don't just clean all the phones and resell them. Watch and listen to the video

[@dgw4049]

Kudos to these companies for keeping useful devices out of the garbage and making them affordable for those who need them.

[@Blackt1p]

They aren’t exactly good Samaritans… they erase the data, go over it with a microfibres cloth and then nearly double the price. The work that is put in compared to the profit is close to nothing

[@crimsontide4415]

this is business.

[@12post]

@@crimsontide4415 A business you can be proud to work for. It’s doing something good for the environment while also making profit. That’s not true for most companies.

[@theparamountparamount913]

As an individual that came from a developing country Philippines, I can tell you that refurbished phones are a very profitable business and money-maker. Here, a lot of people still prefer to buy old-model iPhones such as the iPhone XR series, and iPhone 11 series. Sellers would market those phones as brand new but the truth is refurbished. and the funny thing is that the selling price is $700 to $1000. Everyone here loves iPhones because of their quality hardware and software and superb cameras but as a developing country with an average monthly income of $370- $500 most people can only afford Samsung or Chinese brands. And that's when this seller would come in, if you know nothing about phones they'll take advantage of you.

[@kreziafghan]

Here in Pakistan I would say 85 percent iphones are refurbished. And like 75 percent buyers knows that. Financially people are not doing good here. I would say its such a bless otherwise we would have the worst quality vivos and infinix tecno etc which are such a pain to use.

[@nobody-bt7mu]

Support buying refurbished and second hand phones! It's better for the planet overall.

[@9852323]

The XR and 11 are not old. People where I’m from still buy and use the 6s and 7.

[@BlackhawkSC]

What they didn't know is that they can spend half as much buying a truly new Android with better cameras and hardware

[@ignaciocampos8435]

​@@BlackhawkSC perhaps but that new Android would not last as long, get software updates for years nor they give a better overall experience

[@RichyFourVideos]

WSJ give Joanna her own channel with this content.

[@MBisFrenchy]

Agreed

[@luisernesto]

She can give her her own channel!

[@BFleming57]

This.

[@milesmalivuk9827]

yes!!!

[@seanhepner7813]

Agreed, her videos are really well done!

[@jameslatief1]

Crazy how the refurbished phone gets a charging brick, while the new one doesn't.

[@NKomarov]

Maybe because it's more often the first iphone of the customer.

[@lilPopper]

Nothing wrong with buying a used/refurbished phone. It just gives consumers another option let alone an affordable one. I've bought refurbished products before. Last time I bought a used phone is last year -- the iPhone 8.

[@shmookins]

I was hoping to see how they mass repair the phones. At the end he said "absorb the hit on the bad ones" so maybe this particular facility/company just cleans and test them and not do repairs.

[@KurtisB]

Seems like they’re not in the business of repairing but instead sells those phones to businesses that will repair them.

[@onemorechris]

Same. I guess they are either rejecting those phones or stripping them for parts for other phones?

[@granturquhart743]

Relatively big buyback companies like this typically don't fix phones in house. There are companies that specialize in buying 'repair stock' wholesale and then selling them to phone shops who then sell B2C. So I'd imagine a warehouse like this would sell B2B to those more specialized repair stock resellers.

Yes, most people also upgrade because of a dead battery and/or cracked screen. Was hoping to see these parts replaced.

[@ChibiKeruchan]

I believe they have a chinese counterpart where they will send that phone for cheaper cost of repair but it won't go back. it will just stay there to be resold there in china.

[@lewisflores7793]

Bruh that's why all your refurbished phones be glitching. Joanna over here dropping them all.

[@74_pelicans]

Exactly, even if it's safe, don't do it.

[@henrysong921]

Thank God for this business. Can you imagine how many phones are not going to landfill and giving extra 2-3 years of life for these phones.

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

Even if they weren't being refurbished and resold, the contain very valuable hardware that would be recycled.

[@ligametis]

There is a downside. Smaller and with worse prices true second hand market. People do trade in when in other cases they would sell their old phone for cheap.

[@romanr9977]

@@TheCelticsAREboss refurbished is better environmentally as they don’t recycle all parts of a phone. Plus the recycling process requires energy, resulting in emissions. Recycling is the last option - re-use and refurb first.

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

@@romanr9977 the point I was making was in response to these phones getting thrown into a landfill, not whether recycling or refurbishing is better

[@PavanKumar-ft5hi]

They are just selling second hand phones, which existed for a long time.

[@talion7268]

Think the biggest value is being assured that phone is working properly and not getting scammed with faulty one from shady online seller

[@wateriver]

Back in December I was doing some window shopping on eBay. I stumbled across a Samsung galaxy Z-fold 4. It was refurbished and selling for $949. I bought it because the seller had high feedback and was also marketed under eBay‘s refurbished program. it comes with a one-year warranty and lucky for me it was also a 15% coupon as well so I ended up paying just over $900 with taxes and shipping. Mind you this phone came out in August so how it ended up here I don’t know. I would say the people who end up buying these phones in the end can come out winners if you can find something like this. Great video.

[@mtmt88]

Yes, always buy used. Nothing good can come from phone contracts.

[@amandaburleson2035]

dont drop it, make sure to buy a case that proctects all corners and even the folding mechanism, i have gone thru 3 of thoser phone since august. since the hinge is too fragile...

[@autograndeunlimited]

​@amanda burleson stop the 🧢 It's not fragile

[@zelloguy]

@@mtmt88 Just buy new unlocked phones.

[@aryangautam8362]

2:00 😂😂

[@whateverinbetween9444]

he did not say that lol 💀💀💀 he’s right, tho

[@creative_cooper]

😂😂

[@davidn7761]

😂😂😂😂 coldest guy I know now😂

[@angelesg0957]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Samhain2323]

I attempted to sell my IPHONE 11 at the machine in Walmart and was offered $40 !!! Absolutely no way they bought it for $200 😅😅😅

[@megapangolin1093]

Great, interesting video. Great to see the process, the checks and cleaning taking place. Very reassuring. I may be worthwhile stressing more that buying one is truly environmentally responsible and people should be encouraged to do this before thinking about new, or especially, buying a cheap Android phone with updates that last 2 years. Thank you. More like this please, good to see behind the scenes.

[@blava3155]

I don't understand people who change their phones regularly. I change my iPhone every five years and until the last day, it works perfectly fine. Not only do I save money and the environment but also I do notice the change between the different models because of the longer gap between my models.

[@thersten]

Because they do it for status. So they can tell everyone they have the newest most expensive model.

[@alfredkhew1634]

Some people want to show off, and some want to try out all the new features come with the new phone.

[@onemorechris]

Some people dont care about the environment and/or value having the latest thing (regardless of how similar it is to the old one) and/or some people value having the newest phone more than the money it cost.

[@superiortoall22]

Some of us are phone enthusiasts, there's whole channels dedicated to the latest phones. There's battery charge tests, camera test, drain tests, etc. Pretty large community but that's probably the majority of people who buy new phones constantly. Few people do it for status.

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

some people can afford it

[@ruzzelladrian907]

The second hand refurbished market in the US is amazing! I got the iPhone 13 Pro Max for $780 right after the 13 Pros came out, and it was still under warranty. Had I bought it brand new on day one, it would’ve cost me $1099 + $97 tax. I expect to be holding onto my iPhone for years. I got such a great deal.

[@user-cv7uh2ec2y]

Nice how’s it holding up? A weeks a long time.

[@JC-tg5xx]

780 dollars for a phone is pretty expensive ngl

[@Mdksupreme1]

where'd you get it from?, and was the 780 before or after tax?

[@hwangmiyeon1001]

@@JC-tg5xx well for starters its an Iphone 13 pro Max which is just a 2 year old phone

[@jaygerard4507]

@@JC-tg5xx is it though? Imagine if you were the only person with a smartphone. It would easily be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars imo, compared to all other phones without internet access. Bottom line: it’s amazing technology and they’re an essential part of our daily lives with nearly limitless uses. It’s amazing that the market has kept new smartphones below a grand

[@DannyBoy443]

Pretty legit side hustle that actually becomes a easy service. I like it.

[@frigyesdevogelaer749]

Stop the side hustle BS and commit to a certain thing. Fully committing will give you greater results man.

[@LOSTGRAY1]

How do I get the phone's in bulk to sell pls

[@robertclarkguitar]

The problem is many of these refurbished places aren't able to test longevity. Many that have heat issues or damage need to be warmed up and used at least 10 minutes or so. This is to get up to running heat temp to find the majority of issues. They do not. This is why many get duds. Still return and get another ...

[@_ibrahima_bah]

5:23 😂the lion king part was ok👌

[@kreziafghan]

Now I know why he did that lollxxx....

[@jelanimillard1217]

Ngl --- that was pretty darn good haha

[@serg3615]

It was refurbished one

[@fortuneonwe]

"That's because of you... You're not gonna blame the phone for that"

[@r3nny917]

"It's because of you, you can't blame the phone for that" MY JAW DROPPED

[@moth.monster]

When I buy a refurbished device, mainly what I care about is that someone has already tested it and is willing to stand behind that it works with a decent warranty.

[@JannesJustus]

I really need WSJ to give Joanna Stern her own KZbin channel!!

[@hassanel362]

Refurbished = deleting data + cleaning the iPhone with a toothbrush lol definitely worth it

[@clemenskotoku]

you missed the test part

[@freeone69]

would never but a used phone without a new battery. very disappointed to see they dont repair or replace parts.

[@hassanel362]

@Free One I agree, I thought they replace the battery.

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

@@freeone69 just buy it and then the battery replaced yourself

[@hassanel362]

@Sam if you buy the refurbished one and you replace the battery yourself, you better pay a little more and buy a new phone, you get the warranty. These refurbished phones are not cheap

[@SouthFLppg]

It's all by design, if you keep buying or leasing a new phone every 6 months, don't expect prices to go down. My phone is over 4 years old and still works like a champ.

[@Isles8]

Also another huge problem with older phones is degraded batteries which is always seems to be a major issue on all devices

[@officialbranch1902]

Just replace the battery

[@UnintelligentVideos]

@@officialbranch1902 I just run the phone into the ground. If a Samsung s7 is worth 90 bucks and a battery replacement is 65 without tax I'll just buy a new one and toss it in 7 years

[@Donyourmom]

@@officialbranch1902gee, I wonder why I haven’t thought of that?

[@QwoaX]

@@officialbranch1902 Yeah, this all this glued-together stuff, you can't "just" replace the battery. It requires special tools, like a heat plate, plus isopropanol. Plus, there's a risk of damaging some parts, especially the screen. Upside is, that you will then have some spare parts. That all requires time and time is money. Worst of all, some manufacturers aren't even supplying spare parts like batteries and Apple serializes everything, so you get a warning (iOS's soft ransomware) when you use a battery replaced not by them, even with an original one.

[@oorrreeee]

2:00 was a shot on the foot. 😬

[@tinman7249]

There is no way the company paid $250 for a used iPhone 11 at 4:21. The $200 trade-in includes subsidization from the carrier to keep the customer in their network. The carrier needs to recycle those phones. They likely sell it in bulk for ~$100 each. And just FYI, a NEW 64GB iPhone 11 was just going for $200 last month. Carrier subsidized and can be unlocked after 60 days.

[@cregosiros9563]

Where can I get an iPhone 11 for $200?

[@josephwilkes768]

@@cregosiros9563 cricket wireless - $100

[@toonpik7]

@@josephwilkes768that requires changing a number to their network and signing up for a month of service, it’s not just buying a phone outright

[@BFGHoward]

In the meantime I am trading in an iPhone XS 64 Gb to Xfinity Mobile for $600 on Friday while on a $30/mo plan. How are they making any money...?

[@thatLion01]

Thank you for making this straight to the point video. I'm shocked how crazy popular the iphones are and how much money it games to different companies around the world.

[@islamendtimes4813]

Overseas iPhones is what people will kill for! This is because overseas people cherish their stuff, money is more scarce and poverty is more prevalent. Because iPhone is very high quality like tank. It does not have failures bc its closed off design. Except battery is not good, only get max versions if you are getting second hand.

[@andrewbraj]

Really great reporting! Thank you Joanna and WSJ!

[@ChickensAndGardening]

Just be careful; many refurbs have replacement screens that are not as waterproof as the originals.

[@JAY-bb7yc]

It’s Water resistance; no phone is waterproof.

[@9852323]

@@JAY-bb7ycpretty sure that’s what they meant.

[@MBisFrenchy]

@@9852323 Also depends how much attention was taken to replace adhesives that allow water resistance.

[@welsthe3rd]

Locations like these need Apples blessing to sell refurbished phones and their standards are crazy high. The screen is probably good as new (if Apple even allows screen replacements).

[@heyaisdabomb]

@@welsthe3rd It depends on where they source the screens from. Third party screens are not as good as oem screens which will cost more then their profit margin by far. So I can't see how you can say they are as good as new. Work in one of these factories like I did and you'll see how it's about getting as much money out of the inventory, regardless of how long these phones will last.

[@LuisA-oh8ft]

I love the way Joanna Stern presents tech stories, saludos from South America.

[@KTPurdy]

Surprised that it didn't get a battery swap.

[@knivesandfire1]

I recently bought a “renewed excellent” iPhone SE 2020 off Amazon for $150 for my Mom. Basically it’s just used, received it with some minor wear and the battery has 85% max capacity so it wasn’t replaced. Yet everything works as it should, just having to replace the battery adds like $70-$80 on top of the cost of this phone. Still I could do a lot worse, and the SE 2020 should still have firmware support for another few years.

[@lundengreen4438]

I was under the impression that part of the refurbishment process would be replacing the battery, but only found out this year that if it has 80% battery health they don’t. To me that’s pretty bad, that’s like 4-5 years wear on the battery but they still consider that fine 😐

[@niewazneniewazne1890]

We aren't yet at a point where we recycle lithium and other rare metals out of rechargeables(?are we, how much loss there is in that process[50% of lithium or so says the first hit at google] etc.?), so I think this is a decent compromise to not recycle a battery at mere 80% "health". You also need to consider that there are properties or those rare metals that go beyond their mere categorization to a specific rare metal/chemical.

[@travellingyeti6333]

No one keeps their phone for more than 5 years, so that much wear will still last you until the phone ultimately dies and updates stop

[@JPSimen]

80 perecnt is better than 79. So you wrong.

[@filbao8113]

​@@travellingyeti6333 pple do

[@factorywatch]

Me too. This debunked that for me. Also, I thought the process was so much more complex, like literally opening all devices to see if everything is ok. I was out of my kind to think like that lol.

[@victoryrose4300]

My last two phones have been refurbished phones. My iPad was a used one, my computer was also used and I haven't any problems at all. Buying high end used or refurbished is totally worth it. You can an iPhone 12 or 11 for real cheap, and it's still an incredible phone. I personally got an S20 FE 5G, but if I were to upgrade, I'd surely buy a used Galaxy S22. The environment wins and I get a really good phone for cheaper that will still have a lot of updates in the future!

[@SeanKimStyle]

I've been using LG V20 for the past 6 years, and the battery is still good and all works perfectly!!! This was the last phone that you can exchange battery by popping out the back easily

[@derekfoulk4692]

I'm glad this exists because for 1.) it creates jobs here in the US and 2.) it gets phones into the hands of people that might not have enough money.

[@clintgolub1751]

💯

[@YS-eu4ne]

True

[@LOSTGRAY1]

I'm in Nigeria pls is there a way to order it at bulk price online.. I want to enter the business

[@Mark-eg2yd]

​@@LOSTGRAY1how much do you want to buy them for?

[@sogeman]

thats not refurbed, that's just cleaned

[@ta110470]

Two points - The carrier does NOT sell in bulk at $250 per phone - they sell it at much lesser. Second, if the phone received by this dealer is not as per condition mentioned in the bulk purchase from the carrier, they get credits. The dealer is making ~20% profit on this business.

[@ladybeeluv9233]

Your host is a total winner. What a great attitude and a happy person...💯

[@americanpaisareturns9051]

No not all. I had my iPhone 6s since it debuted back in 2015. Only now did I finally upgrade to a 14 Pro. Like before I won’t be upgrading for many years to come.

[@AllenLu]

actually i appreciate this, ppl who buy these get good deal price and also good for enviromental!!! amazing video like this

[@thalyfe-pg8dk]

This is what you would call true recycling. I like this idea. It allow people around the world to buy quality used Apple phones.

[@ruzzelladrian907]

This is the kind of journalism I love. ❤

[@neilieb3740]

Definitely a very informative video as I am very down with the refurbished market being I am from a third world country. I was able to buy an iPhone 7 couple years ago, and it's still running in pristine condition, all be it a few scratches on it. iPhones cost as much as a car here in Jamaica, let alone a brand new iPhone. Recently got a Pixel 4a 5g, and man it's just awesome, for a refurbished unit. I think it's a win all around for those manufacturers, as more people get to come into there ecosystems and definitely get counted in their profit margins just the same. 👍🏽

[@crazychicken2005]

I normally refurbish phones and computers myself, but this allowed me to see how they do it professionally. Great video.

[@LOSTGRAY1]

Hello please I'll like to enter the business but don't know how to get the phones in bulk ... please how do you do yours

[@Mark-eg2yd]

They didn't do anything but clean and run some software on it

[@MarioRafaelM]

So where's the refurbish part? They just cleaned the thing from Data and dirt. People think they change parts or at least the battery nothing further from the Truth.

[@geodude7116]

Yeah, if they don’t replace the battery, I’d hardly consider that refurbished.

[@samluo678]

I got the same question

[@stolas666]

Short, concise, informative, insightful..... Brilliant piece of bite-size journalism

[@Plumamazing]

Well done. Insightful. Educational. The end was was wonderful.

[@AlanTheBeast100]

"Which brings us here. To a warehouse in the middle of ..." I thought she'd say "nowhere". But she said "New Jersey." So I was right.😎

[@TanyaTsukrova]

I wonder about the batteries and how it's included in the grading process

[@mooj998]

The software checks the battery percentage that the operating system projects off the battery health. It’s very accurate

[@rolfw2336]

Thanks Joanna! Always interesting to see "behind the scene" stuff.

[@LonelyTrucker]

So almost all the used iPhones in my country Ghana came through here once😀

[@5968RAJU]

The joke at 02:00 just perfect banter 🤣😂

[@lasgio_]

Lol was looking for this comment 😂

[@armandoazpeitia2714]

I work for Verizon and this video pretty much confirms what I’ve been telling my customers about what happens when their old phones are shipped out lol. But at 4:08 when she said Apple offers $200 for trade-ins on an iPhone 11 I would say that’s really low-balling trade-in promos that cell carriers tend to offer but is still very fair to say universally speaking. However I will at least say for Verizon, iPhone 11’s are typically are appraised for $800 when traded-in for an iPhone 15 even if the is phone damaged (TYPICALLY not ALWAYS and of course contingencies lie within the fine print) like the promotion credits being divided into 36 months. But due to high promo values Cell carriers don’t actually make any money on phone sales, it’s really just about having you stay and making up for the phone sale over time, and ofc up selling other add-ons during time of sale as well

[@LOSTGRAY1]

How do I order the phones for my business... I'm in Nigeria

[@SamEbby]

Stern’s reports are always great.

[@factorywatch]

I find it strange to allow the phone to be dropped like that at 3:19 and still go into the package to be sold to another person as a “brand new, checked phone”. I know worse stuff can happen in the transportation, but still…

[@OPgrits]

Wrapped in bubble wrap? That's like throwing your phone onto the bed.

[@edwardw7965]

Considering how many jobs this process created, it is really awesome that apple build these durable devices.

[@bananakuma]

Apple refurbished on the other hand is basically a remanufacturing, they replace the battery, whole outer shell and screen. Only the internals is kept

[@bar10ml44]

I have recently bought two refurbished I pads from music Magpie in the UK. Both were pristine although I pad mini had a small mark on back plate but hardly visible or deal breaker. Prices were very very good and my thoughts on where they came from turned to phone carriers as both have cellular capabilities. I guess they buy them in bulk and their unused stock gets moved on. Ordinarily I’d b extremely reluctant to buy other than new but my experiences have been positive.

[@Anonyme09865]

Just be careful that many refurbished iPhones have inferior quality displays especially the Oled ones which are being replaced with LCD.

[@Necessary_Chemical]

The only screwed up piece of this puzzle is the person who trades in their phone cause they get almost 50% of the price that they could have got had they sold it themselves. Most of the times the trade-in value of iPhones at carriers or Apple is such a joke that I don't know why more people don't sell the device on their own and keep all the profit to themselves. I had an iPhone 12 that was in perfect working conditions and for which the local Apple Store offered me 220 euros. I sold it for 380 on the second hand market.

[@811ghost]

The risk of getting robbed or scammed is too much for a lot of people. But in situations where a person isn’t leaving their carrier and the carrier offers something very large like 1000usd it’s an obvious choice to trade in.

[@Likerios22244]

How is that the business fault tho?

[@FroZoneDeNiro]

Great video, worked for At&T over the phone, and Sprint in the store. Always wondered about this process!

[@TimothyBuerki]

Informative, to the point, well done 👍🏻

[@verynick]

Watching this on my refurbished iPhone 13 mini. Love! I would do it all over again to save $$$. Also, I have been telling people to do this instead of buying new new new phone

[@swaggx23]

Where did you buy yours

[@verynick]

@@swaggx23 eBay

[@JesusAramil]

This is the place I want to work with. As a mobile repairer I want to work on this factory.

[@Mark-eg2yd]

You'd be a cleaner..

[@MainDeJustice]

Straight to the point, not a 30-minute video. I also find I can remember more info this way.

[@Ashleyenglish24]

Good to know that they don't replace batteries etc so you really are just getting an old used phone that's been cleaned

[@upnorthvlogs]

I’d like to know what the battery health was I thought they replaced the batteries in these

[@nascarisawesome5018]

It's very cool to see this. Getting good phones, and some bad ones, fixing and cleaning them to put into consumers hands.

[@cepreupupkin2218]

it means: if you don't want to have used phone don't buy old model 'cause it probably used before and just cleaned

[@nascarisawesome5018]

@@cepreupupkin2218 I don't understand your point. Are you saying these people are just scamming because they just clean to sell?

[@armanke13]

I love secondhand products, when it's working and still in great condition.. 3 of my 5 times buying phones have been secondhand/refurbished

[@silverfish764]

WSJ content , as always class apart!

[@bullyhomestead7232]

When I trade mine in it always looks brand new and I save the box 😊

[@martinonline1234]

How is an iPhone 11 a dirty old phone? I have an iPhone 7, which is fine. I could easily buy a new one, but why? Pure consumerism... Keep what you already have instead of letting these tech companies drain your pockets with their clever marketing gimmicks and upgrade schemes.

[@captain9fingers]

Wiping a phone with a cloth is not a refurbishment.

[@pjdava]

The Wall Street Journal, This is amazing! I can't stop smiling!

[@itsme-jibru]

1:59 opssss 😅😅😅

[@allanwind295]

The last scene was comedy gold.

[@ferramirez4570]

They missed the part where the customer is paying for a protection plan that if they lost their cellphone it gets replaced with a refurbished one. The cycle goes this way: every time someone place an order for a phone and they return it either because they don't like it or is too expensive to stay with the company the phone gets returned to the warehouse, cellphone gets graded from A to D. Graded A is like new condition, Graded D it's a jailbreak phone, water damaged etc. On Graded D phones the phone gets mail back to the customer and must pay for the device full price. Graded B and C you partially get charged for the cellphone usage and the company keeps the phone, a Graded A returned device only gets to pay a 35$ restocking fee (that sometimes can be refunded). Devices Graded A to C will be part of the stock that will work with the third party insurance company that sells the service to the customer through the carrier, so if a customer lose his phone he files a claim pay a deductible which may vary depending on the cellphone brand and model from 50$ up to 500$ and will get the cellphone replace with one of the devices that were either trade it or returned by another customer. And that's how the full cycle gets completed.

[@MH_6160]

Always wondered what happened to my traded in phones.. I sometimes sell them on Ebay and most of my buyers are overseas and they pay far more than what the trade in values are.

[@VenamRedstalker]

4:37 - To who? I hope not to customers!

[@stevedirdochegal6568]

If he makes around $65 per phone that he can just sell on and now he gets a phone where he has to replace the screen and the battery first though.. he is not pocketing anything.. THATS THE LOSS... you still pay the price asked for it though

[@christopherkelly577]

$200 for an iPhone 11 seems a paltry amount. No way I would accept that for it when they're worth at least double sold as is...people must just have plenty of money and not want the hassle otherwise, they're getting robbed.

[@thersten]

They're iphone users. Of course they're getting robbed. 🤣

[@yash1one556]

Refurbished also includes replacement of serviceable parts such as screen batteries cameras etc.

[@Marie579]

Great video and closing audio! 👍👍👍

[@jerahmilruizlopez9515]

I wonder what’s the software they use to diagnose the functionality of the device.

[@simpleandminimalmaybe]

wondering the same.

[@organizedchaos4559]

So they didn’t make any changes at all

[@reymundocantu7997]

I’ve worked in the sales of cell phones for 7 years. Very interesting video, I appreciate the knowledge

[@protoman2260]

Notice how they didn’t one one of the most important things: battery replacement.

[@RJ-ql5nf]

somehow ... this is environmental friendly ❤🙂

[@Bounty2223]

I thought Tim Apple just breaks and smashes them and snorts the remains.

[@itsnotme07]

Great report Joanna! Interesting people refurbing and reselling phones there in New Jersey. LOL

[@danielcbraga]

That ending was gold, Joanna!

[@walts555]

👍 Interesting. No mention of a battery check, so buyer is likely saddled with poor run time.

[@onemorechris]

I was wondering that. This may have been left out of the video. The only refurbished devices i have got myself were directly from Apple and they were indistinguishable from brand-new