Recommerce, a French trade-in specialist and reseller of used and refurbished products, has unveiled a new programme called Forward Trade-in. This solution, already live with partners such as MediaMarkt Switzerland and T-Mobile, allows telecom operators, retailers, and corporate clients to offer guaranteed device buybacks to customers at the time of purchase. This model helps customers for instance to reduce their monthly payments, plan for future upgrades, and secure the second life of their device, at a predefined price.
Know trade-in value from day one
With Forward Trade-in, the consumer is presented with a predefined buyback price when purchasing a new device. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or smartwatch, the trade-in value is locked in, offering reassurance on future resale. This model enables customers to better plan upgrades, reduce monthly payments, and avoid unpredictable depreciation.
Boosting refurbished supply and sustainability
Unlike traditional purchases that often leave old devices unused, Forward Trade-in ensures more units are returned, processed and reused. Every device collected through this model is reconditioned by Recommerce and returned to the secondary market, reducing electronic waste and supporting a sustainable product lifecycle.
Strong financial foundation ensures reliability
Recommerce reported € 180 million in revenue for 2024 and maintains a positive net result, giving its partners confidence in long-term commitments. As some players in the industry face financial uncertainty, Recommerce’s capacity to fulfil buyback guarantees strengthens its position as a trusted, stable partner in Europe’s circular economy.
Conclusion
This new model has strong potential as a customer lock-in tool for operators and retailers partnering with Recommerce. It also helps Recommerce secure future device supply, which is critical for the refurbished market. But the model’s success will ultimately depend on how it is implemented. If the trade-in is only optional, many customers may simply use the guaranteed future value as a price reference while still shopping around at the end of the device’s life cycle.
Another key challenge is device condition. If the programme allows for open trade-ins regardless of wear and tear, Recommerce will need to account for risk—lowering the buyback value to remain financially viable. That could make the offer less appealing to customers. The strength of this initiative lies in its ability to strike the right balance: offering consumers predictability while ensuring devices are returned in acceptable condition.
In many ways, this resembles a leasing or Device-as-a-Service model—but with more flexibility. Whether consumers embrace it at scale remains to be seen.
Market
Trade-in
Repair
Refurbishing
