Refurbishing and quality standards at refurbed
Quality Charter, 2.1.1 Works like new, looks as advertised, 100% tested
Any component originally present in the device must be present and fully functional after refurbishment, without missing features.
Devices must be sold with the same hardware components as specified by the manufacturer in the original factory specifications, ensuring no performance differences.
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Examples of instances that result in a poor customer experience when they order a product as new but receive it without certain features
- Dedicated graphics card removed
- Keyboard: Backlight missing or Keyboard Stickers applied
- Webcam missing
- Touchscreen missing with tablets
Spare parts: OEM or OEM-equivalent quality and specifications
Sellers must avoid using third-party spare parts that don't meet the original or OEM standards. It's crucial for these parts to match the quality and specifications of the original or OEM counterparts precisely.
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Example: When replacing the display, it must be replaced with a Soft-OLED panel, never with a Hard-OLED panel.
Display spare parts must replicate the original or OEM component in resolution, brightness, panel type, HDR standard, and other specifications.
There are two main types: Soft-OLED and Hard-OLED.
Acceptable Unacceptable Soft-OLED panels Hard-OLED panels OEM- equivalent quality non-OEM quality, brittle, sensitive
Testing devices
Every product must be tested by the Seller before dispatch using approved professional inspection software. For smartphones, the test must be from an approved test software vendor (see here).
Quality tests must include all functionalities of a product (e.g., battery, screen, connectivity, audio, etc.). If the Seller uses a different test software that is not approved, they must request approval via their refurbed point of contact.
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Warranty rejection and test report
- A warranty case can only be rejected by the Seller if the test documentation proves that the defect did not exist when the product was handed over to the customer.
- The Seller must provide the test documentation for the product to the customer and to refurbed via the refurbed Ticket interface. This includes images and formal test reports via authorized software. Any product images must contain a visible date and the respective serial number directly on the screen.
- It is crucial to maintain evidence of the device's full functionality upon shipment to the customer, particularly for potential warranty claims. Sellers must ensure that test reports are saved for the minimum required duration, corresponding to the length of the warranty period. These reports serve as valuable documentation, providing assurance to both suppliers and customers regarding the condition of the device at the time of delivery.
List of requirements for testing software
Refurbishment Quality
When refurbishing a device, it's important to use materials that are just as good as what the manufacturer originally used. This ensures the refurbished device works well and lasts long.
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What to Avoid during device refurbishment?
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Inconsistent Housing Painting
Ensure that the housing is not sprayed with paint in a manner that obstructs or affects the functionality of ports, such as the charging port. Difficulty in connecting cables due to paint build-up must be avoided.
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Substandard Housing Material/ Poor refurbishing material
Avoid using materials for the back cover that differ in quality, material makeup, or texture from the original. The material must not deviate from the material used by the original manufacturer, as this may compromise the durability and integrity of the device. Example: if Apple uses a Series 7000 grade Aluminium housing for the iPhone 12, a third party housing must also be made of Series 7000 grade Aluminium. It is also important to avoid using poor refurbishing materials.
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Visible Gaps
Ensure that the refurbishment process addresses any visible gaps between the devices back cover or display and the devices housing. These gaps not only detract from the device's aesthetics but may also indicate poor assembly or potential ingress points for dust and moisture.
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Keyboard stickers
Products must not have any foil on the body of the product applied.
Replacing the original keyboard layout with stickers deviates from the 'as new' standard. -
Internal damages/screws missing
It is important that refurbished devices don't have internal damages or missing components, such as screws
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Risky Disassembly
Refurbishment processes must not pose a risk of damage, especially to components like the paint on the device or parts prone to breaking.
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Display Quality
If the display is replaced, it must be replaced with a like-for-like quality. ie. OLED to OLED. Sellers must have testing procedures to ensure that every refurbished device meets high standards before it is offered for sale.
The display on refurbished devices may not always be the original one.
In certain instances, particularly with devices like Apple iPhones, customers may encounter notifications about non-original displays. However, regardless of the display's origin, our stringent guidelines dictate that its performance must meet our refurbishment standards.
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Display not recognized in Apple iPhone devices
The display in refurbished devices may not always be the original one, but our priority remains ensuring optimal performance and reliability. In certain cases, such as with Apple iPhone devices, customers may encounter pop-up messages warning of non-original display (“Unknown part” / “Important Display Message”). However, our strict guidelines mandate that its performance must meet or exceed our refurbishment standards
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Display features that are essential to meet the 'as new' standard
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Soft OLED displays
Using hard-OLED display spare parts as a cheaper alternative to soft-OLED display spare parts during the refurbishment process is strictly prohibited.
Hard-OLED displays, compared to original OEM spare parts, come with significant drawbacks. Soft-OLED displays, which can be found in most if not all OLED smartphones when new, differ to Hard-OLED displays in some important aspects. Hard-OLED displays are extremely brittle, which makes them highly susceptible to damage, especially in terms of pixel damage or fractures of the OLED layer.
Therefore, it is important not to use cheap replica smartphone displays, such as, for example, those offered by "YKmobileLCM," also known as "YK mobile phone LCD." These displays are of low quality and fail to meet the stringent quality criteria outlined in our Product Quality Guidelines across multiple points.
In conclusion, suppliers must prioritize the use of Soft-OLED display spare parts to ensure the quality and durability of our refurbished devices.
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Resolution
The resolution refers to the number of pixels displayed on the screen. It's crucial to ensure that the refurbished device's display resolution matches that of the original product. This ensures crisp and clear visuals, enhancing the user experience, especially when viewing detailed content or high-resolution media.
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Color accuracy
Color accuracy is important for showing pictures and videos accurately. Refurbished devices must have displays that accurately represent colors, just as new devices do.
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Brightness
Consistent brightness levels across the display are essential for optimal visibility in various lighting conditions. Ensuring adequate brightness levels in refurbished devices guarantees that users can easily view the screen, whether indoors, outdoors, or in low-light environments. This is why all display spare parts must be able to reach the same Nits peak brightness levels that original or OEM spare parts are able to reach.
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Contrast Ratio
The contrast ratio shows how much brighter the brightest parts are compared to the darkest parts in a picture. Keeping this ratio high results in more immersive viewing experiences for customers. Contrast levels of third party displays must match those of original or OEM displays.
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Touchscreen Functionality
Refurbished devices must retain their touch sensitivity to ensure seamless interaction and intuitive navigation for customers.
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Refresh rate
Refurbished devices must maintain the same Hz (Hertz) as the original displays. This indicates the refresh rate of the smartphone display, representing how many times the display refreshes its image per second. A higher refresh rate results in smoother and more responsive visuals, especially during scrolling and fast-paced interactions.
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Adhesive and Seals
Ensuring proper adhesion and sealing between the display and the device's chassis helps prevent dust ingress, moisture damage, and other environmental factors that can degrade display quality over time.
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Durability
Ensuring display durability in refurbished devices is crucial for maintaining a 'like new' standard. Selecting components that are designed to be durable and have a long lifespan similar to the original components will ensure that the display maintains its quality over time and withstands daily wear and tear.
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Compatibility
While matching components is crucial, ensuring compatibility with the device's hardware and software is equally important. Components must be designed to work seamlessly with the device's firmware and drivers to avoid compatibility issues and ensure optimal performance.
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User Experience
Considering the overall user experience when replacing display components, such as ensuring that the replacement display integrates seamlessly with the device's interface and features to provide a consistent and intuitive user experience.
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Battery Quality
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Minimum battery capacity must be:
- ≥85% of the capacity of a new product for smartphones
- ≥80% for other devices
- Premium Grade devices must be ≥ 90%
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Devices with new battery installed must have 100% capacity.
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Battery not recognized in Apple iPhone devices
The battery in refurbished devices may not always be the original one, but our priority remains ensuring optimal performance and reliability. In certain cases, such as with Apple iPhone devices, customers may encounter pop-up messages warning of non-original batteries (“Unknown part” / “Important Battery Message”). However, our strict guidelines mandate that its performance must meet or exceed our refurbishment standards. Specifically, the battery must retain ≥ 85% of its original capacity, and its overall performance must meet our established criteria for functionality and usability.
In cases where a seller uses a spare part that is not paired with an Apple device, it is possible that pop-up messages may appear, and certain functions (such as True Tone and Battery Health Statistics) may not be present on many of our iPhones that did not receive a battery sourced through Apple's parts pairing process, which is acceptable unless specified otherwise. If the customer requests a return, sellers have to offer a solution.
Please note that for AA (premium) grade, the pop-up message has to be removed.
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Battery features that are essential to meet the 'as new' standard
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Compatibility
When refurbishing devices, one of the priorities is ensuring that the replacement battery is fully compatible with the device. Compatibility ensures optimal performance and prevents potential issues such as overheating or damage to the device.
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Safety
It's essential that high-quality CE compliant replacement batteries meet safety standards and regulations to prevent potential risks such as overheating, swelling, or leakage. These risks not only affect the device's performance but could also indirectly impact display performance and user safety.
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Longevity
By selecting high-quality replacement batteries that are designed to last, sellers can prolong the lifespan of refurbished devices. Prioritizing longevity not only enhances the overall user experience but also maximizes the value of refurbished products.
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Capacity and Performance
- Minimum battery capacity must be:
- ≥85% of the capacity of a new product for smartphones
- ≥80% for other devices
- Premium Grade devices must be ≥ 90%
- Devices with new battery installed must have 100% capacity.
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Chargers
Chargers should have same performance and charging speed as the chargers that were originally included with the devices. They must be fully compatible with the device as a whole to prevent damage or overheating during charging.
In some cases, USB cables can be used for both laptops and phones, but not every cable offers the same performance. It's important to ensure that the cable's performance and length are compatible with the product.
⚠️ Any power plug or adapter included must comply with the local plug and voltage standards of the customer market e.g.,
- Type G for Ireland**
⚠️ Customers in the Irish, Danish and Swiss market must always receive the respective plugs, if chargers are included in the scope of delivery.
- Type G for Ireland**
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Some iPhones with batteries not sourced directly through Apple can not update to iOS 17
In some instances, iPhones with batteries not sourced directly through Apple may encounter difficulties updating to iOS 17. When faced with this issue, sellers have to provide customers support by guiding customers to update their devices through iTunes. While this process may require assistance, it allows customers to successfully update their iPhones and access the latest features and security enhancements. Should it not be possible for customers to update their iPhones through iTunes, sellers must offer a warranty solution.
Audio Quality
The audio quality must be without background hissing or any other disturbing noises noticeable during audio or video recordings, as well as during phone calls. Additionally, the speaker sound must be clear, with no hissing noises or any other disturbances observed during audio playback.
Camera Quality
The camera of refurbished devices must have the same options compared to the original device, maintaining great quality with fully intact autofocus capability. Additionally, it must feature clear lenses, free from any smudges, dirt, or dust ingress underneath.
Updates
All devices must receive updates for the duration specified by their manufacturers. Manufacturers determine the duration during which devices receive updates to their software and firmware. It's crucial for devices to maintain this update span.
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iPhones not updating due to 3rd party battery
Certain iPhones equipped with non-Apple-sourced batteries are encountering difficulties in updating to iOS 17, particularly if they bear EU serial numbers. This issue seems to affect iPhone models 11 and newer. In these cases, sellers can support customers by recommending updating through iTunes on a PC. This workaround has proven effective for affected models. Should it not be possible for customers to update their iPhones through iTunes, sellers must offer a warranty solution.
Two-pin plugs on IE market
According to Regulation 5 of the Plugs and Sockets, etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994, any supply of plugs that don’t fit the IE standard in accordance with Regulation 6 is prohibited.
Sellers must always ship three pin plugs to the IE market. Failure to ship three-pin plugs to the IE market could result in exclusion from the IE marketplace.
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Sellers that don’t originally have 3 pin plugs chargers
In cases where sellers don't have chargers with 3-pin plugs originally in stock, they can provide 3-pin plug adapters along with two pin plug chargers to ensure compliance with regulations and customer safety standards.
Locked devices
All data of previous users must be wiped off of the product. It must be ensured that the product is not blacklisted and that it has a valid software license.
Devices must not have an active MDM profile installed, and must posses a valid software license to guarantee its legitimacy and functionality. Additionally, the devices must be free from any locks and devoid of any possessions belonging to the original owners, such as SD cards.
iMac Accessories
iMacs must be shipped to customers with accessories (keyboard and mouse). These accessories can be either Apple Accessories or compatible non-Apple Accessories. Suppliers are responsible for selecting the appropriate option when creating their offers.
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Requirement to sell Apple Accessories
Accessories must be Original Apple Accessories (Keyboard and mouse)
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Requirement to sell Compatible Accessories
To ensure compatibility and customer satisfaction, the non-Apple Accessories (keyboard and mouse) offered for iMacs on our marketplace must meet the following requirements:
- Technical Functionality: Accessories must provide the same technical functionalities as the original Apple products, including wireless connectivity and a fingerprint reader if the original model includes this feature.
- Layout and Mac-Specific Keys: The keyboard must have the correct layout with Mac-specific keys to ensure seamless user experience.
- Manufacturing Quality: Accessories must have an Aluminium frame to match the haptic feedback of the original.
- Design: The accessories must follow a similar "Apple" style, characterized by a chiclet design and a flat profile, to maintain aesthetic consistency.