Back Market Starts Selling Refurbished Drones

As drones get easier to fly and aerial photography from around the world continues to go viral, more and more people want in on the action.

And that means more retailers are vying to be drone distribution points, too. As we’ve seen before with the likes of Fat Lama, plenty of tech rental companies and resellers are branching into the world of drones.

Back Market starts selling refurbished drones

This week, Back Market, a marketplace dedicated to refurbished electronic products and appliances, launched a section offering certified refurbished drones on its website.

The four-year-old e-commerce startup has traditionally focused on smartphones, laptops, and tablets, and is now targeting the fast-growing drone market.

“Drones have reached a maturity level similar to mobile phones and computers that has resulted in a strong secondary market for refurbished models. Expanding into the refurbished drone market allows us to bring a more affordable option to hobbyists and professionals, but also gives consumers a reliable alternative to get ahead of the e-waste impact we will likely see as this market grows,” – Thibaud Hug de Larauze, founder and CEO of Back Market.

The Back Market drones section features models from market leader DJI, including the DJI Mavic Pro which can be purchased for $785. Other models include the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and DJI Inspire 2.

DJI drones available at Back Market are refurbished by the manufacturer and come with a 1-year warranty.

The company aims to provide a ‘like new’ buying experience, so warranties, money-back guarantees, and transparent seller ratings are all available to help would-be buyers.

There’s also an environmental aspect: The business model provides a much-needed solution to an environmental crisis that has seen e-waste levels reaching 44.7 million tons in 2016.

The company currently operates in five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium) and launched in the United States at the start of 2018.

Why not buy refurbished straight from DJI?

That’s the big question here. It appears as though Back Market has a bulk arrangement with DJI for selling its refurbished products. That means there may be a small saving when using Back Market compared with going straight to DJI.

For example, with Back Market, a refurbished DJI Mavic Pro will set you back $785 (although we’re not sure why they are claiming that is a 37% discount compared to a new model).

With DJI, you’ll pay $799. But the savings don’t appear to be present across DJI’s whole product range listed on Back Market, so we recommend carefully checking the price differences and the warranties. The same goes before buying any refurbished drone.