Flipkart Launches Sell Back Programme to Purchase Used Smartphones

Flipkart has announced a new Sell Back programme that lets its customers sell their used smartphones on the platform. The new programme will initially start off with smartphones and eventually encompass other categories of products offered on Flipkart. The announcement for Sell Back follows Flipkart's acquisition of electronics re-commerce firm Yaantra. The new buyback programme by Flipkart is live in major Indian cities, across more than 1,500 pin codes. A recent survey by IDC shows that Indians traded only 20 million smartphones out of the 125 million used smartphones in circulation.

Through a press release, Flipkart announced on February 14 that it is launching a new Sell Back programme. As per the company, the new programme can be accessed via the Flipkart app, marked by a new option on the app's bottom bar. However, the function was not visible to Gadgets 360 at the time of writing. The e-commerce platform announced that the new buyback programme will be available for smartphones initially and will include other categories later this year.

Flipkart's Sell Back will be applicable for all smartphones — whether purchased from Flipkart or elsewhere. The new programme is live in around 1,700 pin codes across major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Patna, and more. When customers sell their used smartphones on Flipkart, they will get an e-voucher from the e-commerce platform, which the company claims will be of the "right buy-back value."

Customers will be shown a value for their smartphone, based on the answers for three simple questions, as per the company. Once the customer confirms, Flipkart says its executives will pick up the smartphone within 48 hours. After the e-commerce platform has verified the product, it will send an e-voucher to the customer in return for the smartphone.

As mentioned, the new buy-back programme follows the recent acquisition of Yaantra — an electronics re-commerce firm. The acquisition is an effort by Flipkart to strengthen its re-commerce business and enhance after-sale offerings for its customers in the smartphones segment. Yaantra was incorporated in 2013 and it repairs and sells refurbished consumer tech products such as smartphones and laptops.

A recent IDC survey shows that approximately 125 million used smartphones are in circulation in India each year. Out of these, only 20 million smartphones reach the second-hand market. The remaining number of used smartphones amounts to extensive e-waste.