Apple Starts Selling Refurbished iPhones on Its Online Store

Apple has started selling refurbished iPhones via its US online store starting from Tuesday. The models up for sale currently include the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, that were launched last year.

The Cupertino giant is selling refurbished iPhones for the first time on its online store, notes 9to5Mac. The company normally used refurbished units as replacements for users, or sold them via third-party resellers, the report adds.

A refurbished product is typically one that is returned by a customer after purchase because of either a manufacturing flaw, or product dissatisfaction, and is returned in accordance to Apple’s 14 day return policy. On the refurbished items page, Apple claims that all iPhones on sale are tested by the company, come with a brand new battery and outer shell, and carry a 1-year warranty just like a brand new iPhone. These products are also not locked to any telecom operator.

Traditionally, in many countries where Apple’s online store exists (it doesn’t in India yet), the company is known to have sold refurbished Macs, iPads and iPods. At the moment though, it appears that refurbished iPhones are only being sold in the US online stores, as there’s no mention of them on the online stores of other countries such as the UK, Singapore, or Hong Kong.

If you compare prices, an iPhone 6s 16GB is being sold for $449 (roughly Rs. 29,969), which makes it $100 (roughly Rs. 6,674) cheaper than a new $549 iPhone 6s 32GB. There are iPhone 6s Plus 64GB units being sold for $589 (roughly Rs. 39,314) that make them $60 cheaper than a new iPhone 6s Plus 32GB. Bear in mind that Apple discontinued 16GB and 64GB iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus variants this September after the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch, with refreshed units now available in 32GB and 128GB capacities. Also, these prices do not factor in taxes that vary from state to state in the US. Stocks will tend to fluctuate depending upon how many returned iPhones Apple is able to salvage.