Affiliate disclosure: This site may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links to online marketplaces, at no additional cost to you. That possibility does not change the comparison below. See the full disclosure page. This directory is run by Starbase Computer, a local refurbished-computer shop — also disclosed on the About page — so read this comparison knowing both interests exist, and check the facts either way.
Back Market vs. a local store
Back Market is an online marketplace for refurbished devices, and it receives approximately 4.9 million monthly visits (third-party estimate). That scale is real. So are the advantages of a local counter. Which suits you depends on what you value in the purchase.
| Factor | Online marketplace (e.g. Back Market) | Local refurbished store |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Wide — many models, configurations and sellers in one place | Narrower — what the store actually has in stock that week |
| Seeing the exact machine | No — you buy a model and a grade, then see your unit when it arrives | Yes — you test the specific machine you take home |
| Speed | Typically shipping time, plus return shipping if it is not right | Same day, if the machine on the shelf suits you |
| Grading | Marketplace / seller grades — not standardised across sellers; see grading explained | You grade it yourself, in person, with your own eyes and hands |
| If something goes wrong | Typically a platform process: messages, returns label, waiting | A physical counter and a conversation — terms still need confirming with that store |
| Advice | Reviews, listings and support channels | Face-to-face questions before and after purchase |
When online makes sense
You need a specific model or configuration no local store has, you are comfortable judging a grade from a seller's own definitions, and a return by post — if the unit disappoints — is an acceptable cost of the wider choice.
When local makes sense
You want to type on the keyboard, inspect the screen and battery yourself, ask what was done to that exact machine, and walk out with it today — with somewhere local to go back to. That is the gap this directory exists to map: see browse by state and the online refurbishers page for both kinds of options, kept separate.
The honest bottom line
Neither channel is automatically better value, because this directory publishes no prices for either and prices change constantly. The real difference is where the risk sits: online, you accept grade and condition sight-unseen in exchange for selection; locally, you accept a smaller shelf in exchange for testing the actual computer first. Run the buying checklist either way — in the store, or the day a delivery arrives, while return options are still open.
Listings are informational only and do not constitute an endorsement. Warranty, grading, pricing, and inventory details are provided by the stores, may change, and should be verified directly with the store before purchase. Always inspect and test a refurbished computer before buying.