Why buyers call Back Market a scam. 10 complaint patterns.

Back Market was founded in Paris in 2014 by Thibaud Hug de Larauze (CEO), Quentin Le Brouster (CTO, age 23 at founding), and Vianney Vaute (CCO). The company has raised over $1 billion in venture funding, reaching a $5.7 billion valuation in January 2022[23] — making it France's most valuable startup at the time.

The company operates across 17 markets with offices in Paris, New York, Barcelona, and Berlin. It employs approximately 700 people (down from 715 before a 13% layoff in January 2023[26]).

Before diving into individual stories, here's the landscape. The bar chart below shows satisfaction scores — lower means more complaints:

BBB currently lists 1,002 complaints closed in the last 3 years and 328 complaints closed in the last 12 months for Back Market's US profile.[5] That does not prove every complaint is valid, but it is a material volume of unresolved customer friction for a consumer marketplace.

The review disparity tells a story. Trustpilot — where Back Market is a verified business that actively solicits reviews — shows 4.2–4.7 stars. Platforms where dissatisfied customers go specifically to complain show 2.2–2.5 stars. France's UFC-Que Choisir forum has accumulated 66 pages of complaints from 2018–2025.[34]

The same captured Reddit sample also shows a visible recency cluster in March 2026, including threads about pencils being delivered instead of a phone, incorrect-address shipping anomalies, and claims that support quality had worsened. That is best read as a pattern in the captured sample — not definitive proof of a platform-wide spike without a fuller census.[67][61][66][54]

A professional phone repair technician purchased multiple iPhones from Back Market at different grade levels and tore them apart. The findings were documented in both a written teardown and a YouTube video walkthrough.[17][18] The findings were damning:

• ✗ "Excellent" condition phones had low-quality replacement screens, dim displays, and thicker-than-normal bezels indicating non-OEM screens
• ✗ Internal water damage indicators were bright red — phones had been exposed to water
• ✗ Non-original parts with swapped screen ICs, yellow tape, and missing shields
• ✗ Missing screws and poorly mounted cameras
• ✓ Ironically, the "Fair" grade phone — the cheapest option — was in the best condition

French national television (France 2's "L'Oeil du 20 heures") found that a Parisian repair shop reported receiving a minimum of 3 dissatisfied Back Market customers per day with phones that randomly restart, cameras falling off, and other defects.[19]

Back Market guarantees a minimum of 80% battery health on refurbished iPhones (90% for "Premium" grade). Complaint records and public anecdotes show disputes over whether some devices actually meet that threshold.

• ✗ Feb 2026 (BBB): iPhone received with 77% battery — below the 80% guarantee. Cost: $162.38[6]
• ✗ Trustpilot: iPads arriving with batteries lasting only an hour, draining 1% every few seconds
• ✗ Apple devices frequently display "Unable to verify genuine battery" warnings due to aftermarket parts

Complaint records across BBB, Sitejabber, and ComplaintsBoard describe a repeat pattern of customers alleging that they received the wrong product, the wrong variant, or a device that did not match the listing they relied on.[6][11][13]

The most consistent complaint across all platforms. Several distinct patterns emerge:

That pattern is not limited to formal complaint platforms. In one Reddit post, a customer said Back Market claimed the returned phone was missing from the box and repeatedly resent a broken identity-verification link instead of resolving the refund. In another, a buyer described a shipment tied to the correct ZIP code but the wrong street address, creating a delivery-confirmation dispute before the package even arrived.[60][61]

The customer was denied coverage specifically because they followed Back Market's own instructions.[11] That risk matters because Back Market's own returns and warranty pages state that after the first 30 days the device is covered only by a seller-provided limited warranty, and that unauthorized third-party repair can void that coverage.[58][57]

No phone support in most markets. Service limited to slow in-app chat (daily response times), email addresses described as "retired," no live chat, and no callback service. UK customers found Back Market's phone number only by searching through legal documents filed with UK authorities.

One customer dealt with five different agents on a single phone issue, all sending identical templated responses and ignoring follow-ups.

User discussions on Reddit mirror the same split seen elsewhere: some buyers report acceptable deliveries or partial resolutions, but the recurring complaints are about contradictory instructions, failed courier collections, slow replies, and long refund chases after something goes wrong.[55][56][53]

Back Market's own help center acknowledges: "A device can be blacklisted after a seller has already checked and refurbished the device."[32]

• ✗ Firmware-locked MacBook: Completely unusable. Seller's codes didn't work. Apple Store repair requires original proof of purchase the buyer doesn't have
• ✗ Blacklisted IMEI: Verizon forum documented a Back Market iPhone 13 Mini with a blacklisted IMEI[35]
• ✗ "Unlocked" phone still on contract: Previous owner hadn't paid off their T-Mobile contract — phone at risk of being blacklisted

iFixit reported to the FCC that activation locks are "trashing millions of usable phones" and that refurbishers including Back Market sellers confirmed this is systemic.[29]

The most common trade-in complaint: customers receive a quote, ship their device, then the trade-in partner claims damage that wasn't present and offers a drastically reduced price. The customer cannot get their original device back.

That basic pattern also appears in public user discussions. One trade-in thread started with a high quote that looked unusually attractive, then shifted into reports of delayed payment, disputed receipt, and the conclusion that local resale was safer because the seller kept more control over the asset and timing.[63]

European customers have received US-spec phones lacking CE certification that become completely unusable after software updates. One French customer's iPhone 13 stopped recognizing European SIM cards after an update.

Cross-border sellers (Romanian sellers fulfilling UK orders, French sellers shipping to Germany) create language barriers, jurisdiction confusion, and wrong regional product variants. Dutch customers reported Back Market demanding copies of criminal records as part of verification.[NL]

France's largest consumer protection association, UFC-Que Choisir, said on June 15, 2022 that it had filed a complaint before the Paris judicial court alleging "pratiques commerciales trompeuses" (misleading commercial practices).[1] Public sources reviewed for this page support the filing of that complaint; they do not establish a publicly reported final ruling or prosecution outcome.

Status: As of March 2026, no publicly reported final ruling has been found. No FTC actions, no US class action lawsuits, and no EU-level coordinated enforcement have been identified.

Back Market said in September 2025 that it was forecasting over €3 billion in 2025 GMV.[28] In February 2026, the company said it had closed 2025 at more than $3.5 billion in global GMV, representing 32% year-over-year growth.[25] In January 2023, they laid off 93 employees (13% of workforce) just one year after raising $510M.[26] The CEO acknowledged it was "a cultural shock."[21]

On Glassdoor (4.1/5, 269 reviews), employees praise the culture but note: "Can be surprisingly very inhuman and will treat you like a complete outsider" and "VP level executives can be rude." Compensation rated just 3.3/5.[27]

Back Market claims refurbished devices use 91% fewer raw materials and produce 91.6% fewer carbon emissions. These claims are scientifically supported by an independent ADEME study.

The critical difference: eBay acts as the direct guarantor of every Certified Refurbished transaction. That tier carries a 2-year warranty, while eBay's Excellent, Very Good, and Good refurbished tiers carry 1-year coverage.[51] Back Market is also a marketplace, but the dispute patterns documented throughout this article show more friction when something goes wrong.

Trustpilot's 83% 5-star rate (US) represents tens of thousands of satisfied buyers. Reddit's r/Frugal community contains repeat buyers who've "never had any issues." The "Premium" tier gets particular praise.

Back Market is not a scam. It is a legitimate, billion-dollar marketplace that has served 17 million customers. Most transactions go smoothly. But this investigation identified systemic patterns that go beyond individual bad experiences: