What does recommerce mean?
Recommerce or “reverse commerce” is commonly defined as the act of buying or selling used goods. While applicable to multiple sectors, the tech industry frequently also uses synonymous concepts like the aftermarket or secondary market sales. While resale can mean any sale of used goods, recommerce services include standardized processes for ensuring quality and adding value to devices through refurbishment as part of their core offerings. This business model makes selling used devices in good or like-new condition possible, while contributing to the circular economy and reducing e-waste.
In short, for the circular tech industry, it’s more than resale: recommerce is a managed lifecycle that includes retrieving devices from the market, preparing them for resale, and delivering them back to circulation.
Recommerce is a rapidly growing sector filled with lucrative opportunities next to practical solutions for businesses to meet sustainability demands. Amidst companies focusing on consumer electronics, we can differentiate between businesses focusing on either recovering devices from the market, repairing and refurbishing, or reselling pre-owned tech. Companies like Foxway have gone beyond isolated services and cover the entire lifecycle. In this article, we’ll explain the recommerce sphere from sourcing to remarketing in the example of Foxway.
Let’s first look at the source of devices
The cycle starts with retrieving devices from the market with various business-to-business solutions. The source? Devices usually come from large tech retailers mandated to take back consumer electronics, or original equipment manufacturers using a takeback scheme to promote new device releases. Oftentimes, companies look for opportunities to sell their idle devices no longer used by employees. The market has grown both due to new legislation and from organic competition, with more companies discovering the industry’s value and offering a mission-based solution.
For example, we’ve been able to grow our network of device buyback and takeback partners across Europe to allow any company to reclaim value from their used tech, especially smartphones and laptops. Some of our partners have even extended the service to their own partners, using the platform as the core invoicing and collection portal.
Likewise, a retail or online trade-in solution helps OEMs, MNOs and retailers drive profitability by making it more affordable for their customers to upgrade. When users trade in their old devices, they receive credit toward new purchases. By lowering the upfront cost of the new device, trade-ins make higher-value models and accessories, added services, or subscriptions more easily accessible to consumers.
Essential prerequisites for successful remarketing
Before remarketing can happen, there are several steps that devices must go through.
First and foremost, device remarketing initiatives are embedded with data security concerns, as tech is built to store data in order to function. Here’s where the market is packed with competitors offering total data erasure that follows strict rules and regulations (e.g., GDPR).
Now, let’s look behind the scenes at Foxway. More than 50% of the devices that arrive at Foxway today are in very good condition. After certified data wiping and thorough testing, sometimes minor refurbishing, they’re ready to begin a new life.
When devices need more attention, our value-add experts step in. Rather than aiming to restore everything to like-new condition, we focus on the most viable: balancing repair cost, uplift potential, and environmental impact. Every refurbished device then undergoes a final round of rigorous testing to ensure it meets the quality standards needed for resale and reuse.
This is when recommerce companies need to add another layer of trust — condition transparency. As the devices are no longer brand new out of the box, remarketing adds the complexity of conditions, regardless of the level of refurbishment needed. Companies aimed at tech reuse define their criteria tiers based on appearance and functionality. You may think that having more details is better, which can apply to your particular target audience. However, the more granularity, the more individual tiers, the greater the barrier of explaining the specifics. It’s more important that once you have defined your criteria, the reality matches with little variation. You can look at it as an exercise of constantly listening to your market, managing expectations, adjusting to widespread best practices, and following your own profitability.
Back into circulation: how devices begin a second life
New, used, and refurbished devices are reintroduced to the market through B2B platforms, various marketplaces dedicated to used tech, and peer-to-peer direct sales. Many new marketplaces and retail channels focused only on used tech have emerged in the last few years. The success of such companies depends on market stability and consumer purchasing power parity.
Foxway’s extensive network now services more than 1000 trusted B2B resellers across Europe. The Reseller Store serves as a reliable access point for businesses looking to buy high-quality, second-hand electronics at scale — primarily smartphones, tablets and wearables. Each device is assessed according to detailed in-house grading standards. The grading guides are publicly accessible and help buyers understand exactly what condition they can expect, whether they’re sourcing like-new smartphones, devices with visible wear, or spare parts for further refurbishing.
The wide range of brand, and models — including customizable whitelabel products — makes it easy for resellers to serve any audience ranging from enterprise clients to retail customers or niche markets. Having real-time stock visibility allows resellers to plan efficiently and respond faster to market demand. Foxway delivers more than just a source of inventory — it’s a reliable foundation that enables our partners to focus on bringing quality tech to their customers.
A complete B2B recommerce cycle
From sourcing devices to preparing them for resale and delivering them back into circulation, B2B recommerce is a structured, full-cycle process built on quality, transparency, and a dependable supply chain. Foxway’s end-to-end approach combines strong sourcing networks, efficient preparation, consistent grading, and scalable remarketing. This ensures pre-owned devices are transformed into a steady, profitable resource for businesses while giving technology a meaningful second life.
Recommerce
