Most of the wholesale device trade still runs on stock lists.
A spreadsheet goes round on email. A photo of a pallet goes into a WhatsApp group. Someone forwards it to someone else, a price comes back, and by the time you've worked out who the seller actually is, the batch has gone, or it was never quite what the list said.
It works, after a fashion. It's how most of us built our supplier and buyer relationships in the first place. But it relies on knowing the right people already. It's hard to tell who you're dealing with, and there's no clean way to put what you need in front of the businesses who might have it.
So we built something better. Refurbr Network is live today at network.refurbr.co.uk.
Why we built it
We've been doing this informally for a long time.
Hardly a week goes by without us putting someone in touch with someone else. A customer needs a parts supplier, so we introduce them to one we trust. Another has stock they need to move, and we know a customer who's looking for exactly that. Sometimes it's a business we work with that needs a logistics partner, or two businesses who don't use Refurbr at all but clearly should be talking to each other.
Those introductions are some of the most useful things we do, and they all depend on who happens to be in our contacts on the day.
Refurbr Network gives that a proper home. It's one structured place where the suppliers, buyers, service providers and trading partners you need to run your business properly are all on hand. You don't need to know the right person, and you don't need to wait for an introduction.
We aren't starting from scratch, either. Circular Connect has been building exactly this kind of ecosystem of businesses across the circular technology industry, which is why we're launching Refurbr Network in partnership with them. The Network takes that mission a step further: the community they've built now has somewhere to trade. There's more on the partnership below.
What it is
Refurbr Network is a members' network for wholesale device stock and the services around it. Businesses list batches for sale, post what they're looking to buy, and advertise their services. Other members browse, enquire and make offers.
It's for the whole trade, not just Refurbr customers: refurbishers, ITAD companies, traders and brokers, resellers, recyclers, end-of-lease specialists, distributors, repair businesses, and the packaging and accessories suppliers the rest of us depend on.
We made a lot of decisions while building it. These are the ones that matter most to the businesses who join, and why we made them.
1. We make the introduction. We don't take a cut.
Refurbr Network isn't a party to any sale, and it doesn't take payment or commission. Once both sides agree terms, you deal directly with the other business. You set the price, invoice how you normally would, and arrange payment and delivery between you. Your own terms of sale apply.
That was a deliberate choice. A marketplace that sits in the middle of every transaction has to earn its percentage somehow, and it usually does so out of your margin. We'd rather charge a flat membership and get out of the way.
2. You know who you're dealing with
Every paid member is a verified business. Before an account can list stock or deal directly, we check the company details, the company registration certificate and, where the business is VAT registered, the VAT certificate.
It sounds like admin. In practice it's the single biggest difference between a network and a group chat. When a company name appears on a listing, someone has checked it's real.
3. Deal direct, or let us filter for you
Not every enquiry is worth your time, and not every business wants its inbox open to the whole trade. So members choose how they're contacted.
- Business to business. Enquiries and offers come straight to you, and you deal directly with the other business.
- Via Refurbr. Messages come to our team first. We filter them and only pass on the ones that are genuine and relevant, so anyone who isn't the right fit never reaches you.
You can deal openly with the businesses you want to trade with, and let us handle the noise.
4. Free to join, and free to look
Anyone in the trade can open a free account with just an email address. Free accounts can see prices, browse every batch, and post wanted requests.
Enquiries from free accounts go through the Refurbr team. That protects sellers from time-wasters, and it means a free account can still get a deal done. Paid members see company names and deal with each other directly.
Access is the same whether you're buying or selling. Tiers belong to the business, not to the role, because most businesses in this industry do both.
5. Wanted posts, not just stock lists
The trade has always been good at pushing stock out and bad at pulling it in. So alongside batches for sale, Refurbr Network has wanted posts. Tell the network you need 200 business-grade laptops or a specific model of tablet, and let the sellers come to you.
6. Auctions, when you'd rather the market set the price
Not every batch has an obvious price. Sometimes the fastest way to find out what stock is worth is to let buyers tell you. Auctions are live on Refurbr Network. Put a batch up for auction, and paid members bid against each other for it. The whole batch goes to the highest bidder.
Because only paid members can bid, every bid comes from a verified business. And unlike an offer, a bid is binding, so when the auction closes you have a buyer, not a negotiation. From there it works like any other deal on the Network: both businesses get a summary of the agreed terms, and you arrange payment and delivery directly between you.
It's ideal for mixed lots, end-of-line stock, or anything you need to clear quickly, without phoning round a dozen buyers to get a number.
7. Listings that tell you what you need to know
Every batch carries a data-safe declaration from the seller, and erasure certificates are available from sellers on request. Every batch also states its stock availability, so you know whether the stock is ready now or still being processed.
Offers (unlike auction bids) aren't binding until both sides have agreed terms. You can enquire, make an offer, counter, and talk it through in one conversation. When an offer is accepted, both businesses confirm, and each receives a summary of the agreed terms and what happens next. Nothing gets lost across three different inboxes.
8. More than stock
A refurbishment business doesn't just buy devices. It needs logistics, data erasure, repairs, packaging, parts and accessories. Refurbr Network has service and supplier listings for those businesses, with fixed categories so they're easy to find.
Accreditations are checked before they go live, and we track when certificates expire. A badge on a profile should mean something.
For businesses that only offer services, there's a service-only membership at a lower price.
9. If you already use Refurbr, there's nothing to re-key
Refurbr customers can publish batches straight from Refurbr to the network, without typing anything out twice. Membership is 50% off for Refurbr customers and goes on your existing Refurbr invoice, with no separate payment to set up.
Coming soon: the Refurbr Network app
Deals don't wait until you're back at your desk. The Refurbr Network app is on its way, so you can trade and find the right people on the go. You'll be able to check new listings, answer an enquiry or respond to an offer from the warehouse floor, a trade show or the car park.
We'll share more when it's ready.
Membership
- Free account: browse, see prices, post wanted requests, and enquire through the Refurbr team.
- Paid membership: £59/month. A verified business that can list batches, see company names and deal directly.
- Service-only membership: £19/month, for businesses listing services.
All prices are introductory and ex VAT. Annual billing gives you two months free. Paid membership comes with a 7-day free trial.
In partnership with Circular Connect
We're launching Refurbr Network in partnership with Circular Connect. Refurbr Network is Circular Connect's Technology Trading Partner.
Circular Connect has been building an ecosystem of trusted businesses across the circular technology industry, connecting the companies that buy, refurbish, recycle and resell technology with each other and with the people who support them. Refurbr Network extends that mission. It gives those relationships a structured place to trade, find suppliers and get deals done. Here's what that means in practice:
- Circular Connect members get 25% off Refurbr Network membership. If you’re a Circular Connect member already, get in touch with the guys there who will happily provide the discount code for you.
- Members who join with the code get a Circular Connect Member badge on their Network profile. Other members can see you're part of the community before the first message is sent.
- Links to the Circular Connect Directory are built into the Network, so you can go from a listing to the wider community and back.
Refurbr is a proud Circular Connect Member, and the community has been genuinely valuable to us. It made sense to build this with them.
Get started
Joining takes a couple of minutes, and a free account costs nothing. Browse what's listed, post what you're looking for, and upgrade when you're ready to list your own stock.
If you're a Circular Connect member, reach out today to get the discount code and start trading!
Questions? Email us at hello@refurbr.co.uk. We'd love to hear what you'd like the network to do next.