Regain Control of Complexity in Tech Refurb Operations
In tech refurb, small issues rarely stay small for long. A device in the wrong place. A transaction that does not quite add up. A VAT treatment applied incorrectly. Each one costs time, focus and often margin.
The tech refurb industry runs on speed, accuracy and tight margins. Devices arrive, get tested, graded, repaired, moved and sold, often across multiple locations and legal entities.
For many tech refurb businesses, this work sits alongside wider ITAD programmes, where devices must be tracked carefully from intake through refurbishment, resale or responsible disposal as part of a growing circular economy.
As volumes increase, keeping everything aligned becomes harder, not because teams are doing the wrong things, but because systems start to struggle.
What once felt manageable begins to feel fragmented. Stock spread across warehouses. Devices moving between entities. Buying and selling across borders. Financial data that takes too long to reconcile. When systems struggle to keep up, devices are more likely to stall in storage, fall out of reporting or contribute unnecessarily to rising e-waste.
VAT adds another layer of pressure. In tech refurbishment, VAT treatment can change by device, supplier or transaction type. When marginal VAT and reverse VAT come into play, even small mistakes can lead to hours of rework, margin erosion and uncomfortable conversations.
Refurbr is business operating software built specifically for the tech refurb industry. It gives tech refurbishment businesses a clearer way to manage inventory, finances and compliance as operations grow more complex.
By bringing together entity management, inventory visibility, currency handling, and VAT logic into a single platform, Refurbr helps tech refurb teams regain clarity without slowing down day-to-day work.
Managing multiple entities in tech refurb
Many tech refurb businesses operate more than one legal or operational entity. One entity may handle purchasing, another repairs devices and another manages resale. This structure supports growth, but it also introduces complexity.
Without the right business operating software, tracking device ownership, internal transactions and financial performance across entities often relies on spreadsheets and manual reconciliation.
Refurbr is designed to support multi-entity operations in the tech refurb industry, keeping devices and transactions visible as they move through the business.
Key capabilities include:
Managing multiple legal or operational entities in one system
Separate branding, payment details and company information per entity
Clear financial reporting at the entity level and across the group
Transparent tracking of devices bought and sold between entities
Shared integrations with accounting platforms such as Xero
This gives tech refurbishment businesses confidence in their numbers without duplicating systems or effort.
Keeping refurbished stock visible across locations
Inventory is the backbone of any tech refurb operation. From intake to resale, tech refurb businesses manage devices across a complex IT lifecycle that includes testing, grading, repair, storage and redistribution.
Devices pass through intake, testing, repair, storage and dispatch, often across several warehouses or third-party partners. This level of traceability is especially important for businesses operating within ITAD frameworks, where the chain of custody and accountability matter at every stage.
As locations increase, so does the risk of lost stock, inaccurate counts and delayed fulfilment. Refurbr is business operating software designed around real tech refurb stock flows, with multi-warehouse support coming soon.
Key inventory capabilities include:
Multiple warehouses and sub-locations
Stock visibility by location and device status
Accurate tracking of stock movements between locations
Smarter picking and fulfilment workflows
By centralising inventory management, tech refurb businesses reduce manual checks, speed up dispatch and protect margins.
Managing currencies in global tech refurbishment
Many tech refurb businesses source and sell devices internationally. Managing currencies manually makes it difficult to understand true profitability, especially when margins are tight.
Refurbr includes built-in multi-currency support to ensure reporting remains accurate throughout the tech refurbishment lifecycle.
Key currency capabilities include:
Currency support at the transaction level for purchases, sales and expenses
Flexible exchange rate handling, including spot, daily or fixed rates
Reporting in transaction currency, base currency or group currency
This gives tech refurb teams a clearer picture of performance without relying on spreadsheets.
Handling marginal VAT and reverse VAT in tech refurb
VAT is one of the biggest risk areas in the tech refurb industry. Applying the wrong VAT treatment can quickly erode margin or create compliance issues. In tech refurbishment, VAT treatment can change by device, supplier or transaction type. VAT treatment is often influenced by a device's position in its IT lifecycle, making accuracy and auditability critical as volumes increase.
Refurbr supports VAT schemes commonly used in tech refurbishment, including marginal VAT and reverse VAT, with controls that reflect how refurb businesses actually operate.
Key VAT capabilities include:
Correct handling of marginal VAT and reverse VAT
Controls to ensure only eligible devices are processed under specific VAT schemes
Full audit trails across buying and selling transactions
Reduced risk during audits or inspections
By applying VAT logic at the transaction level, Refurbr helps tech refurb businesses stay compliant while protecting profit.
Why tech refurb businesses choose Refurbr
Refurbr acts as the operational backbone for the tech refurb industry, keeping devices, data and compliance aligned as complexity increases.
Tech refurbishment teams choose Refurbr because it:
Is business operating software built specifically for tech refurb
Handles complex stock movement naturally
Supports multi-entity operations without confusion
Manages marginal VAT and reverse VAT without manual work
Provides clear, auditable data across the business
Supports circular operating models by keeping devices, data and compliance aligned throughout refurbishment and resale
If the complexity of tech refurbishment is starting to feel overwhelming, Refurbr helps restore clarity. Explore our pricing options and discover how Refurbr can make managing your tech refurb business easier, starting at £475 per month.
FAQs
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Business operating software brings inventory, financial data, VAT handling and operational workflows into a single system. For the tech refurb industry, this means managing devices across the full IT lifecycle, from intake and testing through refurbishment, resale or disposal, while maintaining visibility and control.
Instead of relying on disconnected tools, tech refurb businesses gain a central platform that reflects real refurbishment processes and supports compliance, reporting and scale.
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Refurbr enables tech refurb businesses to manage multiple legal or operational entities on one platform. Devices and transactions remain visible as they move between entities, with clear reporting at both entity and group levels.
This level of transparency is especially important for businesses operating alongside ITAD processes, where chain of custody, accountability and accurate reporting are essential.
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Marginal VAT is commonly used in tech refurbishment because VAT has often already been paid earlier in a device’s lifecycle. Applying the wrong VAT treatment can quickly reduce margin or create compliance risk.
Refurbr applies marginal VAT accurately at the transaction level and maintains full audit trails, helping businesses protect profit and reduce risk as volumes increase.
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Yes. Tech refurb businesses often need to apply marginal VAT and reverse VAT depending on the transaction type, supplier and stage of the IT lifecycle.
Refurbr supports multiple VAT schemes within the same system and automatically applies the correct treatment, reducing manual checks and the risk of error.
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By centralising inventory, transactions and VAT handling, business operating software like Refurbr reduces duplication and manual reconciliation. Teams spend less time checking spreadsheets and more time focusing on operations.
This improves accuracy, shortens reporting cycles and makes it easier to scale tech refurbishment without adding unnecessary overhead.
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Refurbr supports businesses working within ITAD frameworks by maintaining clear device traceability as devices move through intake, refurbishment, resale or disposal.
Audit trails and structured reporting help ensure compliance and accountability, making it easier to manage ITAD requirements alongside commercial refurb operations.
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By improving visibility across refurbishment workflows, Refurbr helps extend device lifecycles and reduce unnecessary e-waste.
Better tracking and decision-making support more circular refurbishment models, helping businesses align operational efficiency with sustainability goals.