Buying a refurbished mobile

Refurbished phones are usually just those that were sent back by customers who changed their minds, or because they had a minor fault – they'll have been checked and, if necessary, restored to full working order. They won't generally come with the original packaging and may not include all the accessories, such as chargers or headphones, but usually come with a one-year warranty (but do check).

Refurbished phones are typically given a 'grade' by retailers. Trading Standards has told us these grades aren't set independently, so quality can and will vary, but typically they are defined as follows:

• Grade A (sometimes called 'Pristine' or 'Like New') – these are usually customer returns or phones that have been sent back due to minor defects that are fixed. As close to a new phone that you can get.

• Grade B (sometimes called 'Very Good') – the phone has 'light' signs of use which might mean some small cosmetic imperfection(s), be it on the screen or the body of the phone itself. It'll usually look and feel almost new.

• Grade C (sometimes called 'Good') – the phone will tend to have 'moderate' sign of use which will mean you'll visibly see scratches on the screen or body. Although you'll be able to tell it's refurbished, you'll usually save the most money.

Prices vary depending on which grade you opt for and right now, for an unlocked Samsung S21 5G (released 2021), you could expect to pay £242 for a Grade A model (vs £429 new).