A couple of years ago, I made a conscious decision to stop buying new phones. While I used to always stay on the cutting edge when choosing a new iPhone or Android phone, I realized that buying used or refurbished devices made more sense. These days, one- or two-year-old phones aren’t much different from the latest models, and buying them second-hand lets you save money without getting locked into long-term wireless carrier contracts. Buying used or refurbished tech also helps make a tiny dent in the world’s e-waste problems . By purchasing an older device, you’re delaying its journey to the scrap heap and reducing demand for new products. The idea seems to be catching on; a survey from February commissioned by Backmarket found that 25% of people listed environmental reasons for buying refurbished gear, up from 16% in May 2019. For me, the used phone lifestyle has been working out pretty well. I’ve been able to bounce between a few different phones before selling them back into the used market, and I never have to get AT&T involved with activation.
Original post:
Don’t buy new gadgets. Used or refurbished is just smarter—and greener