A truthful look at BackMarket, CeX, Mazuma, Music Magpie and us. We're an independent local shop so the answer obviously favours us — but the reasons why are about how the postal phone-buying industry actually works, not marketing.
The premise
If you search “sell my phone Manchester”, the same five names appear: BackMarket, CeX, Mazuma, Music Magpie and Envirofone. Three of those (BackMarket, Mazuma, Music Magpie) are postal services. CeX is a walk-in chain. Plus a handful of independent local shops like us. Each of these models has a different incentive structure — and that's what determines how much you actually walk away with.
We're going to be candid here: this is our own page on our own website, so of course the answer trends towards “use a local shop”. But the comparison is fair — the reasons local shops beat postal services aren't marketing claims, they're structural. Read on, then decide for yourself.
BackMarket is the biggest used-electronics marketplace in Europe and one of the biggest buyers of used phones in the UK. They' re a real, well-funded company and many sellers do have smooth experiences. But there's one persistent, well-documented issue with how their selling process works — and it's the issue you should know about before you put a £600 phone in the post.
The quote you accept is not always the price you get paid.
When you fill out the BackMarket form, you get a headline number based on your description. You agree to it, post the phone, and a few days later the device is graded by their team in a warehouse. A meaningful percentage of sellers then receive a revised offer that's lower than the original — sometimes by £10, sometimes by £80 or more. The reasons given vary: “different battery health than declared”, “light scratches we couldn't see in the photos”, “market shifted”. The customer feedback on Trustpilot and Reddit makes the pattern obvious.
If you accept the revised offer, you get less than you expected. If you reject it, the phone goes back in the post and you wait another 5–10 days for it to return — at which point you have to start again somewhere else. It's the whole reason this comparison page exists.
None of this is a scam. It's the standard model of every postal phone buyer in the UK — Mazuma, Music Magpie and Envirofone all operate the same way. The model is structurally tilted away from the seller because the warehouse holds your phone during the dispute window. We're not a postal service, so we don't do this. Our quote is what you walk out with.
Each of the four options at a glance, with the genuine pros and cons. We've tried to be fair — even to ourselves — and call out the cases where you'd genuinely prefer the alternative.
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
The quote is the cash
Sid quotes you on WhatsApp from your photos. That number is what you receive when you walk in. No re-grade, no warehouse, no email two days later.
Same-day cash or BACS
Cash on the spot, or a bank transfer that lands within minutes. No waiting for the warehouse to inspect.
5–10 minutes in-store
If you've sent photos ahead, the in-store visit is mostly just confirming the phone matches and signing out paperwork.
Honesty cuts both ways. There are situations where BackMarket, Mazuma or Music Magpie genuinely is the right answer — and we won't pretend otherwise. Pick a postal service if:
For everyone else in Greater Manchester — Sale, Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Wythenshawe, Chorlton, Didsbury, Trafford and central Manchester — walking into a local shop wins on speed, safety and (usually) cash. We'd encourage you to come and see us. Sid is the person buying your phone, the shop is inside Sale Post Office on Stanley Square, and the quote you get on WhatsApp before you leave home is the cash you walk out with.
BackMarket isn't a scam — it's a legitimate company and a leading marketplace for used electronics. The friction is the structural one shared by all postal phone buyers: their first quote is a soft estimate, the real grade happens in their warehouse a few days later, and a meaningful percentage of sellers receive a lower revised offer. That's an industry pattern, not a Backmarket-specific flaw.
CeX is a walk-in chain like us, so it doesn't suffer from the postal re-grade problem — but it offers low headline numbers because it has high overheads (city-centre rent, large stores, lots of staff) and resells at fixed in-store prices. They make up for the low buying number with high turnover. Their offers are typically 25–35% below what an independent local shop will pay.
All three operate the same postal model. They send a freepost label, your phone is graded at their facility a few days later, and a revised offer often follows. Reviews on Trustpilot for all three services repeatedly mention quote drops. They're convenient if you have no local options, but for anyone in Greater Manchester there's no real upside vs walking into a local shop.
Not always. If you're outside any independent shop's catchment, a postal service is your only practical option. But if you're in Greater Manchester — Sale, Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, central Manchester or anywhere within 30 minutes of M33 — local is faster, safer (no posting risk) and almost always more profitable.
If you're anywhere in Greater Manchester, give the local option a try. Send photos on WhatsApp, get a quote, decide whether to come in. No commitment.
Inside Sale Post Office, 53 Stanley Square, Sale M33 7XZ. Also see Sell my iPhone, Sell my Samsung or Sell phone near me.
