Trademore review
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Ease of Use
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Pricing
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Shipping Options
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Payment
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Transparency
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Customer Service
Summary
Trademore is a used device buyback site that has recently relaunched and rebranded. The new site looks nice, but misses key features that would make it more appealing. Prices paid for used devices are relatively low, payouts are relatively slow, and customer service is lacking. That said, the user experience on the site is nice and easy and shipping is offered entirely free.
About Trademore
Launched in October of 2017, this Texas-based used electronics buyback site has already relaunched itself (as of May 9, 2018) with promises of a new and improved service.
But are the changes just skin deep, or has Trademore.com really undergone an overhaul? From their press release:
“The platform, which debuted in October 2017, relaunched in April 2018 with new branding, enhanced user experience and exciting new features. Users are now able to receive payouts via PayPal for their trade-in.”
The rebrand seems to have come with a complete wipe of their social media presence and any other review sites that may have featured them (their Better Business Bureau page shows that their file was just opened in April and features no reviews as of this posting date). And that makes some sense – while no reviews are evident as of now on their Facebook page, old data shows that their prior online presence was not doing so hot in the ratings game.
In terms of accolades or even the name of their founder, this reviewer is at a loss. Their online presence is pretty bare, so used device buyer/seller proceed with caution, but we’ll nonetheless take a closer look!
More About Trademore
What Devices Do They Buy?
Trademore buys iPhones, a wide variety of other smartphones, a selection of tablets, and Apple and Samsung smartwatches.
They also sell used iPhones and Samsung Galaxies, if you’re in the market for a pre-owned device.
The Quoting Process
The quoting process is very easy! They have a nice, easy-to-use UX for describing the device you want to sell, and have a unique feature where you can select in advance how you want to deal with a changed quote. Handy! If a little nerve-wracking – it seems to suggest the odds of a requote are high, but maybe they’re just trying to be helpful.
Shipping Options
They send you a prepaid box. How nice is that?
Payout Options
Trademore offers payout by prepaid virtual MasterCard® Debit Card or via PayPal. They don’t seem to offer checks, which is unorthodox but fine. It probably limits confusion and trouble around people not receiving checks sent in the mail.
Customer Service
Oh dear. Unfortunately, Trademore’s customer service options appear to be incredibly limited. They offer a FAQs page and an email where they promise to get back to you in… 2 days. Not exactly the most impressive or robust service out there.
That said, if you need to get their attention, it appears that their social media manager might get back to you if you comment on their Facebook posts with your gripe. So, that’s good?
Additional Benefits and Features
I’m not going to sugar coat it for you here, there really aren’t any. Sorry, Trademore. From their site:
The best features that stand out are the free shipping (including the packaging) and the button that lets you select how much you’re willing to be flexible on your quote if they decide to requote your device after inspection.
How Do The Payouts Compare?
Their payouts for iPhones are on the low end of the spectrum and their payouts for other devices are… also low. They’re not insultingly low, but they’re not going to blow any minds. Plus, their payouts take about 5 business days from when the device is received and processed, more if there are any hiccups in the inspection process. Nothing to write home about here. Companies like Buyback Boss and GadgetGone offer higher payouts with faster processing.
And One More Thing
Honestly, you never know. This site would be worth checking in on in 6 months; it seems like they’re trying to do some good things and the rebrand suggests they care about being taken seriously. However, as of today, it’s not highly recommended in the grand scheme of buyback sites out there right now.
2019 TradeMore Review Update
As mentioned above, we wanted to have another look at TradeMore after our 2018 review so we decided to check back in. The site itself remains similar, but the negative reviews continue to pour in. TradeMore has 16 complaints on BBB and has a company rating of “F” (the lowest we’ve seen for any buyback company). The company is responsive enough to leave comments on the complaints but the proportion of negative feedback is overwhelming. While the company only has 10 reviews on Trustpilot, 40% of them are one-star reviews.
Since TradeMore has far less online reviews than other buyback programs we’ve reviewed, we’re dealing with a pretty small sample size. It’s hard to estimate what proportion of TradeMore clients have a negative experience. Nonetheless, there are companies like Maxback and Buyback Boss who have thousands of positive reviews, so it’s difficult to recommend TradeMore at this time.
Final Thoughts on Trademore
Trademore has a few small benefits. Their free shipping packaging and clear policies on how they’ll deal with requoting are nice. But beyond that, there’s not a lot to recommend it as a buyback site – in part because their complete revamp has given them a blank slate (which it seems they may have wanted).
Hopefully they make something nice of their new beginning, but, as of now, they’re not sticking out as particularly brilliant with their low, slow payouts and lack of customer care. In such a popular business, you have to exceptional, and right now, Trademore is a bit impersonal.
I purchased a used iPhone 6 124gb from Trade More October 2018. It had a noticeable scratch on the screen which did not affect viewing when on. Description mentioned iPhone may have wear/scratches. Used iPhone as advertised. $145 best price. iPhone worked for 3.5 weeks then screen no longer worked. (Due to the deep scratch?) contacted Trade More sent iPhone 6 back within the one month return window. Got refunded 3 weeks later for $145.
They incorrectly classified my phone as a Pixel 2 instead of a 3a and knocked my trade in down. Astonishing. If they can’t even tell the difference between two phones (especially since the orange button on the side is a dead giveaway for the Pixel 3as) then how do you expect them to properly gauge your trade in?
Avoid them at all cost. Instead, you should trade your phone in directly to your carrier or just sell it.
This is a comment on the 2nd Used Iphone I mailed in to Trademore. I forgot to erase the content. They were kind enough to e-mail me with instructions on how to do it remotely. Unfortunately the new smartphone carrier I have has less than a 1* (out of 5*) online performance. Trademore sent the used IPhone back. By that time I purchased a wireless router. Trademore also has online instructions, which worked to erase content. I’m ready to send it back to Trademore. It’s a convenience that it provides the box and shipping.