Assurant has run this survey for seven years. The 2026 edition, fielded in January among 1,206 US smartphone owners balanced across carriers, operating systems, age, income, gender and ethnicity, is the clearest statement yet that the refurbished market's remaining barrier is confidence rather than awareness.
Roughly 40% of US smartphone owners have already bought a previously owned phone. Awareness is not the problem. What separates a browser from a buyer is whether they believe the device and the seller will hold up.
Trust is the barrier, and it is measurable
Read that chart from the left edge. Every bar clears 73% on "very important" alone. Assurant notes that more than 90% of respondents rated nearly every listed concern at least somewhat important — uncertainty is not concentrated in one worry, it is spread across the whole purchase.
What converts: certification, returns, warranty
The mirror image of the concern list. Buyers want the uncertainty removed, and they will pay attention to whoever removes it.
The year-on-year movement is the interesting part. Warranty coverage climbed 10 points, the largest gain of any purchase driver in the study. Post-sale protection is becoming a headline feature rather than fine print.
Financing went the other way. 30% of consumers said financing would not increase their likelihood of purchasing at all — the highest outright rejection rate of any factor tested. For a category built on affordability, that is a striking result: buyers want the risk reduced, not the payment spread.
Battery health outranks price
Asked to pick their three most important factors, respondents put battery health at 8.2 on a 0–10 weighted scale, ahead of return policy at 8.0 and price point at 7.1. Battery health rose from 8.0 the year before.
At the bottom: financing at 2.4 and bundled accessories at 1.9. Assurant reads this as consumers weighting device quality and the safeguards around it above commercial sweeteners.
Cosmetics matter far less than function
73% accept visible blemishes on the back cover. That falls to 45% for the camera lens, front screen and charging port — the areas people either look at or plug into. 95% said they would put a case on the phone anyway, which is why back-cover wear barely registers.
The practical implication for buyers: a Grade B device with a scuffed back and a healthy battery is often the better purchase than a Grade A device with a tired one.
Non-buyers are coming round
Among those who have never bought a previously owned phone, the share citing a lack of interest fell from 48% to 36%, while strong purchase intent climbed from 17% to 25%. Assurant also reports that mentions of damage and defects declined two percentage points year over year, with overall negative sentiment down.
Where people want to buy
Assurant asked how likely respondents would be to buy a certified pre-owned phone from various online sellers on a 1–5 scale. Established brands and recognised retailers consistently outperformed smaller marketplaces and independent sellers.
The notable mover: carrier websites rose from 3.3 to 3.8 out of 5, the largest increase of any channel, overtaking Amazon. Craigslist, GameStop and other smaller marketplaces stayed below 3.0.
Assurant characterises the preferred environment as having three traits: a known seller, clear condition standards, and post-purchase support if something goes wrong.
Packaging is part of the product
39% much more likely · 35% somewhat more likely
The loyalty figure is stronger among people who have actually done it. 46% of past CPO buyers said access to certified pre-owned would make them much more likely to stay with their provider, against 31% of those who have never bought one.
Assurant also pushes back on the assumption that refurbished attracts only deal-chasers: 68% of current CPO owners had stayed with their carrier at least a year, and more than 20% for over five.
What this means if you are buying
The report is written for carriers and retailers, but the findings translate directly into a buyer's checklist — and they line up with what our own scoring rewards:
- Check the seller before the spec. Reliability and seller trust are the top two concerns for a reason. Our TrustScore leaderboard is built from verified Trustpilot US review counts for exactly this.
- Get the battery health number in writing. It outranks price in what buyers say matters. Assurant's own grades require a minimum of 80%; we would treat 85% as your floor on an older device.
- Read the return window before the discount. Easy returns scored 63%, second only to certification.
- Weigh warranty over financing. Warranty was the fastest-rising driver; financing was the most rejected.
- Ignore back-cover scuffs. 73% of buyers do, and 95% use a case.
RefurbVerify is independent and not affiliated with Assurant or any vendor listed. We may earn commission on some links; this never affects our TrustScores or rankings. See our methodology and disclaimer.