TikTok Shop enters online refurbished electronics market
TikTok is expanding the scope of its TikTok Shop e-commerce platform to let select sellers provide refurbished electronics product.
In an email to Chain Store Age, TikTok said that refurbished electronics are now available for purchase on the Shop tab of its app. A select number of TikTok Shop third-party sellers, all of which are required to meet specific performance standards, can now sell refurbished electronics goods.
[READ MORE: TikTok launches e-commerce in U.S.]
Sellers must provide reports from a TikTok Shop-approved third party — such as PhoneCheck, Blancco, or BlackBelt — who inspect and rate the quality of refurbished products. Currently, only refurbished products with an approved rating of “premium” or “excellent” can be sold on the platform.
The current refurbished electronics category on TikTok Shop includes tablets, mobile phones, and laptops. The video-focused social media platform said in the email that products are available from a “thoughtfully selected” group of brands including Apple, Samsung, Google, and Lenovo.
TikTok plans to continue to expand its refurbished electronics offering in the coming months with new products including earphones, headphones and smart watches.
Each refurbished electronics purchase is backed by TikTok Shop's 90-Day buyer protection program, which allows customers to seek out a refund for up to 90 days after purchase if a refurbished electronic product is damaged, defective, or not as described.
In addition, sellers must also provide one-year warranty for all refurbished electronics sold on TikTok Shop.
"TikTok Shop's entry into the refurbished electronics category is one of the latest ways the platform is seamlessly connecting shoppers with the products and brands they trust, in addition to added buyer protections,” a TikTok spokersperson said in the email.
Since launching in September 2023, TikTok Shop has rapidly gained popularity, with a recent Omnisend survey revealing that 33% of Americans (and 56% of U.S. Gen Z consumers) have already made a purchase on the platform, with beauty products and apparel the most popular product categories.
Refurbished electronics is a hot market, however. Retailers including Amazon, eBay, Best Buy, and Newegg all offer some form of refurbished electronics e-commerce program.
