Back Market Return Policy UK: 30 Days, Postage and Refunds Explained

Checked 29 October 2026.

Key facts

• You have 30 days from receipt to start the return. The help article counts from the day of receipt, Terms 7.1 skip it, so treat receipt day as day 1. A weekend or public-holiday deadline moves to the next business day.
• The return label is valid for 14 days from your Get help request; drop off with the carrier named on it.
• Postage: the help centre calls 30-day returns free when all conditions are met, but the older Terms of Sale (clause 7.5) put return costs on the buyer. Check Get help before posting.
• Refunds: the seller has up to 3 business days after confirming receipt. Back Market then quotes 7 business days for cards, PayPal and Apple Pay or Google Pay, and 10 for Klarna.
• Purchases made between Black Friday and 31 December 2026 can be returned until 31 January 2027. Back Market gives no 2026 date for Black Friday.

Back Market's pages describe no in-person return route; every return is requested online. For other retailers, browse more UK return guides.

The seller handles your return and refund; Back Market runs the process around it. Back Market's Terms of Sale say it is an intermediary and in no case the seller, and its returns and refunds policy says you return the item to the seller by reaching out to Back Market. Argos works similarly for its Trusted Seller items, which go back through the seller rather than Argos, as the Argos return policy guide explains. You reach Customer Care through Get help on the order; Back Market says it replies within 1 business day.

Seller deadlines run in business days from confirmation that the device arrived: up to 3 to refund, and up to 5 to repair (7 for laptops and bulky items). If the seller misses a deadline, Back Market says you're refunded in full, as long as no signs of liquid damage, impact or third-party handling are found, and that it tells you by email, in the Customer Care conversation and in your order history.

Back Market's pages don't say whether any UK seller is a private individual, which matters only in the statutory section below.

You have 30 days from the date you receive the item to start a change-of-mind return. Back Market's pages count the start differently: the change-of-mind article says the period "begins on the day the item is received", while the Terms of Sale (clause 7.1, November 2022) say the day of receipt is not counted. To be safe, treat receipt day as day 1. The article adds that a deadline falling on a weekend or public holiday moves to the next business day.

The 30 days are a deadline to start the return in Get help, not for the parcel to arrive. Back Market doesn't label them calendar days, so no last day is calculated here; start a few days early. After day 30, Back Market says a change-of-mind return is no longer available; faulty devices move to the warranty below. Customer Care may also offer goodwill compensation if your device isn't quite right but you'd rather not return it.

The 14-Day Label Deadline After You Request a Return

The return label is valid for 14 days from your help request, per Back Market's return label article; Terms 7.3 say 14 days after notifying the seller. Back Market doesn't say whether dispatch means drop-off, a carrier scan or a postmark, so drop off well before the label expires.

Read together, the two published rules stack: a request on day 29 still leaves 14 days to post.

Back Market's pages word the postage rule differently. The help articles, dated 25 September 2026, say change-of-mind returns within the 30 days are free "as long as your return meets all conditions" (change-of-mind article). The same article says you'll receive a "free return label". The older Terms of Sale, labelled November 2022, say in clause 7.5 that the buyer bears all costs and risks of returning the product to the seller.

The safe action: check the Get help return flow for your order, which supplies the label, and confirm in the Customer Care conversation that the label carries no charge. The answer for your order is the one shown in Get help and confirmed by Customer Care.

Clause 7.6 says the full refund includes the original delivery cost when change-of-mind conditions are met. Back Market's pages don't list a restocking fee, but clauses 7.4 and 7.7 make the buyer liable for loss in value if the device isn't returned whole, with accessories and in the condition sold, or is mishandled.

For context, Citizens Advice says that without a pre-paid label you might have to pay for return postage, and that the seller should have told you this beforehand. Back Market supplies a label, and that is general guidance, not a ruling on Back Market.

Data and Account Removal

Back up and erase your data, factory reset, remove the SIM or eSIM, sign out of iCloud, Google and Samsung accounts, and turn off tracking such as Find My. If this isn't done, Back Market says the refund or exchange is delayed. See the help centre's account article.

Which Photos Does Back Market Ask For?

For a phone or tablet, Back Market asks for 7 photos: screen on, screen off, back, left, right, top and bottom. It also asks for a photo of the packed parcel with the label visible. Laptops and smartwatches have separate lists in Back Market's how-to-return article.

Packing the Parcel

Pack the device whole, with all accessories, in the condition sold. Back Market asks for a double- or triple-walled box, never an envelope, sealed with pressure-sensitive tape. Remove any protective case but leave the screen protector on. Put proof of purchase inside: print it from Orders in your Back Market account or, if you have no printer, handwrite your first and last name, order number and order date. The return label article also asks for a paper note with "Back Market", your order number and your return reason.

The label's 14-day clock starts at step 2. Begin at Back Market's orders dashboard and keep the how-to-return article open.

1. Log in and open Get help. Go to Orders, find the order, select Get help.
2. Choose your reason and continue to "All set for your return". Back Market says it confirms within 1 business day, and that if no button appears it will reach out within 1 business day.
3. Prepare the device. Checkpoint: SIM out, every account signed out.
4. Take the photos for your device type.
5. Pack the parcel with proof of purchase and the label-article note, then photograph it with the label visible.
6. Select "Print return label" and drop off within 14 days.
7. Keep the drop-off receipt or tracking number until the refund lands.

Which Carriers Can You Use?

Back Market names three UK carriers, each with a restriction.

Use the carrier named on your label. Terms 7.4 separately say you may choose how to send the parcel and insure it; no Back Market page explains how that fits with the supplied label, so ask Customer Care before using another carrier.

What If the Return Parcel Is Lost?

Contact Customer Care with the tracking number, shipping provider, drop-off date and documents. Back Market says the seller must still replace the item or refund you.

A Back Market refund passes through three clocks. Back Market publishes a number for each, but not how they join up.

Back Market doesn't say when the 7 or 10 days start or whether they add to the seller's 3, so this guide gives no total. The refund article lists cards, PayPal and Klarna; the returns policy page also lists Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Where Does the Refund Go?

The refund goes to your original payment method: the card used, the PayPal account used, or the card linked to your Apple Pay or Google Pay wallet. A voucher or promo code gets a new code for the same amount through Customer Care.

Expired Card or Closed Bank Account

The refund goes to the bank account linked to the card, in up to 7 business days. Customer Care can supply the acquirer reference number (ARN) and says it replies within 1 business day if money is missing; see the expired card article.

Back Market says purchases made between Black Friday and 31 December can be returned until 31 January of the next year, so purchases up to 31 December 2026 can come back until 31 January 2027 (change-of-mind article).

Back Market doesn't publish its 2026 Black Friday date, whether 31 January is the last day to request or to complete the return, or whether "purchase" means the order date. Request the return in Get help well before 31 January 2027, then post within the label's 14 days.

Example: assume you order a refurbished phone on 10 December 2026 and it arrives on 12 December 2026. The standard 30 days from receipt would end in January 2027, but because the purchase falls between Black Friday and 31 December, Back Market's holiday rule lets you return it until 31 January 2027.

Within 30 days you choose repair, replacement or refund; after that, a 1-year seller warranty applies. Neither replaces your statutory rights, covered below. If you're comparing second-hand tech sellers, CeX sets different windows for store and online purchases; see our CeX return policy guide.

Damaged in Transit: Report Within 3 Business Days

Report transit damage as soon as possible. Back Market says reporting within 3 business days helps the seller investigate, and Terms 5.5 ask for a complaint within 3 business days of delivery. Back Market doesn't say that missing the 3 days affects your rights.

Faulty in the First 30 Days

Use Get help with photos and a description. Back Market's faulty device article says a return label is provided and the seller offers repair, replacement if available, or refund, whichever you prefer, with a response within 1 business day.

After 30 Days: The 1-Year Seller Warranty

The seller warranty runs for 1 year from delivery and covers hardware and software defects. The Seller Warranty Certificate excludes normal wear, including declining battery capacity, significant impact damage, liquid damage and unauthorised repair. The seller repairs or replaces the device, and refunds only if neither is possible. The seller pays return shipping and provides a label within 1 business day; repair or replacement is due within 5 business days (30 days for items over 30 kg or 1.5 m, and e-bikes). The warranty doesn't affect legal guarantees (Terms 8.1).

How Does Express Replacement Work?

Express Replacement sends a replacement before the original goes back. Back Market's article says it is free, within 6 months of receipt, for an eligible category with a warranty-covered fault and an identical item in stock, and ships within 3 business days. The article words the return deadline two ways, "within 10 days of receiving the replacement" and "10 days from the date you initiated your replacement request", so count from your request to be safe; if the original isn't back in time, Back Market charges you. Back Market covers any price difference, and the replacement ships only to the original delivery address.

• Exchanges: one help article mentions a "full refund or exchange", but no page describes an exchange process, fee or availability. Return for a refund and buy again for a different device; that is a workaround, not Back Market's procedure.
• In-person returns: Back Market describes no store route, so use Get help. If returning in person matters, our Currys returns policy guide covers a UK electronics retailer with physical stores.
• Category exceptions: Back Market's pages don't list category or membership exceptions to the 30 days.
• Gifts: Back Market describes no gift-return route; returns run through the buyer's account, so a gift recipient can't start one on the published process.

GOV.UK's returns guidance and Citizens Advice's changing your mind page describe 14 days to tell a trader you're cancelling after receipt, a further 14 days to return the goods, and 14 days for the refund after the seller gets them back (Citizens Advice adds: or proof of posting, whichever is first). Citizens Advice lists purchases from private individuals as exempt. Back Market's 30 days is longer than the 14-day minimum.

For faulty goods, GOV.UK says the seller must repair or replace if the item comes back within 6 months unless it proves there was no fault at purchase, and that you have up to 6 years to claim (5 in Scotland). The Citizens Advice faulty-goods page says second-hand goods keep these rights, and that wear and tear, accidents, misuse and faults you knew about aren't covered.

Terms 8.1 restate Consumer Rights Act 2015 remedies, including a refund on rejection "up to 30 days". That 30-day figure comes from Back Market's terms; the GOV.UK and Citizens Advice pages cited here don't state it.

Get help and Customer Care decide how a seller judges "condition sold" or mishandling in your case.

See how StoreReturners checks retailer policies for where these rules come from.

• Counting from the order date. The 30 days run from receipt.
• Waiting for the parcel to arrive by day 30. Only the Get help request is due.
• Letting the 14-day label lapse. Drop off well before it expires and keep the receipt.
• Posting a phone still signed into iCloud or Find My. The refund is delayed.
• Using an envelope or leaving the case on. You can be liable for loss in value if the device is damaged.
• Assuming postage is free without checking Get help. Terms 7.5 put return costs on the buyer.
• Expecting battery wear to be covered by the warranty. Normal wear, including battery decline, is excluded.