In this guide 6 sections
Grade only what a buyer can see. Everything else is a pass or fail test. Use four grades, record battery health as a reading, log every test against the serial, list the accessories in the box and print the warranty terms on each listing.
Define each grade by what a buyer can see
A grade is a promise about looks. Every unit must pass the same tests whatever its grade, so the grade only tells the buyer how much wear to expect on the glass, frame and back.
Write each grade as a short rule a technician can apply under the bench lamp, saying where marks are allowed and how deep they may run. A fingernail that catches marks a deeper scratch. Reference photos keep two technicians in agreement.
Use names that read the same on a phone listing and a laptop listing, because a shopper comparing three shops should not have to decode letters. Plain words win.
- Like new: no marks visible in normal light
- Excellent: faint hairlines on the frame, clean screen
- Good: light scratches on screen or body, no dents
- Fair: visible scratches and small dents, fully working
- Not graded: cracked glass, lifted screens, bent frames
Record battery health as a reading, not a word
Good battery is a word, not a measurement. Capture the number the device reports. On an iPhone that is the maximum capacity in the battery health screen, and on a Windows laptop it is the design capacity against the full-charge capacity. A Mac reports cycle count and condition.
Android phones differ widely, so use the maker’s diagnostic menu or a test app and write on the listing which one produced the reading. Set a floor for each grade. Replace any battery that falls below it.
Say whether the battery is original or new. Buyers ask about battery life before anything else, and a stated reading answers them before they ever write to your support inbox.
Keep a test log that travels with the serial
A test log lists pass or fail marks tied to one IMEI or serial, kept beside the listing so support can read it when a complaint arrives.
Begin with the locks. A handset still tied to a previous owner’s account cannot be sold, so check Find My, the Google account, factory reset protection, carrier lock and MDM enrolment. Then query the IMEI against a blacklist.
Then test the hardware. For laptops add keyboard keys, trackpad, hinge, ports, fan noise and the drive’s SMART status, and finish every unit with a data wipe. Log the wipe tool and its result.
- Lock checks: Find My, Google account, carrier lock, MDM
- IMEI blacklist lookup result
- Touch across the whole screen, dead pixels, burn-in on OLED panels
- Cameras, speakers, microphone, charging port, buttons, live SIM signal
- Parts replaced, marked original or aftermarket
- Wipe tool, result and tester initials
List what is in the box, not what the model shipped with
Buyers compare listings line by line, and box contents are where shops differ most, so say whether the charger is the maker’s own or a compatible one. Say whether a cable comes along. The SIM tool and case count too.
Describe the packaging as well. An original retail box is worth stating, and a plain white carton is fine when you say so, with photographs of every side and the screen lit.
Disclose replaced parts. A screen swapped for an aftermarket panel changes colour and touch feel, and a buyer who finds out later files a complaint and a bad review. Fix the title order so every listing reads the same way: model, storage, colour, grade, lock status, then any replaced part, each in its own slot.
- Charger: maker’s own, compatible or not included
- Cable type, and whether one is supplied
- SIM tool, case, screen protector
- Box: original retail box or generic carton
- Replaced parts named on the listing
Print the warranty terms on the listing itself
State the warranty period you offer, what it covers and what it leaves out, with hardware faults and a battery below the grade floor on the covered side. Liquid damage usually stays out.
Give the return window, say who pays return postage and explain how to claim, with the IMEI printed on the delivery paperwork. Consumer rules on refurbished goods differ by country. Check yours before you publish.
Then try the template once. Take a unit from the bench, write its listing from the sheet and hand it to a colleague who has never seen the phone. Ask what they would still want to know.
Refurbished listing template
Six blocks fill the page: identity holds make, model, storage, colour, IMEI or serial and lock status, while grade holds the grade name, reference photos and notes on marks. Battery holds the reading, cycle count and a replaced flag, and the test log is a table of checks with pass or fail, initials and date. A tick grid covers the box contents, and the last block holds the warranty period, cover, exclusions, return window and claim route. One sheet per unit.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Can two grades differ in function?
No. Function is a pass or fail gate, and a unit that fails any test goes back to the repair bench or out to parts stock. Grades describe wear only.
Should we grade from photos or by hand?
By hand. A technician under a lamp sees marks that photos hide, so grade the real unit first and then photograph that exact unit for the listing.
When should the grade rules be reviewed?
When returns marked not as described start to climb, pull the last few, compare each one with its grade, and tighten the rule that let it through. Otherwise, check each quarter.
Do laptops need different grades from phones?
The names can match, but the rules cannot. A laptop grade covers the lid, palm rest, keyboard wear and hinge, while a phone grade covers glass and frame, so keep one rule sheet for each device type.