Apple launches a Second eBay Store Offering Refurbished iPhone 5’s

Over the weekend, reporters at AppleInsider have discovered a hidden eBay store that appears to be run between the two brands to offer users refurbished iPhones and iPads in as-new condition with a full one-year warranty. Although there is no direct indication that the store is run by an Apple /eBay partnership, but there are a few tags to suggest that this is the case with words such as “Apple Certified” and “exclusive to eBay”.

The phones that are currently listed for sale (and any other devices that may appear on the store in the future are all likely to be units that were traded in at an Apple Genius bar as part of a warranty exchange, but don’t worry about getting a handset that has sings of previous use as each one is completely restored to Apple factory standards with new burn-in tests completed after which they are professionally repacked and inspected to Apple standards. Basically you’re getting an iDevice that is just like a brand new and factory fresh handset in every way except that it is living a second life.

Why exactly this store front has come to life is not totally known but we suspect it is there to give budding iPhone owners the chance to jump on the Apple bandwagon, getting the latest handsets but at a considerably lower price in return. With the launch of the iPhone 6 rumoured to only be a few months away, this is also an ample opportunity for Apple to make a few extra bucks from the 5th generation handsets before everyone throws their money at Apple once again for the annual iPhone launch.

Source and images courtesy: AppleInsider