musicMagpie
musicMagpie is a UK-based recommerce platform (founded 2007, AO World subsidiary) that buys and resells pre-owned consumer technology and media to individual consumers, offering certified 90-point refurbished devices, trade-in, and rental subscriptions across its website, mobile app, and 1,900+ Timpson drop-off points.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersStockport, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What musicMagpie does
musicMagpie is a UK-based recommerce platform founded in 2007 that buys and resells pre-owned consumer technology (smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming consoles, headphones) alongside physical media (CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, books, vinyl, and video games). It operates as a two-sided circular-economy marketplace serving individual consumers on both sides — sellers monetising used devices and buyers seeking discounted refurbished alternatives to new hardware — and operates exclusively in the United Kingdom. The business self-describes as the UK's largest seller of refurbished tech, with over 500,000 devices cumulatively sold, a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating across 350,000+ reviews, and seven consecutive years (2016-2022) of 'Best Recycling Service' recognition at the What Mobile Awards.
Core products include the musicMagpie Store (e-commerce marketplace for refurbished devices with Klarna and PayPal Credit financing), musicMagpie Trade-In (postal trade-in with free shipping and same-day payment on receipt), musicMagpie Rental (monthly subscription device plans with 12-month upgrade options), Corporate Trade-In (bulk enterprise IT asset disposition), and the Timpson in-store trade-in partnership providing instant payment in under 15 minutes across 1,900+ UK locations. The technical backbone combines a proprietary 90-point quality inspection process, PhoneCheck-based secure data erasure, a free iOS/Android mobile app with barcode scanning for instant valuation, and a 'Tech Price Promise' guarantee. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware resale margins on refurbished tech, with secondary contributions from pre-owned media sales, subscription rental income, and trade-in spreads. The business was acquired by AO World plc (FTSE 250) in late 2024 from a loss-making position (£6m loss at acquisition) and was turned around to run-rate profitability within roughly a year, contributing £120m in FY26 segment revenue with 181% year-over-year growth. It is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 775278) for credit activities.
musicMagpie firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- musicMagpie
- Legal name
- Entertainment Magpie Limited
- Website
- https://musicmagpie.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- musicMagpie is a UK-based recommerce platform (founded 2007, AO World subsidiary) that buys and resells pre-owned consumer technology and media to individual consumers, offering certified 90-point refurbished devices, trade-in, and rental subscriptions across its website, mobile app, and 1,900+ Timpson drop-off points.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
musicMagpie industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Refurbished Consumer Electronics
- NAICS
- Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)
- SIC
- Retail-Computer & Computer Software Stores (5734), Retail-Record & Prerecorded Tape Stores (5735)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Books, Media & Entertainment Resale (CRAFAGAF)
Keywords
Where musicMagpie is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockport
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
musicMagpie business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Refurbished Tech Sales: Primary revenue stream from buying used phones, tablets, laptops, and tech from consumers and reselling after refurbishment
- Pre-owned Media Sales: Sale of second-hand CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, games, books, and vinyl at discounted prices
- Phone and Tech Rental: Monthly rental model for phones, tablets, and wearables with option to buy after 12 months or return
- Consumer Trade-in Services: Revenue from acquiring used devices at below-market prices and reselling at margins after refurbishment costs
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Variable pricing based on device model, storage capacity, and condition grade |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly rental subscriptions for phones and tech |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
musicMagpie product offering
Product offeringCore offering
musicMagpie buys used smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, and pre-owned media (CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, games, books, vinyl) from consumers, refurbishes them via a 90-point certified process, and resells them through its own website, mobile app, and Timpson retail drop-off network. It also offers monthly device rentals with 12-month upgrade options and a corporate bulk trade-in program for business device fleets.
Product overview
musicMagpie operates a recommerce marketplace as part of the AO World (FTSE 250) group, offering a unified platform for buying refurbished electronics, renting devices, and selling/trading-in pre-owned tech and media. The core offering consists of the musicMagpie Store for purchasing certified refurbished phones (iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel), tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming consoles, and media; the musicMagpie Trade-In Service for selling devices with free shipping and same-day payment; and the Rental program for flexible device access with upgrade options. Additional services include Timpson in-person trade-in partnership for quick store-based valuations, Corporate Trade-In for bulk business sales, the Magpie Certified Refurbished quality program with 90-point inspections and 12-month warranty, and the Tech Price Promise guarantee. The platform also offers financing through Klarna and PayPal Credit, and maintains a free mobile app for barcode-based valuations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- musicMagpie Store E-commerce marketplace for UK consumers to buy certified refurbished phones (iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel), tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming consoles, and pre-owned media (CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, books, vinyl, games). Features buy-now-pay-later financing via Klarna and PayPal Credit, condition grading (Excellent/Good/Poor), and a 12-month warranty.
- musicMagpie Trade-In Service Service allowing UK consumers to sell used phones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, smartwatches, headphones, speakers, and media items for instant cash valuation with free shipping and same-day bank-transfer payment on receipt. Backed by the Tech Price Promise guarantee and PhoneCheck secure data wiping.
- musicMagpie Rental Subscription-based device rental program enabling customers to rent iPhones, Samsung phones, iPads, Apple Watches, and other tech with free lifetime warranty, flexible monthly payments (e.g., iPhone 14 from £13.99/month), and the option to upgrade after 12 months or buy out the device.
- Corporate Trade-In Bulk trade-in program enabling UK businesses to sell large volumes of used corporate tech devices at enterprise volume valuations, with streamlined processing and PhoneCheck secure data wiping for compliance.
Companies that use musicMagpie
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
musicMagpie technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
musicMagpie partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- DoorlyminorSteve Oliver, co-founder of musicMagpie, joined Doorly (formerly Appacut) as non-executive chairman following £600k funding round. Doorly is a UK-based home services marketplace. This represents personal investment/involvement rather than formal corporate partnership.
- TimpsoncoreTimpson partnership enables musicMagpie customers to trade in phones at 1,900+ Timpson stores across the UK. Customers get instant valuation online, then visit Timpson for quick device inspection and payment within 15 minutes. This partnership provides physical retail presence and faster payment option compared to postal trade-in.
- AO WorldcoreAO World acquired musicMagpie in late 2024 when it was losing £6m. Under AO World's ownership, musicMagpie was turned around to profitability. The acquisition transformed musicMagpie's recommerce business, which now drives 181% revenue growth to £120m. Founder John Roberts stated the recommerce division enhances customer proposition while supporting sustainability and affordability.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
musicMagpie competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CeX: UK high-street retailer running the largest scale 'webuy.com' trade-in and second-hand electronics, gaming, phone and media chain. Direct competitor to musicMagpie on both the buy and sell side across phones, gaming and media.
- Back Market: Global online marketplace for certified refurbished consumer electronics, anchored in smartphones. Operates the same buy/refurbish/resell platform model and competes head-on with musicMagpie in the UK refurbished-device category.
- Reboxed: UK direct-to-consumer refurbished smartphones retailer using a circular buy-to-refurb model. Direct competitor on the refurbished iPhone and Samsung proposition in the UK.
- Envirofone: UK mobile phone recycling and trade-in service competing for the same seller funnel that supplies musicMagpie's refurb pipeline.
- Decluttr: UK/US media and tech recommerce service for CDs, DVDs, games, books and tech. Directly comparable on the pre-owned media resale side of musicMagpie's catalogue.
- Ziffit: UK trade-in service for books, CDs, DVDs and games (part of the World of Books Group). Competes head-on with musicMagpie's pre-owned media trade-in offering.
Regional players
- Swappie: European refurbished-iPhone marketplace with its own refurbishment facility. Comparable business model, but primarily serves continental Europe rather than the UK where musicMagpie is concentrated.
Broad incumbents
- Apple Trade-In: Apple's official device trade-in program offering instant credit on iPhone, iPad and Mac trade-ins. A broad incumbent that directly competes for the same trade-in supply flow that feeds musicMagpie's refurb inventory.
- Samsung Trade-In: Samsung's official trade-in and recycling program for Galaxy and other devices. Competes with musicMagpie for Samsung supply in the UK, as part of a much broader consumer electronics portfolio.
Emerging players
- Grover: Tech-rental subscription platform for consumer electronics. Overlaps with musicMagpie's newer rental subscription offering on monthly device access and 12-month upgrade mechanics.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
musicMagpie social profiles
Digital presencemusicMagpie compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
musicMagpie financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
musicMagpie leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
musicMagpie funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
musicMagpie M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about musicMagpie
What does musicMagpie do?
musicMagpie buys used smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, and pre-owned media (CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, games, books, vinyl) from consumers, refurbishes them via a 90-point certified process, and resells them through its own website, mobile app, and Timpson retail drop-off network. It also offers monthly device rentals with 12-month upgrade options and a corporate bulk trade-in program for business device fleets.
Is musicMagpie a public or private company?
musicMagpie is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was musicMagpie founded?
musicMagpie was founded in 2007. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is musicMagpie based?
musicMagpie is headquartered in Stockport, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does musicMagpie make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Refurbished Tech Sales are the primary driver. The others are pre-owned Media Sales, phone and Tech Rental and consumer Trade-in Services.
Who are musicMagpie's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CeX, Back Market, Reboxed, Envirofone, Decluttr and Ziffit. Swappie is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Apple Trade-In and Samsung Trade-In. Grover is listed as an emerging player.
Does musicMagpie have an API?
No public API is recorded for musicMagpie.
What industry is musicMagpie in?
musicMagpie's product category is Refurbished Consumer Electronics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAGAF, Books, Media & Entertainment Resale. Its NAICS code is 459510 and its SIC code is 5734.