musicMagpie

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.

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

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

• Refurbished consumer electronics
• Phone trade-in service
• Recommerce marketplace
• Second-hand tech resale
• Used media retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Refurbished Tech Sales: Primary revenue stream from buying used phones, tablets, laptops, and tech from consumers and reselling after refurbishment
2. Pre-owned Media Sales: Sale of second-hand CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, games, books, and vinyl at discounted prices
3. Phone and Tech Rental: Monthly rental model for phones, tablets, and wearables with option to buy after 12 months or return
4. Consumer Trade-in Services: Revenue from acquiring used devices at below-market prices and reselling at margins after refurbishment costs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DoorlyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 10 February 2026Steve 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.
• TimpsoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTimpson 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 WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAO 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

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/officialmusicmagpie
• Facebookfacebook.com/musicMagpie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entertainment-magpie-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/musicmagpie
• TikToktiktok.com/@musicmagpieuk
• Xx.com/musicmagpie

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about musicMagpie