What TROCAFONE does

Trocafone is a Brazilian e-commerce marketplace founded in 2014 and headquartered in São Paulo that buys, refurbishes, and resells pre-owned consumer electronics — primarily smartphones — to individual consumers in Brazil. The core platform offers certified pre-owned devices from Apple, Samsung, and Motorola under warranty, distinguishing itself from informal peer-to-peer used-phone markets where buyer risk is unmitigated. The company operates an integrated circular-economy ecosystem: customers can purchase refurbished phones on the main storefront, sell their old devices back through the dedicated Trocafacil trade-in platform, and access third-party repair services through the Reparofone referral sub-brand, with additional categories including notebooks, smartwatches, tablets, and accessories extending the storefront beyond mobile devices.

The underlying technology stack is a standard direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (VTEX-based, inferable from CDN asset paths) with category browsing, brand-specific landing pages, promotional banners, and search functionality; the site is supported by a WhatsApp-based televendas channel (+55 11 5194-2805) for assisted sales. The company reports 501-1,000 employees, consistent with a vertically integrated refurbishment and resale operation requiring sourcing, grading, repair, and logistics capacity in Brazil.

Trocafone's go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-consumer through its own website (www.trocafone.com.br), with all sales occurring within Brazil's domestic market. Revenue is generated through one-time device sales of pre-owned and refurbished inventory acquired via trade-in and direct sourcing. The company has raised approximately $62 million across nine funding rounds between 2014 and 2023, with strategic investors including Mercado Libre Fund, Telefonica (Wayra), Barn Investments, FJ Labs, and Lumia Capital. Founder-led, with co-founders Guillermo Freire (CEO), Andy Freire, Guillermo Arslanian (Co-CEO), Pablo Simon Casarino, and Santiago Bilinkis, the company remains private with no disclosed revenue, no public valuation, and no IPO activity on record.

Name

TROCAFONE

Website

https://trocafone.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Trocafone is a Brazilian direct-to-consumer e-commerce marketplace, founded in 2014 and headquartered in São Paulo, that buys, refurbishes, and resells warrantied pre-owned smartphones, notebooks, smartwatches, tablets, and accessories to individual consumers across Brazil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refurbished Consumer Electronics

NAICS

Used Merchandise Retailers (4595), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Wholesale-Computers & Peripheral Equipment & Software (5045), Wholesale-Misc Durable Goods (5090)

akta.pro primary industry

Refurbished, Used & Recommerce Smartphones (CRACALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pre-Owned Electronics Buyback/Trade-In & Resale (CRACAJAE), Mobile Device (Smartphone/Tablet) Trade-in & Recycling (BPALAIAG)

Keywords

• Refurbished smartphones
• Used consumer electronics
• Device trade-in services
• Pre-owned mobile resale
• Smartphone buyback platform

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pre-owned Smartphone Sales: Trocafone generates revenue through the direct sale of pre-owned (seminovos) and refurbished smartphones to consumers. The company acquires used devices, refurbishes them as needed, and resells them with warranty. They also operate a trade-in program where customers can sell their old phones to Trocafone.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

TROCAFONE acquires used smartphones and other consumer electronics from individuals, refurbishes them as needed, and resells the certified inventory through its own e-commerce platform with warranty coverage. The core offering is complemented by a trade-in/buyback service (Trocafacil) that lets consumers sell their old devices back, plus a referral to a smartphone repair service (Reparofone). Inventory spans Apple iPhone, Samsung, Motorola, notebooks, smartwatches, tablets, and accessories.

Product overview

Trocafone operates as a multi-brand e-commerce platform specializing in certified pre-owned and refurbished consumer electronics. The core Trocafone marketplace offers smartphones from major brands (Apple iPhone, Samsung, Motorola) alongside expanded categories including notebooks, smartwatches, tablets, and accessories. The ecosystem includes Trocafacil, a trade-in and buyback service for selling used devices, and Reparofone, a repair service referral. The company targets Brazilian consumers seeking warrantied pre-owned mobile devices at reduced prices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trocafacil: Platform for selling used phones
• Reparofone
• Bolão Trocafone

Products and services

• Trocafone (Certified Pre-Owned Smartphone Marketplace) Primary e-commerce marketplace selling certified pre-owned and refurbished smartphones with warranty coverage, targeting Brazilian consumers seeking affordable devices from major brands.
• Trocafacil (Device Trade-In / Buyback Service) Dedicated platform that lets consumers sell their used mobile devices back to Trocafone, providing a trade-in valuation channel that feeds the refurbished inventory supply.
• Pre-Owned Notebooks Pre-owned and refurbished notebook computers sold through the Trocafone platform, extending the catalog beyond mobile devices into the informatics category.
• Pre-Owned Smartwatches Pre-owned and refurbished smartwatch devices offered as part of Trocafone's expanded wearable electronics portfolio.
• Pre-Owned Tablets Pre-owned and refurbished tablet devices available through Trocafone's product categories.
• Smartphone Accessories Accessories for smartphones including cases, chargers, and other mobile device peripherals sold alongside the main device categories.
• Reparofone (Smartphone Repair Service Referral) Smartphone repair service referral accessible through Trocafone's platform, providing customers with a channel for device maintenance and post-purchase support.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Back Market: Global online marketplace for certified refurbished electronics including smartphones, tablets, and laptops with warranty. Direct competitor in the same recommerce category, though Back Market operates across multiple geographies including the US, Europe, and expanding into Latin America.
• Swappa: US peer-to-peer marketplace for used smartphones and electronics with device verification and buyer protection. Comparable to Trocafone in addressing trust concerns in used device transactions, though operates as a marketplace facilitator rather than a direct buyer/refurbisher.
• Decluttr: UK-headquartered recommerce platform selling refurbished smartphones, tablets, and other consumer electronics. Similar model combining buyback, refurbishment, and warranty-backed resale to consumers, comparable to Trocafone's vertical integration.
• Gazelle: US-based recommerce platform for buying and selling used smartphones, tablets, and other electronics. Closely comparable business model to Trocafone with integrated trade-in/buyback and certified refurbished resale, though geographically focused on the US.
• ecoATM: US-based operator of self-service kiosks that buy back used smartphones and electronics for refurbishment and resale. Comparable buyback and recommerce model, with physical kiosk-based acquisition supplementing online channels, addressing the supply side of Trocafone's trade-in business.
• reBuy: Germany-based recommerce platform buying and reselling used electronics including smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Closely comparable integrated buyback-refurbish-resell model with warranty-backed offerings, similar to Trocafone's vertical structure.

Regional players

• Cashify: India's leading recommerce platform for smartphones and electronics with integrated buyback, refurbishment, and resale. Comparable emerging-market business model addressing price-sensitive consumers with warrantied used devices, similar to Trocafone's positioning in Brazil.
• OLX Brasil: Brazil's leading classifieds platform where individuals buy and sell used goods including smartphones. A regional competitor in the Brazilian used smartphone market, though OLX operates as a horizontal classifieds platform without the certified refurbishment and warranty model that differentiates Trocafone.

Emerging players

• Reebelo: Singapore-headquartered recommerce platform for refurbished smartphones, laptops, and tablets expanding across Southeast Asia and other emerging markets. Comparable model and emerging-market focus, positioning as a potential geographic peer to Trocafone's Latin American footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Mercado Libre: Latin America's largest e-commerce platform and a Trocafone investor via the Mercado Libre Fund. While operating a broad marketplace, Mercado Libre's certified refurbished electronics category and trade-in programs make it a broader incumbent increasingly competing in the recommerce space Trocafone specializes in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/trocafone
• Facebookfacebook.com/trocafone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trocafone

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors18 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 TROCAFONE