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Back Market

Back Market is a European marketplace that sells refurbished electronics and electrical products.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Aurore Lalucq (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Nov 2025 · VAT - Investments

Meeting with David Cormand (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Swappie and Refurbed Marketplace GmbH

8 Oct 2025 · New legislative framework

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Oct 2025 · Circular Economy

Meeting with Laia Pinos Mataro (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné) and Acumen Public Affairs

24 Sept 2025 · Presentation of Back Market and of the refurbishment sector. Challenges for the sector and the opportunities it offers.

Meeting with Stefano Soro (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs) and Acumen Public Affairs

24 Sept 2025 · Presentation of Back Market and of the refurbishment sector. Challenges for the sector and the opportunities it offers.

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament) and OVH Groupe

17 Sept 2025 · Digital policies & Savings & Investment Union & 28th Regime

Meeting with Peter Agius (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Mar 2025 · Introduction

Meeting with Pasquale Tridico (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Mar 2025 · Meeting online with Alexandre Tanay Back Market

Meeting with Pasquale Tridico (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Feb 2025 · Meeting Back Market - MEP Tridico office

Meeting with Costantino Lanza (Acting Head of Unit Taxation and Customs Union)

30 Jan 2025 · Enforcement of the deemed supplier provision for intra-EU distance sales

Meeting with David Cormand (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

29 Jan 2025 · New legislative framework

Meeting with Saskia Bricmont (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

29 Jan 2025 · E-commerce

Response to Evaluation of Administrative Cooperation in Direct Taxation

30 Jul 2024

Back Market is a French marketplace specializing in refurbished electrical and electronic products. As a unicorn with +650 employees, we are now present in 18 countries worldwide, including 13 in Europe. We collaborate with 1,700 professional refurbishers globally, among which we count 1,300 European companies. Back Market welcomes the various amendments to the directive up to DAC 7. These changes help enhance authorities' understanding of online activities and sellers on marketplaces, thereby strengthening controls for a better level playing field. That said, a few adjustments and simplifications seem necessary to make it more accessible to businesses and thus more effective. 1- Raise the exemption threshold for collecting individual sellers' tax numbers to remove barriers to the return of used products One of the central challenges for making the circular economy in Europe viable is boosting the return of used products for refurbishment and resale. The European Commission started raising the issue with policy recommendations (n°2023/2585). The European refurbished sector suffers from a lack of supply, hindering its development or forcing it to import used products from the United States. The collection rate of mobile phones is reported to be under 5%, and an estimated stock of 700 million unused and waste mobile phones are stored in households across the EU. This represents a massive environmental and economic waste. One effective solution is to offer consumers the option to sell their used products directly to refurbishers, which Back Market already proposes. However, DAC 7 requires collecting the tax numbers of these individual sellers (consumers) beyond an annual basket of 2,000. This amount is quickly reached in the electronics sector (smartphones, computers), which can retain significant residual value after two years of use. Yet, consumers are very reluctant to provide their tax numbers. Therefore, we pledge for raising this threshold to at least 5,000. 2- Accelerate the transmission of information to make the fight against fraud more effective Taking into account our experience over the past years, we suspect that businesses committing fraud (VAT, taxes, etc.) are often involved in carrousel types of schemes, whereby the legal entity registered as a platform seller disappears after a short period of operations (between 6 months and 1.5 years). This is a major issue in online marketplace commerce. However, the current complexity of reporting for businesses and the delay in transmitting information to all Member States often means that more than a year and a half passes between the time information is available and when authorities receive it. We thus recommend: - For businesses: simplify reporting and in particular the French rules of data encryption, which is currently too complex and requires several days of work by specialized data analysts. In particular, the process of corrective declarations is very painful and time-consuming. - This would allow for semi-annual reporting instead of annual and thus reduce the latency between the occurrence of potential fraud and the possession of information enabling authorities to conduct checks - For Member States: accelerate the period of information transmission to other States.
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Meeting with Thomas Pellerin-Carlin (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Jul 2024 · industrial policies

Meeting with Joan Canton (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

16 Apr 2024 · Exchange on Back Market activities, role of the single market legislation for refurbishers, promoting circularity in products

Meeting with Christophe Grudler (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Feb 2024 · Economie circulaire et écoconception

Meeting with Sunčana Glavak (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and Lenovo Group Limited

6 Sept 2023 · Right to repair ENVI Opinion

Meeting with Mercedes Bresso (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and APPLiA (Home Appliance Europe)

5 Sept 2023 · proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules promoting the repair of goods

Meeting with René Repasi (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and DIGITALEUROPE

30 May 2023 · Exchange of Views on the Right to Repair Directive/ Recht auf Reparatur Richtlinie (R2R)

Response to Promoting sustainability in consumer after-sales

23 May 2023

Back Market, a specialized marketplace for refurbished electrical and electronic products, collaborates with more than 1000 European repairers and refurbishers, offering valuable expertise in the professional second-hand sector. We commend the European Commission for recognizing the essential role of consumers in promoting sustainable consumption and extending product lifespan.The paper attached provides alternative perspectives and suggestions to enrich the ongoing proposal, summarized here. Consumer-Centric Design: The "right to repair" hinges on purposefully designing and manufacturing devices with repairability in mind. However, complex designs and barriers imposed by manufacturers hinder independent repairers and refurbishers. European legislation should establish a universal consumer right to repair, granting individuals the choice of professional repair services at fair and affordable prices. Prohibiting practices that impede repair or compromise device quality and user experience is crucial. Legislation should mandate reasonable repair costs, freedom of repair with original or compatible parts, and prohibit misleading practices. Online Platform: We strongly support national platforms connecting consumers with repairers and sellers of refurbished goods. To maximize impact, distributors of new devices should inform consumers about the platform's existence and benefits. We recommend defining limited common criteria and specifications for the platform's functionality to ensure consistency across Europe. Furthermore, the development of a voluntary European quality standard for repair services is to be applauded. It should ensure openness and simplicity to avoid market monopolies and facilitate small and medium-sized enterprises' participation. Repair Obligation over Replacement: The proposal's prioritization of repair over replacement as a remedy within warranty aligns with long-standing requests and can influence consumer behavior. However, we support adressing situations where repair becomes impractical or excessively costly, particularly for refurbished devices affected by OEMs' spare parts pricing and availability practices. Obligation to Repair and Refurbishment: Beyond warranty limits, a "reasonable and proportionate price" clause is recommended to prevent unaffordable repairs from discouraging consumers. The repair obligation should apply universally to all products, regardless of their purchase or previous repair history. Exclusion of independent refurbishers from article 5.3 is proposed to avoid compliance-related hurdles, as they cannot offer access to spare parts when placing second-hand products on the market. In conclusion, we would like to express gratitude to the Commission for the proposal, but also emphasize that a robust consumer framework alone is insufficient for a circular economy. To realize the "right to repair," devices must be designed for repairability and the after sales market opened. The suggested amendments to consumer legislation must be complemented by ambitious ecodesign requirements.
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Response to Ecodesign for Sustainable Products - Product priorities

11 May 2023

Back Market, a French Tech Next40 company with unicorn status, is the first marketplace that provides consumers with access to thousands of electrical and electronic products refurbished by professionals across 18 countries. Our work is driven by a purpose: to expand the lifespan of e-products by building a mainstream alternative to the over-consumption of new devices. We very much welcome the European Commission's proposal on expressing our views on the categories of products and measures to address first. We understand this consultations scope is new products and energy related products will be included at a different stage. But as product prioritization will be critical to the success of ESPR, and this consultation is an opportunity to raise our voice, wed like to offer expertise on electronics. Our strong belief is, knowing the constant rise of the environmental impact of digital, and that most of its climate weight is linked to device production, the Commission should keep on focusing on mass market electronics. We advice the commission to put at the next working plans agenda : - smartphones and tablets : even thought a regulation is about to be issued, knowing their environmental weight, we believe discussions should be reopened under new ESPR so that the scope of ecodesign criterias can be even broader then what has been done already; - computers and laptops should be addresses as soon as possible; - audio products (speakers, headsets, etc) needs to be added to the list as they are mass consumption products, with a short lifespan and highly irreparable at the moment; - game consoles also are of great potential. We are at the Commissions disposal to share our thoughts and participate to the building of the energy related products working plan.
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Back Market seeks better taxonomy rules for refurbished electronics

3 May 2023
Topic — This consultation establishes technical criteria for investments contributing to a circular economy.
Message — The group requests realistic definitions for refurbishment and repair that align with market practices. They also propose including battery replacements and second-hand collection as sustainable activities.123
Why — Broadening eligibility criteria would facilitate easier access to green financing for the refurbishment sector.4
Impact — Manufacturers of new electronic devices face increased competition from a more attractive refurbished market.5
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Meeting with René Repasi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and DOT Europe

30 Mar 2023 · Exchange of views on the Product Liability Directive/ Produkthaftungsrichtlinie (PLD) - Staff Level

Meeting with Marcel Kolaja (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

30 Mar 2023 · discussion on the implementation of a shared responsibility between manufacturers and second-hand industries when a defective second-hand product causes a damage

Meeting with Krzysztof Hetman (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

29 Mar 2023 · Exchange of views on Product Liability Directive (meeting delegated to parliamentary assistant)

Meeting with Jan Huitema (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

2 Dec 2022 · Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation

Meeting with Alessandra Moretti (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Unilever

16 Nov 2022 · Framework for setting eco-design requirements for sustainable products

Meeting with Sara Matthieu (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

29 Jun 2022 · Ecodesign Regulation

Response to Sustainable Products Initiative

17 Jun 2022

Back Market welcomes the European Commission's proposal on ESPR. However, we fear some of its provisions may threaten the viability of the second-hand market, and that of refurbishment in particular. Indeed, the current definition of refurbishment proposed by ESPR does not matches the characteristics of this practice. Refurbishment actually means the testing of the functionalities and, if needed, the maintenance or repair of a second hand good or waste by a professional before making it available on the market. Therefore, refurbishment does not modify a product, and refurbishers share the same issues as independant repairers (software blockers, access to spare parts, etc.). Refurbishers thus are not manufacturers and cannot fulfil the obligations applicable to manufacturers. Indeed refurbishers resell a second hand product. Consequently : - They don’t know how the product was designed, nor can redesign it, so they can’t comply with article 21.1 ; 21.2 and 21.4. - As one or more consumers have owned the product to refurbish, refurbishers have little to no relationship with the manufacturer. Therefore, they have no access to the documentation or packaging that accompanied the new product when placed on the market and can’t comply with article 21.3 and 21.9. Refurbishers are also not distributors or importers like others : - Many second-hand products will not be eligible for a Digital Product Passport, either because they have been first placed on the market before its entry into force, or because they have been imported to be refurbished in Europe. - Refurbishers having no relationship with the initial manufacturer or importer, they cannot be required to check whether the manufacturer or importer has fulfilled all his obligations. - As they cannot act on all the parameters of the product, refurbishers do not have the capacity to "bring the product into conformity" (articles 23.6 and 24.3), nor be subject to the obligations of a manufacturer where they modify "such a product that affects compliance with the ecodesign requirements" (article 28). This provision is likely to result in the obligation for refurbishers to use only original spare parts rather than good compatible ones. It is vital for refurbishers to be able to use compatible parts, as original ones are not made available by manufacturers, or are sold at disproportionate prices. We thus recommend ESPR creates a specific status for distributors and importers of second-hand products with obligations adapted to their situation. Ensure a level playing field for manufacturers and second hand actors : In order for ESPR to ensure ambitious delegated acts on repair are coming, we call for strictly prohibiting any manufacturer from carrying out a practice on a product’s hardware or software that limits or prevents its repair outside their authorised networks. Refurbishers also must be added to the list of economic operators who have access to relevant data in the DPP and included throughout the stakeholders consultation process for the drafting of future delegated acts. But they cannot be subject to the creation of the DPP when the product has been imported to be refurbished in Europe, or when the product that will be refurbished was initially placed on the market as new before the entry into force of these provisions. In these cases, refurbishers won’t have enough information on the product Guarantee proportionate expectations for marketplace models: - Pure third party marketplaces cannot be held responsible for non-compliant products, as they are not handling logistics, are in fact a simple intermediary between a seller and a buyer, and never physically hold the product. - Online marketplaces cannot design and organise a dedicated interface for each range of products. This is technically unfeasible and different interfaces would become unreadable for consumers. The rules on design should thus be set horizontally, accordingly to the DSA.
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Meeting with Biljana Borzan (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

2 Jun 2022 · Empowering consumers for the green transition

Response to Empowering the consumer for the green transition

28 May 2022

Back Market welcomes the Commission’s ambition to provide consumers with reliable information on the repairability, durability, and marketing of products sold on the EU market via the Empowering Consumers Initiative. As a voice of the promising second-hand economy, we propose the following points to be considered by policy makers : Increase level of detail for precontractual information requirements and unfair commercial practices by : - Adding “reusability'' to the list of the product’s main characteristics in Article 1.2a in respect to which a trader’s practice can be considered misleading. - In Article 2b.i : including details on the existence, nature, and availability of tools required to carry out repair services, as well as the existence and length of the period during which spare parts and accessories are made available for a product. - Inserting the following two additional unfair commercial practices in Annex I: => Omitting to inform the consumer that a software update is necessary or not to keep the product in conformity ; => Omitting to inform the consumer of any policy or company practice to refuse in-house repair for a product that has previously been repaired outside their professional repair network, beyond the legal guarantee. Strengthen ambition by prohibiting unfair commercial practices at the source : While this proposal may be a first safeguard, the Commission should move to ban manufacturers from inducing unfair commercial features in their products at the design stage. Only prohibiting the omission to inform consumers on such practices unfortunately risks giving legality and legitimacy to these practices. Ensure that this legislation is actually implemented and enforced : Under the current text, precontractual information is disclosed by sellers only if producers make it available which, as of today, remains uncommon and limited. To strengthen these provisions, we propose to obligate producers to make all information required by the text publicly available and frequently updated. This would be essentially for actors on the second-hand market, especially refurbishers, which have little to no direct contractual relationships with producers. Give second-hand actors a seat at the table : It is essential to adapt all requirements set down by the proposal to the specificities of second-hand actors such as refurbishers. In the event that there is no producer obligation to make information publicly available, we would encourage policy-makers to waive information requirements or at least provide exceptions for second-hand products.This information can be incredibly difficult to collect or may even be non-existent for traders that market and sell these products. In addition, second-hand actors or traders cannot be held liable for commercial practices linked to the way the product is designed in reference to new unfair commercial practices 23d, 23e, 23f, 23g and 23i outlined in Annex I. Subsequently, the current proposal, as it stands, applies indiscriminately to new and second-hand goods. Given the proposal’s lack of distinction between these two product categories, we are deeply concerned that second-hand products will never be able to attain legally acceptable claims or labels of “good” environmental performance. The current text risks creating situations where goods of all conditions will be considered uniformly, which may distinguish new products as sustainable and second-hand products as not (as they are older), pushing consumers to favor the former despite the fact that second-hand goods almost always have a lower environmental footprint than their new counterparts. This would be the case especially with the repairability score if it applies to second-hand goods. We therefore call on the Commission to explicitly recognize second-hand products’ higher environmental value and explicitly allow marketing and claims based on pre-loved product characteristics. Please find more details in the file.
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Meeting with Sara Matthieu (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

29 Mar 2022 · Sustainable Products Initiative

Response to Waste Framework review to reduce waste and the environmental impact of waste management

22 Feb 2022

Back Market welcomes the initiative to review the Waste Framework Directive to further decrease waste generation and improve waste collection. As the leader of the refurbishment of electric and electronic appliances market, we indeed consider this is a unique opportunity of avoiding WEEE creation by addressing major bottlenecks hampering repair and refurbishment. In this framework, we strongly advise the Commission to focus on decreasing waste generation by extending the lifespan of products, and making sure recycling is the very end of a product’s life, in line with the waste directive hierarchy and, production being the most impactful stage of a product’s life, for obvious environmental reasons. In order to achieve these objectives, several policy tools should be used : Prioritize reuse : Build separate targets for reuse and recycling, in order to make sure dedicated reuse policies are put in place and avoid over focus on recycling. Mandate sorting and dismantling of any WEEE before recycling, in order to identify repairable products and useful spare parts. Extend the polluter pays principle to targeted responsibilities on the extension of products life through : Financing education campaigns on production environmental impact, importance of lifespan extension, existence of take back schemes and donation. Boost take back and collection schemes of EEE and WEE by creating a “return bonus”. Mandate producers create a level playing field on repair (including auto repair, professional repair and refurbishment) : spare parts, technical info, tools access at a fair price. Forbid any practices limiting repair. Mandate producers build professional repairers registers (certified and independant) to inform customers on repair solutions around them. Ewaste is the world’s fastest growing waste stream, with highly damaging social and environmental impacts. Production is concentrating most of the product's impacts. The revision of the waste directive is a unique opportunity to tackle those challenges and foster circular economy. Such a policy would come with huge additional benefits : improvement of european citizens' power of purchase, creation of growth and jobs in Europe (repair and refurbishment sectors) and sovereignty improvement. The revision also bears huge opportunities on the creation of a more efficient polluter pays principle. As a marketplace mostly working with European SMEs and operating in 13 different countries, we indeed witness the complexity created for small and medium sized companies by the fragmentation of the EPR across Europe. The wide variety of systems and rules from one Member State to another, and sometimes within a given Member State with different compliance schemes or procedures and for different product categories, is a true challenge for small companies that can be considered a market entry barrier. We thus recommend the Commission to work on uniformazing the EPR, which would have positive impacts on the overall system (engagement and fairness).
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Meeting with Stéphane Séjourné (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Jan 2022 · DSA (équipe)

Meeting with Stéphane Séjourné (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Oct 2021 · DSA et Ecodesign