Recheck, repair, resell: Cashify explains how it makes old phones and laptops fit for their next users

Do you use a smartphone? Well, of course, right? But do you use a refurbished smartphone? Some people might not want to answer this questions, almost as if they feel guilty about buying and using a pre-owned phone or laptop because of the notion that refurbished or second-hand smartphones aren’t good or might be outdated. Similarly, ask someone if they are using a refurbished phone and they might give you sheepish looks because often we consider our phone a status symbol. There is a certain taboo attached to second-hand phones, even though within our families we often pass on devices to each other when we get new ones. It is this taboo that companies like Cashify are hoping to remove.
And they are likely succeeding. The refurbished phone market in India is growing. According to a report by the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association, the Indian refurbished smartphone market reached 20 million units in 2020. And by 2026, the report states — although it doesn’t specify how many phones — that the Indian refurbished market size will reach $10 billion.
Despite the taboo, there is an appeal to refurbished phones and laptops — their relatively low price and good value for money. The concerns, however, are majorly around quality of the old device, its working condition and privacy. And the issue of privacy is not just a concern for the buyer, but also for the seller. It often makes people hesitant to purchase or even trade in their old phones.
Now companies like Cashify are working to change. They have evolved what they call “a secure, standardised process” through which old phones go through before they are put on sale again. At the same time, the same process assures anyone selling their old phone that their device would not be misused.
In a conversation with India Today Tech, Cashify’s co-founder and CEO Mandeep Manocha, revealed that the company initially started in 2009 as a waste management business before eventually entering the refurbished devices market. This shift was driven by the realisation that “extending a product’s life was actually a better idea than recycling it.”
“India had a large population wanting good-quality products they couldn’t afford new. So, we saw an opportunity to bridge this gap by buying used devices from consumers, adding value, and reselling them,” says Manocha.
While reselling devices like smartphones also aligns with green initiatives — reduce e-waste, keep environment clean — the company initially struggled with getting enough devices to refurbish and sell. In a country like India, where news reports about data leaks and technology misuse are common, people are hesitant to resell their smartphones due to the amount of personal and financial data stored on them. Even with factory reset options available, people remain wary. To address this, says Manocha, Cashify from the outset assured customers that all devices would undergo secure data wiping before being resold.

Cashify employee repairing an old phone

“This concern around data security is a major reason people hesitate to sell their devices. Many believe data can be recovered, but that’s not true with multiple levels of data wiping. While military-grade solutions exist, which can take up to two hours to wipe a phone, we use two or three-pass data wiping technology, which is sufficient for 99.99 per cent of cases,” says Manocha.
Once a device reaches Cashify’s factory, the refurbishment process begins. Here, thousands of smartphones from various brands undergo strict quality checks. Each device first goes through a data wipe, followed by repairs using genuine parts from the manufacturers, ensuring quality.
“Our market primarily includes people aged 20 to 35, such as first-job employees, college students, and those in lower salary brackets who are aspirational,” explains Manocha. “We’re expanding into tier-two and tier-three cities and opening stores in smaller towns. Many customers from these regions now access our e-commerce platform, which is an encouraging trend.”

Cashify packages repaired and refurbished smartphones in new packaging.

But what about the warranty? While smartphone manufacturers offer certain warranty, say 2 years or 3 years, manufacturers don’t extend the same to refurbished phones. Instead, the warranty comes from Cashify. Manocha says depending on how old is the phone, the company offers warranty of 6 months to one year on the refurbished phones they sell.
At the same time, the company takes steps to minimise and avoid and security related issues. It wants to make sure that it is not buying a stolen phone. Or a phone that cannot be traced to the original owner in case there is a law and order situation. “To ensure accountability, Cashify performs thorough identity checks when purchasing devices, including Aadhaar validation and capturing ID proof at the point of sale, preventing stolen devices from entering their system,” adds Manocha.