Policies
Device Grading Guide
One consistent standard, applied by a technician to every device we sell or buy.
Last updated: 13 October 2026
Every device that passes through Optimise Marketplace — whether we're selling it to you or buying it from you — is graded against one consistent standard by a technician. Here's exactly what each grade means.
- Buying from us: our standard range is graded Like New or Good. Separately, we sell one-off Value phones that have had parts replaced — see Value below.
- Like New is reserved for handsets released from September 2022 onwards — the iPhone 14 generation and newer. Anything older is listed as Good, however clean it is — see below.
- Trading in: all four grades apply at every age, so a flawless older handset is still valued as Like New when you sell it to us.
Like New
- Handset is effectively brand new — unsealed but unused, or showing no signs of use whatsoever.
- Display is flawless. No scratches, marks, or blemishes of any kind.
- Housing is flawless — no scuffs, scratches, dents, or marks to the case, buttons, rear cover/glass, or camera lens.
- Battery health of at least 85% on every phone we sell (trade-ins: 95% or better for Like New).
- Home button, Touch ID, Face ID and NFC all function correctly.
- 100% OEM parts. Handset has not been modified, jailbroken, or rooted.
- No liquid damage.
- TRADE-IN ONLY: the original box and its inserts. A flawless handset without its box is graded Good.
- Released September 2022 or later (iPhone 14 generation and newer). We do not describe an older handset as Like New even when it is flawless.
Why the cutoff: “Like New” should mean a phone you cannot tell from new, and on a handset several generations old that stops being a fair claim — the battery has aged, the model has been superseded more than once, and the description sets an expectation the handset cannot meet. So an immaculate older phone is sold as Good and priced as Good. It is the same handset either way; we would rather under-promise it than have you open the box disappointed. This limit applies to selling only. When you trade one in, a flawless older handset is still graded and paid as Like New — but Like New on a trade-in also needs the original box. That is not fussiness: the top price we can pay is set by what the trade market pays us, and the trade market only pays its top rate for a boxed, complete handset. Without the box the phone is worth less to us, so it is graded and paid as Good. It makes no difference to a phone you are BUYING from us — we do not require you to keep a box.
Good
- Handset powers on, is fully functional, and free from any physical damage or faults.
- Display can have light scratches. No delamination, cracks, heavy scratches, pressure marks/white spots, discolouration, dead pixels, or screen burn. Screen has not lifted.
- Handset must have OEM parts.
- Housing is in good condition — no delamination/peeling, no cracks in the case, home button, rear cover/glass, or camera lens. No chips, and the device is not bent.
- Battery health of at least 85% — the same minimum on every phone we sell, and on trade-ins.
- Home button, Touch ID, Face ID and NFC all function correctly.
- Handset has not been modified, jailbroken, or rooted.
- No liquid damage.
Value (one-off units)
Value phones are individual units we hold, each photographed as it is and listed on its own page under /value. They are sold for less because a part has been replaced — such as a screen, battery or back glass — or because they show wear that rules out Good.
- Every replaced part is named on the listing. If a part is not genuine Apple, the listing says so.
- Marks and wear are described on the listing and shown in the photos of that exact phone.
- Battery health of at least 85%, or a new battery fitted — the same minimum as every phone we sell.
- Fully functional and tested before dispatch: screen and touch, cameras, speakers, charging, Face ID or Touch ID, IMEI clean and Find My off.
- 12-month warranty on hardware faults in normal use, the same as our other grades.
- 30-day change-of-mind returns, the same as every phone and tablet.
Poor (trade-in only)
- All parts of the device, including system software, are fully functional — everything works as it should.
- No major damage (e.g. water damage, chips or cracks to the screen or phone).
- Heavy wear and tear, such as scuffs, dents, and deep scratches.
- Poor battery health — indicated by cycle counts above 800 or a “Service” message in Settings.
- Touch ID, Face ID, and NFC work (if applicable).
Faulty (trade-in only)
Faulty devices are subject to a re-quote depending on the severity of the damage — for example water/liquid damage, crushed or bent frames, board faults, devices previously worked on, non-OEM parts, or no Face ID. If your device has any of these faults we may not be able to buy it, but we will cover the cost of sending it back to you.
- Handset has a serious functional fault.
- Handset has been modified, jailbroken, or rooted.
- Overheating or battery issues.
- Any engravings on the device are classed as Faulty.
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