Samsung has launched a test program to buy back its own smartphones from users. The company promises to pay 50% of the retail price of the device if the owner returns it within two years. So far, the program applies only to smartphones of the flagship Galaxy S 2020 line of the year, and the geography of its availability is still limited only to the North American markets. However, if it proves to be a sufficiently effective way of attracting buyers, it is possible that it will be launched in Russia as well, as has happened in the past.
Samsung has figured out how to boost sales of its smartphones. It seems that no one has done it yet
Yes, Samsung's goal is to attract consumers. The fact is that the demand for the Galaxy S20 in almost all countries of the world turned out to be significantly lower than at the time for the Galaxy S10. The complex epidemiological situation in the world caused by the coronavirus has affected. Because of this, many of those who could afford a fresh flagship from Samsung changed their priorities and began to think no longer about buying new equipment, but about their own survival, which is more than justified in the current conditions.
How profitable to hand over an old smartphone
If you have the opportunity to return your smartphone back to the store for half the price even after two years, you will most likely come to this store again.
The Galaxy S20 buyback program, despite its apparent similarities, actually has nothing to do with a trade-in. Firstly, trade-in payments are calculated individually in each specific case, and upon redemption Samsung promises a strictly fixed amount of 50% of the price. Secondly, trade-in allows you to hand over devices in almost any condition, while Samsung requires that the hand-over devices be in excellent condition, allowing only natural wear and tear. Thirdly, a buyback program, unlike a trade-in, allows you to get real money without having to buy a new smartphone.
In fact, the launch of the buyback program is even more significant for the market than it might seem at first glance. It can completely kill the secondary market, and in the case of Russia, it can also shatter the gray.
Where to buy a smartphone cheaper
We have repeatedly proved that flagship smartphones running Android – and especially Samsung devices – can lose from 30 to 50% in a year. The same Galaxy S10 fell in price by almost 40% from the initial indicators only in the first six months after the release.
Galaxy S10 in the gray market is 40% cheaper than the official
Of course, the Russian office of Samsung has nothing to do with this, because the decline was due to the servo carriers, which have the opportunity to purchase equipment abroad and not pay taxes and import duties. However, this does not negate the fact that buying a Galaxy S10 on the secondary market becomes almost meaningless in the presence of a gray market.
The thing is that both in gray retail and on the secondary market, purchases are made only for cash. That is, no installments or loans, as a rule, are provided. And if so, then a user who wants to save money on buying a smartphone, but at the same time has the opportunity to pay the conditional 30-40 thousand rubles, is unlikely to agree to buy a smartphone from his hands, but rather turn to servo carriers.
This man bought a Galaxy S10 for 70 thousand at the start of sales, and now sells it for 30. It would be better if he gave it to Samsung
After all, there he will be sold not a used smartphone, but a completely new one – with all the consequences in the form of a one-year warranty and serviceable components that have not been repaired or replaced. Therefore, those who are interested in selling on their own are forced to lower prices even more in order to somehow resist the serovars. However, thanks to the buyback program, it will be easier and more profitable for users to hand over a Samsung smartphone than to sell it on their own, losing money on it.
It may seem that Samsung itself, most likely, this program is not very profitable, because in this case it will, if not incur losses, then at least receive many times less profit. However, by extending the buyback to new smartphones, the company, in fact, will tie up the majority of users who have issued a refund, because in this case, they will almost certainly want to repeat the experience and buy a new smartphone from Samsung again, having the opportunity to return it again. .