Romanians are increasingly interested in second-hand electronics. What are your favorite brands?
The second-hand electronics market in Romania continues to consolidate, amid growing interest in sustainable and financially efficient alternatives, with consumer behavior stabilizing around some key categories.
Romanians buy more and more second-hand electronics, especially phones. Magnor's photo
Mobile phones remain the top category of electronics traded online, followed by laptops and smartwatches. This hierarchy has remained constant over time, with phones consistently occupying first place in the sales charts, both online and overall.
“Mobile phones maintain their dominant position in the sales chart because they are essential devices, with rapid technology and design upgrades and significant price differences between new and pre-owned. At the same time, we see a clear change in the level of customer confidence: they are increasingly buying professionally verified products, because they know they benefit from concrete advantages, such as a 12-month warranty and full transparency about the product's condition. This combination of affordability, safety and clear benefits keeps the phone category at the top place, both online and at a general level”says Cosmin Popovici, general manager of Magnor.
What are the most sought after types of second hand phones
In the area of phones, demand is focused on established brands (Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi), with high resale value and extended life cycle. A constantly observed phenomenon is the rapid reaction of the market to the launches of new models: immediately after their appearance, interest in second-hand variants of recent generations increases significantly. Consumers are looking for quick access to current technology, without making large investments, and from a geographical point of view, Bucharest, Timișoara, Brașov, Cluj and Craiova are in the top five cities where the most purchases of second-hand mobile phones were registered.
Laptops remain the second category in terms of volume, with a strong upward trend. Compared between the periods November 2024 – January 2025 and November 2025 – January 2026, sales of used laptops (especially brands Lenovo, Asus and HP) increased significantly. The price difference compared to new products, frequently between 20% and 40% lower than new products, is one of the decisive factors in choosing this category, as Cosmin Popovici points out.
Consoles, the most dynamic growth segment
The most spectacular evolution of the last year is recorded in the category of consoles. The comparative analysis of the two intervals (November 2024 – January 2025 and November 2025 – January 2026) shows an increase of about 300% in sales, which makes consoles the segment with the most accelerated dynamics in the second-hand electronics portfolio. In this context, PlayStation concentrates about 70% of the category's sales.
Online sales and the omnichannel model
From a geographical point of view, the highest sales volumes of second-hand electronics are registered in Bucharest, Cluj, Timișoara, Craiova, Brașov and Sibiu. “In parallel, online sales have experienced significant growth in recent years, supported by the integration of an omnichannel model. Customers can check products in physical stores or use buyback programs, which turn old devices into resources for new purchases“, states Cosmin Popovici.
The data thus confirm a clear paradigm shift: the second-hand goods sector is no longer a niche option, but a stable and growing component of the Romanian electronics market, with potential for accelerated development in the coming years.
