Launching soon in Great Britain
CircularHub is a new marketplace where people buy and sell used phones directly with each other. Sellers set their own price. Buyers buy straight from the owner. We look after the sale in between.
Your price, not a quote
List it for what you think it’s worth. The buyer pays the price you set.
Straight from the owner
One specific phone with verified device details, bought from the person selling it.
Choose one to see how it works for you.
Why person to person
A trade-in company has to resell your phone at a profit. A shop needs a margin on the phone it sells you. Deal with each other directly and there’s no reseller in between: the seller decides what the phone is worth, and the buyer decides whether it’s worth it to them.
Usually, the catch is everything else: checking the phone, taking payment, posting it, and knowing what happens if it isn’t right.
That’s the part we look after.
How CircularHub is different
You still deal with each other, at the seller’s price. CircularHub sits in between and handles everything a private sale usually leaves to you.
Owns the phone, describes its condition, sets the price and stays the seller from listing to payout.
Runs the marketplace in between
Buys one specific phone from the person who owns it, and pays the price on the listing.
How we make money: a commission from the seller when their phone sells. Buyers don’t pay us a marketplace fee. We’ll publish the commission rate before launch.
How these options usually work. Individual companies and sites vary.
| Trade-in service | Classified ads | Refurbished shop | CircularHub | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who sets the price | Trade-in serviceThe company’s quote | Classified adsThe seller | Refurbished shopThe shop | CircularHubThe seller |
| Who checks the phone | Trade-in serviceThe company, after you’ve sent it | Classified adsUp to the buyer | Refurbished shopThe shop | CircularHubDevice verification, before it’s listed |
| How payment works | Trade-in serviceThe company pays you once it’s happy | Classified adsArranged between you | Refurbished shopYou pay the shop | CircularHubIn the app, via a regulated payment provider. The seller’s payout follows the buyer’s 48-hour check |
| Messages and meet-ups | Trade-in serviceNone | Classified adsUsually both | Refurbished shopNone | CircularHubNone |
How it works
Tell us about your phone and complete device verification. Add photos, declare its condition in your own words and set your price. Your listing goes live once the required device checks pass.
Each listing is one specific phone from its owner. You’ll see its verified device details and the seller-declared condition, each clearly labelled.
A buyer pays your price in the app. There are no offers to haggle over and no messages to answer. You then have two working days to send it.
Check out with your name and email. No account needed. You won’t share contact or payment details with the seller.
Confirm the phone is as you described it and that you’ve erased it. You then get a drop-off code for tracked delivery. You won’t need the buyer’s contact details.
The seller has two working days to send it, and tracked delivery shows you where it is until it reaches you.
Once it’s delivered, the buyer has 48 hours to confirm it matches your listing or to report a problem.
Once it arrives, you have 48 hours to make sure it matches the listing.
When the buyer confirms, or the 48 hours end with no problem reported, the sale is complete and your payout begins.
Confirm receipt and the sale is complete. If something isn’t right, report it within the 48 hours: the seller isn’t paid while we sort it out, and the outcome can include a return and a full refund.
You’ll need an account to sell, so we can keep your listing and arrange your payout. Our commission is charged to the seller when the phone sells, and we’ll publish the rate before launch.
There’s no CircularHub fee for buyers. A delivery charge may apply, and you’ll see the full total before you pay. The 48-hour check doesn’t affect your legal rights.
Inside the app
Trust comes from knowing exactly where you stand. So the app always tells you who confirmed what, what happens next and who it’s waiting on.
For buyers
Every phone has to pass device verification before it can be listed, and its verified device details are marked Verified. Condition is declared by the seller, backed by their photos, and labelled that way.
For buyers
The clock starts when the carrier confirms delivery. If you report a problem in that time, the sale waits until it’s resolved and the seller isn’t paid in the meantime.
For sellers
The buyer’s payment is confirmed before you send anything. Then you can follow every step, from drop-off to payout.
Screens from the CircularHub app, shown with example orders and listings.
Questions
What CircularHub is, what it checks and how it’s paid for.
No. CircularHub doesn’t own or sell phones. Every phone belongs to the person selling it, and when you buy, you’re buying from them.
We run the marketplace: device verification, the payment process, tracked delivery and the 48-hour check. If something goes wrong, we step in.
Before a listing can go live, the phone has to pass device verification. The listing then shows its verified device details, such as the model and storage, marked Verified.
Verification confirms those details. It doesn’t guarantee a phone is fault-free. Condition is declared by the seller and backed by their photos, and we label it as seller-declared, so you always know which is which. We’ll confirm exactly which details appear on listings before launch.
Report a problem within 48 hours of delivery. While your report is open, the sale can’t complete and the seller isn’t paid.
We work it through with you both. Depending on what we find, the outcome can include returning the phone for a full refund. The 48-hour check doesn’t affect your legal rights or any warranty cover.
When the buyer confirms receipt, or their 48 hours end with no problem reported, the sale is complete and the seller’s payout begins.
Payments and payouts are processed by a regulated payment provider. We’ll confirm how long payouts take to reach a bank account before launch.
CircularHub is paid by a commission, charged to the seller when their phone sells. Buyers don’t pay CircularHub a marketplace fee.
A delivery charge may apply, and buyers see the full total before they pay. We’ll publish the commission rate and delivery charges before launch.
Not to buy. You can check out with your name and email, and you’ll get a secure link to your order. Sellers need an account, so we can keep their listings and pay them.
Before you get the drop-off code, the app asks you to reconfirm the phone’s condition and to work through an erasure checklist. You can’t send the phone until both are done.
We’re preparing to launch in Great Britain and haven’t set a date yet.
Sign-ups for launch news will open on this page soon.
Launching soon in Great Britain
We’re getting the marketplace ready to open in Great Britain. Sign-ups for launch news will open on this page soon.
We’re not taking registrations yet. When we are, you’ll be able to ask us here to email you when CircularHub opens.
See how it works