The Grades at a Glance
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Sealed New
Factory seal intact, original box and accessories.
Battery: New
Good for: You want zero history, and the brand warranty when you buy from an authorised reseller.
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Certified Pre-Owned
Restored through the brand's own programme to a like-new standard, with the brand's warranty.
Battery: New or brand-certified
Good for: You want the lowest risk: the brand certified it and gives the warranty.
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Original Parts
Normal signs of use. All original manufacturer parts, never repaired, and the battery is confirmed at 80% or more.
Battery: 80%+
Good for: The sweet spot for most buyers: original parts at a used price.
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Refurbished
Normal signs of use, graded clearly by the store. It was repaired (possibly with compatible, non-original parts), or the store does not confirm original parts or battery health.
Battery: As stated
Good for: You want a clearly graded device and are fine with a repair.
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Condition Unclear
The store says only "Refurbished", "Renewed" or "Used" and does not tell you how it looks, whether it was repaired or how healthy the battery is. You decide on your own information: ask the seller for photos and battery health, and check the warranty and return policy.
Battery: Not stated
Good for: Only if you can check the device yourself before you commit.
What Each Grade Looks Like
Wear is exaggerated in the drawings so the differences are easy to see. Real devices are usually subtler.
Sealed New
Factory seal intact, original box and accessories.
- Signs of use:
- Factory sealed, never opened
- Parts:
- New
- Battery:
- New
- Good for:
- You want zero history, and the brand warranty when you buy from an authorised reseller.
Certified Pre-Owned
Restored through the brand's own programme to a like-new standard, with the brand's warranty.
- Signs of use:
- Certified by the brand (OEM) or its authorised programme: restored to like-new standard, or unused open-box stock
- Parts:
- Genuine brand parts
- Battery:
- New or brand-certified
- Good for:
- You want the lowest risk: the brand certified it and gives the warranty.
Original Parts (Never Repaired)
Normal signs of use. All original manufacturer parts, never repaired, and the battery is confirmed at 80% or more.
- Signs of use:
- Usual signs of use, or unused open-box
- Parts:
- Original manufacturer parts, never refurbished
- Battery:
- 80%+
- Good for:
- The sweet spot for most buyers: original parts at a used price.
Refurbished
Normal signs of use, graded clearly by the store. It was repaired (possibly with compatible, non-original parts), or the store does not confirm original parts or battery health.
- Signs of use:
- Standard signs of use
- Parts:
- Repaired, or original parts not confirmed; may use compatible (non-OEM) parts
- Battery:
- As stated
- Good for:
- You want a clearly graded device and are fine with a repair.
Condition Unclear (Store Gives No Grade)
The store says only "Refurbished", "Renewed" or "Used" and does not tell you how it looks, whether it was repaired or how healthy the battery is. You decide on your own information: ask the seller for photos and battery health, and check the warranty and return policy.
- Signs of use:
- Standard signs of use
- Parts:
- Unknown; may be repaired with compatible (non-OEM) parts
- Battery:
- Not stated
- Good for:
- Only if you can check the device yourself before you commit.
The Words Stores Use
Sealed New
Factory sealed. Brand warranty when sold by an authorised reseller; otherwise the seller's warranty.
Open Box
The packaging has been opened (a return, a cancelled order, or a display unit) but the device is unused or barely used.
Refurbished
A previously used device that has been inspected, repaired if needed, cleaned and tested before resale. Some are manufacturer-certified; many are done by independent refurbishers, so quality varies by seller.
Renewed
Stores use it loosely (Amazon and noon have "Renewed" programmes). On sasta we do not use it as a grade: a used device with all its original parts, never repaired and confirmed by the store, is graded Original Parts.
Used (Private Sale)
Sold as-is, often by an individual, with no inspection or warranty. We do not list private classified ads.
What to Check Before You Buy
Cosmetic Condition
Compare the photos and the condition. Remember "scratches" at one store may be "barely visible" at another.
Battery Health
On an iPhone: Settings, Battery, Battery Health. On a Samsung Galaxy: the Samsung Members app, Diagnostics, Battery status. Apple treats about 80% as the point where capacity is noticeably reduced.
Warranty and Returns
Look for at least 6 to 12 months and a clear return window. Who gives the warranty matters: the store or a third-party seller.
Box and Accessories
Not every refurbished phone comes with its original box, cable or charger. Check what is included.
Region and SIM Version
Listings say "International", "USA" or "eSIM only". This decides the SIM slot and which networks and features work.
Storage and Colour
Prices differ a lot between storage sizes. Compare the same storage and colour.
How Each Store Maps to Our Scale
For each store, which of its labels matches which of our grades, with a link to the store's own definition where it publishes one.
Open the mapping guideStores in the mapping
Questions
Three things the store or listing states: signs of use (its cosmetic condition), whether the parts are original or the device was repaired, and battery health. Original Parts needs the store or listing to confirm original parts and a battery of 80% or more (on the listing, or the minimum the store publishes for that grade). If it does not, the offer is graded Refurbished: we never assume original parts.
Stores use the two words loosely, often for the same thing. On sasta we go by what the store actually states, not the word it uses: Original Parts means all original parts and never repaired; Refurbished means the device was repaired, or the store does not confirm it was not.
The seller writes only "Renewed", "Refurbished" or "Used" with no condition grade, and the listing does not describe the condition either, so nobody has told you how it looks, whether it was repaired or how healthy the battery is. When we could only guess the condition from the price, we also mark it Condition Unclear. These offers can be cheaper, but check photos, battery health, the warranty and the return policy with the seller before you pay.
It marks a store condition label where our translation to the sasta scale is an estimate because the store's own definition was vague or not yet checked. Verified rows link to the store's published definition.
Stores change their standards, so each mapping shows its status and source. We re-check them as we add stores.