DNA to sell used phones online

The trade-in service of DNA is constantly developed by listening to the wishes of customers. DNA will begin to sell used phones with the launch of the Vaihtokapula online store. Electronic waste is the largest waste stream in the world. Mobile phones contain a lot of valuable noble metals, and the carbon footprint of their excavation is considerable. Circulating is one of the ways to get closer to the climate objectives.

'If a mobile phone is used for about three years, studies show that 80 of its greenhouse emissions are caused when the phone is manufactured and the raw materials are procured. By extending the life span of a phone by only a year, its carbon footprint is reduced by about a third. Mikko Valtonen, who is responsible for the Vaihtokapula business, says small deeds have big consequences.

The supply chains and product flow of the new service are designed to be cost effective with the environment as a primary concern. The over 60 strong store DNA Store network and existing logistics services are used in the distribution of the phones. No chargers and protective equipment for phones are included in the package, but they can be bought easily if needed when the phone is picked up from a DNA Store.

Finnish shops for used phones have focused strongly on the Apple iPhones. In Finland, Apple has only about 20 market share, so a large number of Finns are outside their target group. One of the main business ideas of Vaihtokapula is to bring Android phones into the used phones market. The very inexpensive phones selling for 100 to 200 euro are some of the very inexpensive ones in Vaihtokapula's range.

In Finland, there are still certain friction factors in the circular economy of mobile phones. There are not many inexpensive used Androids available online in the web stores and it is not always easy to find and buy a suitable phone in the web stores. This was the beginning of our rolling our sleeves and beginning to develop our new service with the customer in mind, according to Valtonen.

The market for used phones is growing fast, according to the IDC surveys, it is growing faster than the market for new mobile phones. One of the reasons why there is a slowdown in the circular economy of smart phones is the fear and uncertainty associated with used mobile phones, according to DNA customer surveys.

There are also scams taking place online. Many people wonder if someone will be able to access their data if they sell their old mobile phone. Valtonen says that the mission of Vaihtokapula is to make buying and selling a used phone easy and safe.

All the used phones in the Vaihtokapula online store are subject to a strict process. In addition to a three-stage classification of condition, every phone is subject to a complete deletion of any data and a detailed fault analysis. The phone's microphone, sensors, connections, antennas, and the screen's pixel errors are checked before the phone is sold. All devices put up for sale are in working condition. The newest devices are sold with a 12 month guarantee and can be purchased as an additional service for the older devices.