Sales of refurbished PCs are on the up amid shortages of key components, including memory chips, that are making brand new devices more expensive.

Stats compiled by market watcher Context show sales of refurbished PCs via distribution climbed 7 percent in calendar Q4 across five of the biggest European markets – Italy, the UK, Germany, Spain, and France.

Affordability is the primary driver in the secondhand segment, the analyst says, with around 40 percent of sales driven by budget-conscious users shopping in the €200 to €300 price band for laptops.

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The €300 to €400 tier is also expanding – representing 23 percent of the refurbished market, up from 15 percent a year earlier – indicating some buyers are prepared to spend a bit more for improved specifications.

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"Our latest analysis shows second-life computing moving decisively into the mainstream, with the UK emerging as the fastest-growing market in Europe," said Context's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) specialist Jacky Chang in a statement.

Sales volumes of refurbed devices in Britain effectively doubled in 2025, meaning it surpassed Germany as the largest market on the continent.

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We asked Context for unit volumes but it declined to provide the figures.

The relatively upbeat tone contrasts with some mixed sales forecasts for new devices. Prices are already heading north and are projected to continue in that direction. Memory chipmakers are [5]prioritizing production of high-value memory parts used in AI datacenter applications, rather than the types used for PCs, smartphones, and other devices.

Amid ongoing component shortages and pricing pressure in the primary market, refurbished devices present a more affordable option.

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"In a market with locked-in supply constraints, these can be an attractive solution for retailers and consumers looking for a solid workaround," Chang says.

Context also points to the [7]EU Right to Repair legislation – set for introduction in July 2026 – as something that could increase the availability of repairable devices and spare parts across the region.

The latter shouldn't be an issue for PC vendors as modular design has long been a feature of the Wintel platform, although a report last year claimed [8]laptop makers had largely stalled on efforts to improve the repairability of their portables.

[9]Smartphones face a memory cost crunch – and buyers aren't in the mood

[10]Annual electronic waste footprint per person is 11.2 kg

[11]Lenovo to offer certified refurbished PCs and servers

[12]Users now keep cellphones for 40+ months and it's hurting the secondhand market

There is a well-established global marketplace for refurbished phones, although [13]recent reports say growth in established regions such as Europe, the US, and Japan was hit due to limited supply and declining export flows from emerging markets.

Another reason is [14]fewer than a third of European consumers trade in or sell their old phones , according to research, which limits the supply of secondhand hardware that might otherwise support a more environmentally friendly alternative to buying new devices.

A United Nations report released in 2024 warned the world is [15]creating electronic waste almost five times faster than it is being recycled , at least when looking at documented methods for doing this.

Context claims refurbished PCs are becoming a structural feature of the European PC market, led by a price-conscious and increasingly sustainability-aware consumer base. ®

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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/05/pc_prices_rising/

[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aZNNMXq8HkUz349Gi503eAAAAQ4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/24/europe_repair_rights_directive/

[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/20/laptop_manufacturers_repairability/

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/16/smartphones_memory_ai/

[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/16/ted_talk_electronic_waste/

[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/01/lenovo_certified_refurbished_hardware/

[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/23/second_hand_device_market/

[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/15/idc_counterpoint_smartphone_sales/

[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/18/used_phones_europe/

[15] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/21/ewaste_grows/

[16] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/