Online retailer Citylink and classifieds website Avito have launched a pilot project to buy used smartphones from private sellers. Three stores in the chain are connected to the service during the test period — in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Voronezh.
Source: Citylink
The key feature of the transaction process was the introduction of the Reeva AI appraiser robot to evaluate the used device. The process is fully automated and does not require any effort to communicate with potential buyers. If the client is satisfied with the evaluation result, a Citylink employee will confirm the sale on the spot and buy the smartphone.
If the service proves popular with private sellers, the number of Citylink stores with robot appraisers will increase to 20 by the end of 2024. The process of selling a device is as simple as possible – the user needs to post an ad on Avito, and the platform itself will offer to use the buyback of the smartphone in the Citylink store. The nearest outlet where you can evaluate and sell the smartphone will be marked on the map.
A preliminary estimate of the gadget's value is based on data from the sale ad. The robot appraiser can check a smartphone from any manufacturer and with any operating system. It does not yet work with foldable smartphones and models with eSIM support, but these options will appear in the future.
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