Post by Dr. Tim Seewöster

Yesterday and today at Retech Days 2026 I had the pleasure of moderating the panel “Refurbished Is Cool: The Shift in Consumer Mindset” together with an impressive group of industry leaders from across the recommerce ecosystem. One thing became very clear during the discussion: refurbished is no longer just a rational alternative. The category is evolving from “good value” to a culturally accepted — and increasingly aspirational — way of consuming technology. At the same time, one uncomfortable but important question remained in the room: Is refurbished truly becoming “cool” — or are consumers simply becoming more price-conscious? The answer is probably somewhere in between . And perhaps that is also why these two days felt personally meaningful for me beyond the panel itself — as my own operational chapter in the refurbished industry will soon come to an end as well. What struck me most: - trust is still the single biggest currency in this industry - operational excellence matters more than storytelling alone - younger consumers increasingly see “smart consumption” as status rather than compromise and perhaps most importantly: the line between “new” and “refurbished” continues to blur A particularly interesting discussion point: Will consumers in five years still actively choose “refurbished” — or will multiple product lives simply become the default expectation? For me personally, moderating this panel also had a somewhat special note. After several intense, entrepreneurial and highly formative years helping shape the refurbished and recommerce space at asgoodasnew, I will soon begin a new professional chapter myself. That also explains why I consciously chose a photo of my successor Niels Nüssler from his excellent panel contribution “The Green Revolution in your pocket” at the Retech Days — not only because he will fill the role of the new CEO (and former Chairman of the Advisory Board) exceptionally well, but also because his perspective on the future of circular commerce was highly insightful and inspiring. While my own operational role in the industry will soon come to an end, my appreciation for the people, the energy and the ecosystem certainly will not. Moments like these make you reflect on how far this industry has come in such a short period of time — and how much potential still lies ahead. I remain deeply convinced: Circularity in consumer electronics is not a niche trend. It is becoming a structural part of modern commerce. A sincere thank you to all panelists Parm Dhillon,Sean Kennedy,Ruslan Tomashchuk,Karan Narula, organizers of Dataxis, special thank you to Stéphane Canal and many familiar faces for the conversations, insights and openness here in Berlin )Jan Höschel, Dr. Philipp Gattner, Stefan Groitl, Fergal Donovan, Andreas Bauer and so many more to tag them all in this post! And yes — refurbished has definitely left the “discount corner.”