Grade C describes used phones with significant cosmetic wear including chips, dents, and heavy scratches. Functionality must be 100 percent unless the lot is explicitly sold as “working with declared faults.” Battery health typically runs above 75 percent.
Grade C is the input tier for refurbishers. Stock at this level is rarely viable for consumer-facing retail without rework, but it's priced 35-55 percent below Grade B which makes it economically attractive for buyers who can replace housings, screens, and batteries at scale.
Trading Grade C requires more sophisticated grading verification because the line between “heavy cosmetic wear” and “repairable damage” is fluid. Per-unit photo manifests are standard in Grade C deals; ratio-graded lots (“90 percent Grade C, 10 percent broken”) are common but should always be discounted for the tail risk of higher BER content.
Grade C: common questions
What does Grade C mean?
Grade C describes used phones with significant cosmetic wear, including chips, dents, and heavy scratches. Functionality must be 100 percent unless the lot is explicitly sold as working with declared faults, with battery health typically above 75 percent.
Who buys Grade C stock?
Grade C is the input tier for refurbishers. It is priced 35 to 55 percent below Grade B, which makes it attractive for buyers who can replace housings, screens, and batteries at scale, but it is rarely viable for consumer retail without rework.
What should buyers watch for in Grade C deals?
Per-unit photo manifests are standard because the line between heavy cosmetic wear and repairable damage is fluid. Ratio-graded lots such as '90 percent Grade C, 10 percent broken' are common and should be discounted for the risk of higher broken content.