Cosmetic grades A to D and what they mean for resale

What a grade tells you, and what it does not

A cosmetic grade describes how a machine looks: the lid, the base, the palm rest, the keyboard and the surface of the screen. For grades A to C it says nothing about whether the machine works, because those units are expected to be fully working. Grade D is the exception. It covers units with significant damage, missing parts or a stated fault.

The letters follow the convention used across the refurbished IT trade rather than a standard set by any one body, so two sellers can draw the line between B and C in slightly different places. That is why the spreadsheet matters more than the summary line: every unit carries its own letter, and anything beyond ordinary wear should be written in the Notes column.

Once your own stock arrives, compare the grades on the sheet with what is in front of you, and keep a short grading guide of your own. What you list as B should match what your customers have come to expect from you.

Grade A: close to new

Grade A units show minimal signs of use: light marks at most, visible only up close, with the screen, keyboard and casing in very good condition. They are a small share of most business lots, because few machines come out of three or four years of office life looking new.

Grade A is the stock to list where condition is the selling point: retail listings with close-up photographs, customers buying for someone else, and businesses replacing machines like for like who want the replacements to look the part. It earns the highest price per unit, and it should, because there is very little to do before it sells.

Grade B: the working grade of the trade

Grade B means normal signs of use. Expect light to moderate wear: scuffs or small scratches on the lid or base, some shine on the keys, nothing that affects use, and a screen free of cracks. It is the most common grade in business stock, and for most resellers it is the core of what they sell.

B grade sells well when it is described honestly. Photograph the worst mark as well as the best angle, write “light scuffs on lid” in the listing, and returns for cosmetic reasons largely disappear. A thorough clean makes a visible difference: isopropyl alcohol on the keys and palm rest, and a proper screen cleaner on the panel.

Many resellers price B grade as their standard and treat A as a premium on top of it. That keeps the bulk of the stock simple to price and leaves the premium where it belongs.

Grade C: heavy wear, fully working

Grade C units have visible scratches, dents or marks on the casing and may have marks on the screen, but they are fully functional. They suit buyers for whom looks matter less than price: schools and training providers, charities, workshops and warehouses, and many export markets where a working machine at a lower price is the whole point.

C grade is also refurbishment stock. Replacement lids, palm rests and bezels are available for the common business models, and fitting them can lift a unit to B or better. Whether that pays depends on the part price and your labour, so cost one unit properly before you decide to do fifty.

Be strict about screens. A scratch on the lid is cosmetic. A mark on the panel that shows against a white background is something a customer looks at every day, and it should be reflected in the price you ask.

Grade D: as described

Grade D covers heavy damage, missing parts or a known fault, recorded against the unit on the spreadsheet. These units are sold for parts, repair or refurbishment, exactly as listed. Read the note on every D unit, because the note is the description you are buying.

For a repair shop, D grade is a parts bin with a known history: screens, keyboards, hinges, fans, memory and drives that keep other machines in service. For a reseller, a handful of D units in a mainly B lot is normal, and they should be valued at parts value rather than resale value.

Valuing a lot that mixes grades

Most lots carry more than one grade. Count the units in each grade from the spreadsheet, then put your own resale price against each count. As an illustration only: if a lot of 100 holds 60 at B, 35 at C and 5 at D, and you expect to sell B at £180, C at £130 and D at £30 for parts, the lot is worth £10,800 plus £4,550 plus £150, or £15,500, before your costs.

Set that against the lot price, plus everything each unit needs before sale, plus the delivery charge. What is left is your margin, and it is a far more reliable figure than a guess made from the summary line. When the grade mix changes, run the sum again: a lot that is mostly C can be a good buy at the right price and a poor one at a B grade price.

The grade scale on our How it works page sets out the four definitions side by side, and the spreadsheet on every lot page shows the letter for each unit, so you can do this sum before you buy rather than after the delivery lands.