ASCII.jp Take a closer look at the inspection site of the used smartphone sales service "Nikosuma"

The price plan for smartphones has been separated from the terminal price, and the upper limit of the terminal discount has reached 20,000 yen, so the price of smartphones sold by carriers is higher than a few years ago. It is not uncommon for the latest high-end machines to exceed 100,000 yen. Therefore, it seems that more and more people are buying affordable second-hand smartphones.

However, there are many people who are worried, "Is there a function that used smartphones cannot be used?" And "It seems that the battery does not have it." "Niko Smartphone" operated by Belong of ITOCHU Group is a used smartphone sales site for such people. We only handle "three-star smartphones" that meet our own quality standards, and we also provide after-sales support such as a one-year free warranty even though they are used.

The author has interviewed "Nikosuma" before, but this time I had the opportunity to visit the operation center that actually inspects used smartphones.

Check thousands of used smartphones every day

Belong's operation center is located in "GLP Zama" in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. GLP Zama is a large-scale logistics facility where many companies are occupying. Belong's operation center receives used smartphones and tablets from all over the country and even from overseas, where they are inspected and maintained. It is said that terminals in particularly good condition will be carefully selected from among them and sold as "three-star smartphones" on "Nikosuma".

At the operation center, 150 to 200 staff are in charge of operations such as terminal inspection and maintenance.

Belong offers a used smartphone purchase service called "Belong purchase" that is completed online, but it seems that used smartphones may be received from various routes and only inspections may be undertaken by clients.

Many cardboard boxes were lined up near the entrance of the center. Although the number of arrivals varies from day to day, it seems that thousands of units are inspected every day.

The entrance to the center for inspection.In addition, there was also a room for kitting (setting) of rental terminals for corporations.

Thousands of terminals are brought here every day

There are a lot of smartphones in the cardboard

In the inspection work, registration work is first performed to identify the product, and then charging is performed. After that, an automatic inspection using dedicated software is performed to confirm the reaction of the button. I actually checked the speakers, microphones, cameras, etc. by making sounds and shooting one by one. Therefore, the beeping sound continued to be heard in the hall.

After registering the terminals to be inspected, they were charged one by one.

Put the inspection app on your smartphone and automatically check if the basic functions work properly.

Actually start up and check the status of the camera and microphone

It seems that more than 25 items will be inspected, but terminals that could not clear the items will be re-inspected. I have visited the factory of a smartphone maker several times, and I got the impression that it is close to the final process on the factory line.

Terminals equipped with FeliCa were also in the process of erasing and initializing the data registered in FeliCa. Even if you initialize the smartphone body, FeliCa will not be initialized. For example, if you buy a used smartphone from "Mercari", you may have trouble that the buyer cannot use Osaifu-Keitai if the seller has not initialized it, but it seems that there is no such concern with Niko smartphone.

Place your smartphone on this tray and erase the FeliCa data.The mechanism is the same as that installed in the carrier shop.

After inspecting the inside of the terminal, move on to the process of checking the appearance. First, clean the body to check for small scratches and dirt. After that, the details are visually checked and it is divided into 6 levels. By the way, these 6 stages are Belong's criteria, and it seems that the evaluation criteria differ depending on the shipping destination. Only those that are close to new or have less noticeable scratches are sold at Nikosuma, and they are divided into three grades of ABC.

Visually check for scratches and dirt after cleaning one by one

There are detailed standards for assessing the appearance grade, but it is difficult to judge, so it seems that trained staff are in charge.

Terminals sold by Nikosuma are shipped directly from here

After the inspection, the data will be deleted at the end of the terminal, and it will be shipped from here to various places. For terminals sold by Nikosuma, the terminals will also be photographed for posting on the site. I put it on the turntable and shot from 5 directions, and at the end I dared to shoot with a high key so that the scratches are easy to see.

The terminals sold by Nikosuma are photographed one by one.Buyers can check every detail before ordering

In one corner of the operation center, there was a block of Niko smartphones, and the smartphones posted on Niko smartphones were organized and waiting for shipment. If you order by 14:00, it will be shipped the same day, so it will arrive the next day at the earliest. Since it is firmly fixed in a special package and shipped, it seems to be more secure than the flea market site.

Space for shipping with Nikosuma in stock

Nikosuma's website always lists 3000-4000 units, and they are stored here.

Ordered products will be shipped from here

Includes a card with messages and information for purchasers

You can check the actual machine at the "Nikosuma SHOP" that opened in January.

On January 14th of this year, Nikosuma's first permanent store "Nikosuma SHOP" opened in "Marui Family Mizonokuchi" in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Some of the used smartphones inspected and maintained at the Zama Operation Center arrive here and can be purchased after actually picking them up and checking their condition. So, after interviewing the operation center, I stopped by the shop.

"Nikosuma SHOP" is on the 7th floor of Marui Family Mizonokuchi

Successive iPhones are on display, including the first iPhone that was not released in Japan.

Nikosuma does not handle terminals that are SIM-free or SIM-unlocked and have network usage restrictions. For iPhone, the condition is that the battery level (maximum capacity) is 80% or more. The state of the terminal is divided into three grades of ABC, but when I actually checked the terminals lined up in the store, A is almost the same as a new one, B can not find scratches unless I look closely, C has small scratches Feeling like. Even if you say scratches, you may not know unless you turn the direction and shine light, so some people may want to evaluate it as "like new". For flea market sites such as "Mercari", the evaluation depends on the seller, but it seems that the advantage of Nikosuma is that it has strict and detailed standards.

There was also an explanation about 25 items that are inspected at the operation center.

Smartphones handled by Niko smartphone are divided into 3 ranks according to the condition of scratches etc.

You can actually pick up and compare three grades of products

In addition to the iPhone, there was also Xperia in the store, but it seems that the handling of Android smartphones is increasing, and it was confirmed that you can buy Galaxy, AQUOS, arrows, Pixel series etc. on the website.

The Xperia XZ1 is also on display and can be purchased immediately.The Android lineup will be expanded in the future

The advantage of a physical store is that you can take the purchased device home immediately.It seems that some people check the status of "three-star smartphones" here and place an order on the web.

Since used smartphones are used to the last, I was aware that there were scratches or strange things at a low price, but I was surprised that the Niko smartphone had a stricter inspection than I had expected. People who drop by at the store may not realize that they are second-hand smartphones. Recommended for those who are looking for a used smartphone that can be used with confidence.

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