How iPhone screen buyback and refurbishment actually work (2026)

A broken original iPhone screen sold to Fixera goes to the Tartu lab, where the cracked glass is separated off, fresh glass and OCA are laminated onto the original Apple panel, the unit is tested one by one, and it returns to the trade as a refurbished display with a 90 day warranty. The value a shop sends in as broken pulls comes back as tested refurbished stock it can buy.

Fixera is the trade name of Fonora OU, an EU company in Tartu, Estonia. Fixera sells refurbished original iPhone displays to EU repair shops and runs an EU buyback for broken original iPhone and Samsung Galaxy screens. Both sides run from one lab at Riia 20, 51010 Tartu.

What actually happens to a broken iPhone screen after a repair shop sells it in 2026?

A broken original iPhone panel sold to Fixera is graded on arrival, separated from its cracked glass, relaminated with new glass and OCA, tested one by one, and put back into stock as a refurbished display. Only original Apple panels that still show a full image and take touch across the surface enter that path. A cracked front glass is repairable. A dead image or dead touch is not, so those are rejected, not refurbished.

The core reason a cracked screen holds value is simple. On a modern iPhone the expensive part is the panel itself, the layer that produces the image and reads a finger. The glass on top is a consumable. When only the glass is broken and the panel underneath still works, the panel is worth keeping. Fixera separates the two, fits fresh glass, and the original panel lives on.

What is a glass change, and what is it not?

A glass change renews the outer cover glass and the touch bonding while keeping the original Apple panel. It is not an aftermarket screen and it is not a new panel. The image comes from the same factory OLED or LCD the phone shipped with. True Tone returns on an original with the glass changed once the panel is paired back to the board over EEPROM, because the pairing data lives with the original panel, not the glass.

Here is the line that trips people up. A glass change is a repair of an original part. An aftermarket screen is a replacement part built by someone other than Apple. Those are different products with different behaviour, and a workbench should never confuse them. For the full breakdown, see glass change vs aftermarket iPhone screens.

How does the closed EU loop work between selling scrap and buying refurbished stock?

The loop is one flow with two sides. A repair shop sells its broken original panels to Fixera, Fixera refurbishes them, and the shop buys refurbished originals back. Fixera is built to pay high on buyback and sell refurbished low on thin margins, so the cash from a shop's broken pulls can fund its refurbished stock. One EU relationship covers both sides.

For a shop, the pile of cracked pulls in a drawer is not dead weight. A buyback batch is tested and graded the day it arrives, the shop gets a report on every unit, and once the grades match the quote the payout is processed the same business day. That cash can go straight back into refurbished stock from the shop. Buyback is settled by a self billing invoice and shop stock is a separate purchase, so the two are not merged into one combined invoice, but one supplier in Tartu covers both the buyback and the resupply, inside the EU, with no third party in the middle.

How is a refurbished display tested before it ships in 2026?

Every refurbished display is tested one by one before it ships, not batch sampled. Each unit is checked for image quality, touch across the whole surface, dead pixels, burn or shadow, and flex integrity. A panel that fails any check does not go in the box. The same one by one grading happens on arrival for every buyback panel, with a report on every unit and a 3 business day dispute window before any money moves.

Batch sampling means pulling a few units from a tray and assuming the rest match. Fixera does not work that way on either side. Testing every unit is slower and it is the only way to stand behind a 90 day warranty and an easy RMA that ships across borders. If a sold panel fails, it comes back to Tartu and the replacement ships back out in days, all inside the EU.

Where does the refurbishment actually happen?

Refurbishment happens in a real, visitable lab at Riia 20, 51010 Tartu, Estonia, run by Fonora OU, company reg 17285917. The lab holds a clean room for lamination, a laminator, a laser machine, and a separation desk. It is one physical site, not a network of drop shippers, and a repair shop can come and see it.

This matters because the trade is full of listings with no address behind them. Fixera runs both the buyback and the refurbishment from the same Tartu lab, so the value a shop sends in comes back as tested refurbished stock it can buy. You can read the full refurbishment process on the refurbishment page.

FAQ

Does True Tone still work after a glass change?

Yes. True Tone returns on an original with the glass changed once the panel is paired to the board over EEPROM, because the pairing data belongs to the original panel. Fixera pairs and then tests every unit one by one before it ships.

Is a refurbished original the same as an aftermarket screen?

No. A refurbished original keeps the factory Apple panel and renews only the glass and bonding. An aftermarket screen is a panel not made by Apple. Fixera uses original Apple panels only, never aftermarket, on either side.

What broken screens does Fixera reject instead of refurbishing?

Fixera rejects a dead image, dead touch, aftermarket or copy panels, and panels already reglassed. Everything else that shows a full image and takes touch across the surface is graded A to E and bought, priced fault by fault.

When does Fixera pay for a buyback batch?

A buyback batch is tested and graded the day it arrives and the seller gets a report on every unit. Once the grades match the quote, the payout is processed the same business day. The quote is locked for 14 days once it is created.

Is there VAT on a trade with Fixera?

For a business with a valid EU VAT number in another EU country, a B2B sale across borders inside the EU is a reverse charge supply, so there is no VAT on the invoice, no customs, and no import VAT. Reverse charge is EU law. All prices are quoted ex VAT, and Estonia VAT is 24 percent.

Where does Fixera fit for a repair shop?

Fixera closes the loop most shops leave open. The broken original panels sitting in a drawer become cash once they arrive and clear grading, and that same value can come back as tested refurbished stock through one EU supplier. Sell broken originals into the buyback, buy refurbished originals from the shop, and keep both sides with one supplier in Tartu.