Toronto-based used smartphone marketplace Orchard now sells and buys Samsung Galaxy smartphones

For the past several years, Orchard has been one of the best places for Canadian consumers to buy and sell used iPhones. With its innovative app-based diagnostic approach, the Toronto-based company takes the risk out of buying a used smartphone. The one problem is that until recently, the company did not buy or sell Android smartphones.

That changed a couple of months ago when the company quietly launched an Android marketplace exclusively in Canada.

For the time being, Orchard is only accepting recent Samsung Galaxy smartphones, including the S7, S6, S5 and S4. However, the company plans to add other popular Android devices, such as the Pixel, recent Nexus devices and the Note series offerings (minus the Note 7, for obvious reason), in the future.

“When you’re a startup, you want to simplify the process to create a great business,” says Bruno Wong, one of the co-founders of Orchard. “It wasn’t until we had the wind in our sails that we felt ready to start embracing Android.”

He adds that while it’s fair to say the company has been slow to start buying and selling Android phones, it’s only been last couple of years that the resale value of Android has increased. That’s mostly thanks to the work Samsung has put toward making more premium flagship smartphones.

As with when selling an iPhone via the service, prospective sellers need to install the Orchard app on their smartphone. The app helps determine the condition of the device and its approximate value. It also checks the device’s IMEI number against the CWTA’s active stolen cellphone database. Once someone commits to selling their device, the company handles all of the logistics, including shipping. Once the phone is sold, Orchard takes a 25 percent cut.

Wong says an Android marketplace is only the start, with new features and products planned that he can’t quite talk about yet.