Product Update

Is Zapper Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Zapper from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Zapper today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 25 April 20266 min read

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Zapper made Dragons' Den history with the biggest single offer the show had seen at the time, then walked away from that very deal. Years later, the company is still standing on its own, so the answer to whether Zapper is still in business is yes.

The Short Answer

Zapper is still trading, operating out of West Hampstead in London under zapper.co.uk. Reports place the company's value at around £3 million with an estimated $2 million in annual revenue, built entirely without the Dragons' money.

That is a genuinely unusual outcome. Record-setting offers on this show do not always translate into record-setting businesses, but Zapper's growth after saying no is one of the more solid post-Den stories in the archive.

It is also a useful data point for anyone assuming a record offer on the night guarantees a record outcome for the company. Zapper's later growth happened almost entirely off the back of word of mouth and repeat custom rather than the Theo Paphitis endorsement it never actually banked.

The Pitch

Founder Ben Hardyment brought Zapper to Series 10, Episode 7, pitching a website where people could sell their old iPhones, iPads, other electronics, books, CDs, DVDs and games for cash.

He asked for £250,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the company. It was a big number for the show at the time, and it delivered a big response.

The service worked by giving sellers an instant online quote, posting them a prepaid envelope or box, and paying out once the item had been checked in, removing the hassle of listing items individually on auction sites or dealing with private buyers. That simplicity was central to the pitch, and it is the same simplicity that has kept the business relevant well over a decade later.

The Deal That Was Offered

Theo Paphitis offered the full £250,000 for the 30 percent stake, matching the ask exactly and making it, at the time, one of the largest single offers in the show's history.

It looked like a landmark deal on the night. What happened next made it just as notable for the opposite reason.

Why the Deal Never Closed

The investment with Paphitis never actually completed after the show aired. As with many Dragons' Den deals, the specific reasons for the deal falling through were not made public.

Rather than derail the business, the collapse of the deal coincided with continued growth. Zapper carried on building its trade-in service under founder-led ownership, with Mat White later leading the company, and it grew into the destination it is described as today for hassle-free electronics and media trade-ins.

The Trade-In Market Zapper Competes In

Zapper's core idea, letting consumers send in old phones, tablets and media for a cash payout instead of leaving them in a drawer, has only become more relevant since 2012. Smartphone upgrade cycles accelerated, and awareness of the resale and recycling value locked up in old electronics grew alongside it.

That growth has also brought in much bigger competitors, from dedicated trade-in platforms to manufacturer and retailer buyback schemes run by the likes of major phone networks and electronics retailers. Zapper carving out a lasting, profitable position in that increasingly crowded space, without the investment it was originally offered, is a genuinely strong outcome for a Series 10 pitch.

Where Things Stand Now

Zapper pitched in Series 10 asking for £250,000 for 30 percent, and Theo Paphitis matched it in full on the night, a record-setting offer for the show at the time. The deal did not close once filming wrapped.

Zapper is still operating today, independently, and by most public estimates it is a multi-million pound business. It stands as one of the clearer examples of a company thriving specifically because the on-air deal fell through rather than in spite of it.

Founder Ben Hardyment set out to build a straightforward, trustworthy trade-in service at a time when selling old electronics online often meant dealing with individual buyers on classified sites or auction platforms. That focus on making the process hassle-free for the seller appears to have been the real driver of Zapper's staying power, arguably more important to its long-term survival than either the record offer it received or the money it ultimately did not take. Fourteen years on from that Series 10 episode, the brand and its founder-led team are still the ones running the show.

Where to buy Zapper

Still selling as of 25 April 2026. Check today's price and availability.

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

See the full Zapper deal breakdown and term sheet →