With the rate that mobile technology is currently moving, it is no surprise that the sale of mobile devices has become more popular. With manufacturers like Apple and Samsung releasing new models before the older ones have even seen the light of day, phone recycling has become essential.
Thankfully, along side the growth in mobile phone production has come a growth in services that will buy your mobiles from you. There are more options now than ever before if you want to sell your phone with trade-in services, stores, and online marketplaces ready to pay you for your old device, and this article looks to explore them and why they are better than simply throwing your old phone away.
Below, is a list of 6 online services that you can use to sell a mobile phone that you no longer need. But before we get to the list, it is important to understand why you may want to sell your phone and how to go about doing it in the first place.
Why Should You Sell Your Phone?
For many, the thought of selling your phone might be too much effort. Especially if you have had it for a little while or if it is damaged/cracked. But believe it or not, there are a host of services available that will take faulty or damaged phones and pay you for them, you just have to research. There are a few reasons as to why someone should sell their old phone.
It may still be valuable
Particularly if you have your phone from a 12- or 24-month contract, your mobile may still be worth some money. The longer you leave it, the more the value will deteriorate. That iPhone X that you replaced with an iPhone 12 Pro will not be worth $350 a year from now, so take advantage while you can.
Collateral
You can use your old phone to save money on your new one. Many stores will let you trade it in to get your new phone for a cheaper price. Some phones can get you quite a discount, so it is worth taking advantage of.
Environmental Reasons
Selling your mobile is simply better for the environment than throwing it into the bin, at least the mobile or its parts will get some use.
How to Sell Your Phone
Gone are the days where you could just throw your phone away or try and sell it to family if you got a new one. Now, you have more possibilities open to you than ever before with social media and the opening of more buy-back stores. There are 3 main ways you can sell your phone in today’s world:
Do it Yourself.
Ah yes, the classic way of selling things, however, I don’t just mean asking your younger brother to give you $20 for your phone, with the advent of social media and online marketplaces, you can now sell your phone at a moment’s notice without having to leave your house. Simply share a post on your Instagram, Facebook, or whatever platform you use, and you will likely find someone that is interested. Sites like E-Bay, Amazon and even Facebook Marketplace have made selling an old phone easy work if you want more control over the price and who the phone goes to.
Trade it in against a newer one.
Suppose the phone you want is $500, that can be a lot of money. So why not trade in your old phone as collateral against the newer one? Even if it gets you $100 off, that is still a good deal. Both you and the shop win because the store can re-sell the phone and make a profit and you get a discount on your new phone!
Sell it to a buy-back store.
This has become a popular option lately, particularly if you do not want to sell your phone online or in person, just give it in to a buy back second-hand store and they will give you cash or store credit. While it is a preferred method for some, selling to second-hand stores will likely see you make far less money than if you were to sell it yourself.
Top 6 Websites To Sell Your Old Phone
1. Sell Cell
Arguably the top mobile trade in price comparison site in the US, Sell Cell compares over 20 companies and the price that they will likely give you for trading in your mobile. You can send your phone off for free and accept payment via PayPal, cheque, or Amazon gift card.
The beauty of this service is the time that it saves you searching for the best price, in fact, Sell Cell guarantees that if you find a better buy back price within 24 hours of selling yours to them, they will pay you double the difference. Their review feature is also helpful, it aggregates reviews from a variety of sites like Trustpilot and selling sites like E-Bay and Amazon. This sets out to give you total peace of mind that the company you are selling your mobile to is legit. Sell Cell is a well-run service that puts the customer first through detailed comparison and reviews of each buy back site.
2. Swappa
Swappa is different to Sell Cell in that it allows you to sell to a personal buyer instead of a buy back company. This gives you more control over what price you sell your phone for and you don’t need to deal with a company in the middle. You cannot sell damaged items though so your phone will need to be in good condition.
There are no fees for sellers either which is a good incentive to get people to sell on the site. An interesting feature is that even before you ship the item, once the person has agreed to buy, you get paid for it. It is done through PayPal and you have 2 days to ship the item once payment is made.
One could assume this leaves many people open to fraud, but there is a good system in place where you have to take a picture of the phone with a specific listing ID written down beside it. As with all peer to peer selling sites, be as honest as you can be about the phones condition, the last thing anyone wants is a headache over refunds.
3. Buy Back Boss
There is a lot to like about Buy Back Boss, they are a very competent company. Their 3-step selling process makes selling your phone super easy as well. Firstly, enter your info and get a quick quote on your phone, once that is accepted, get your free shipping label and finally, once your phone is received, you are paid the same day. It is as easy as that.
Plus, if you find a better deal elsewhere, they are happy to match it. The main goal of Buy Back Boss is to make selling easy and that is what they do. Even if your phone is damaged, they will still take it (for a lesser price of course). As with all buy back companies, do not expect to get as much as if you sold it yourself, but the convenience and speed at which companies like Buy Back Boss allow you to quickly sell your phone makes up for it.
4. Craigslist
This is a good option for those who want to potentially make more money on their phone, however, it does come with added risk. What is good about Craigslist is that it is quite easy to find a buyer because it is such a popular platform, and it is free to use! However, to avoid any headaches regarding refunds etc, do ensure that you take good pictures of the phone in whatever quality it happens to be in.
The last thing you need is to meet with someone, and they say no because the phone is not as described. This is where there can be an issue with Craigslist because there is no real way of verifying the actual condition of the phone over the internet so you will have to hope that the buyer is happy when they see it. Meeting in person can also carry risks in itself, so always make sure to meet someone in a well-lit public place.
The fact that Craigslist is a free platform can also be a downfall too because there is little vetting done and scamming can be popular. If in doubt as to your safety, take the hit and sell it somewhere else, even if it for a little less than you hoped for, your safety is more important than a few extra dollars.
5. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is similar to Craigslist, but it offers the seller (and buyer) that little bit more security because the Facebook profiles are tied to the listings. This makes it easier to see who you are buying from or selling to and greatly reduces the risk of scamming.
It is a popular selling platform though so when listing your phone, you may be tempted to undervalue it because of the fact that so many people use it to sell, so it may be difficult to get as much as you were hoping, just something to be mindful of. What is good about FBM is that you can filter where your post is seen, ensuring you sell to someone more local.
Facebook also has many local buy and sell groups that you can utilise too. FBM is a solid platform that is extremely popular that offers an added level of security that Craigslist does not. A good place to sell your mobile.
6. Best Buy
I just have to include one market because trading a phone in to a retailer has become more and more popular. The beauty of it is, you can trade your phone in and get store credit that you can use against buying a new phone or something else.
Best Buy have several ways that they can label it too and the credit you get from them depends on the condition that they label it to have, ranging from good condition all the way down to broken or for recycling. Even if the phone is broken, at least Best Buy will recycle it and you can rest assured that you have done better for the environment. Another great feature about using Best Buy is that you can trade in online too!
