Looking for a new phone? These are the options to sell or trade your old one
The new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was just announced and we expect three new iPhones and two Google Pixel phones to launch soon. Now is the time to consider selling your current one before market prices drop or plan to participate in a trade-in program.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus was released last week, two new Google Pixel 4 phones should appear in October, and Apple will announce the new iPhone 11 models on 10 September. It’s time to get your plan together to sell or trade your existing smartphone before the new ones hit the street.
In the past, I always purchased my phones outright and then sold them on Swappa at a couple hundred dollars loss. I figured that a couple hundred dollars justified the use for six months to a year and find the users of Swappa to be a trustworthy bunch. You might even be able to sell your gear locally through Swappa.
Sell or trade your phone via an online or retail location
Flipsy offers a price history chart and a private party value, similar to Kelly Blue Book for cars. The website also shows you some of the other online buyer values, including Gazelle.
There are several online companies who buy old phones, and many years ago I sold a lot of my old phones through Gazelle. You can get an offer, ship it for free, and get paid via Amazon gift card, PayPal, or check.
There are also ecoATM kiosks where you can drop off your phone, but be aware that kiosks tend to have lower offers than the online options like Gazelle.
Local retail stores, such as Best Buy also offer trade-in programs for smartphones. The value is provided to you as a Best Buy gift card, which is a common strategy for these trade-in companies.
Sell your iPhone yourself
As I mentioned, I usually sell my old phones on Swappa and always experience fast sales with every single one turning out to be valid. The listing and selling fees are low compared to eBay, and most people buying on Swappa are tech-savvy buyers. Swappa also offers charts showing values over time, which are useful for pricing your phone competitively. You can even purchase protection plans on Swappa when you buy a new phone.
Also: How ecoATM Gazelle turns more than 4 million recycled smartphones into quick cash every year TechRepublic
If you don’t want to use Swappa, you can also sell your old iPhone on eBay or Craigslist. eBay fees are usually higher than Swappa and also have PayPal fees on top of them. If you use Craigslist to sell to a local buyer, make sure to meet the buyer in a public place with lots of people around so you can make a safe sale. Also, be careful with the monetary transaction of hundreds of dollars between strangers.
You may get more money for your iPhone if it is unlocked, so try getting it unlocked from your carrier before you sell it. Verizon iPhones are always unlocked out of the box.
Similar to backing up your phone before you upgrade the OS, you should also back up your old phone, make sure all security measures are cleared, and perform a hard reset before trading in or selling your current smartphone.
Previous and related coverage:
Best Phones for 2019 CNET
The mostly excellent Galaxy S9’s new features aren’t quite as good as we’d like, but you’ll probably want to buy one anyway.
The 10 best smartphones of 2019
The major smartphone launch season is upon us and one of the first out of the gates is the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus immediately taking over the top spot in our list of best smartphones.
Related Topics:
Apple
Smartphones
Mobile OS
Security
Hardware
Reviews