Where Can I Sell My Old Cell Phones Online

I'll be honest. When the time comes to swap my one-time telephone for a newer model, I take the easy manner out: my cell carrier'south trade-in offering. That'south a perfectly rational choice for consumers looking to save time and hassle and a common choice for folks adhering to the standard 2-year upgrade cycle pushed past major carriers and retailers. Co-ordinate to a written report by Ting, more than than 60% of telephone users stick to that two-yr bike.

Still, while it might feel convenient, taking your carrier'due south trade-in offer is almost certainly non the all-time manner to maximize the value of an older merely perfectly functional phone.

For smartphone users more enterprising than I am, a whole universe of cash-raising opportunities awaits. Don't become rid of your onetime phone until you lot've carefully considered each; there's real money on the line here.

Where to Sell Your Former Phone: Online Tech Marketplaces

These online marketplaces are popular with consumers looking to offload one-time phones and other tech devices. Some are direct buyers, while others are third parties to peer-to-peer transactions. If it's not immediately clear which is which, read through the site's help desk content or FAQs to make up one's mind what you lot're getting into.

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Where possible, I've included control quotes for a hypothetical older telephone: an unlocked Verizon 256GB iPhone 12 in "good condition," meaning it has normal habiliment and tear with full functionality and no water damage. These control quotes are meant to show providers' relative price ranges only. They're subject to change equally time passes and engineering advances.

1. SellCell

SellCell is the Priceline of cell phone sales websites. SellCell simultaneously scans dozens of bulk buyers, from well-known companies (such as Decluttr) to more obscure operators with limited proper name recognition (such as BingBongTec and BuyBackTronics), and presents the prices they'll pay for your device. Information technology's a quick, relatively painless style to source multiple buyback quotes at in one case.

Some caveats are in society. SellCell has no command over its buyers' policies. Inspection practices and offer revision policies vary widely, for instance, and it's your responsibleness to read through the fine print earlier you agree to a sale.

Also, SellCell's database doesn't include every single majority buyer on the market. Just as you won't observe Southwest Airlines fares on Priceline, you may demand to visit some buyback sites directly to complete your due diligence.

On the vivid side, SellCell appears to have special arrangements with sure marketplaces. The best SellCell quote for a Verizon 256GB iPhone 12 was $511 from Decluttr — $xxx more Decluttr offered on its own website.

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ii. OCBuyBack

OCBuyBack is an easy-to-utilise direct-purchase marketplace that eliminates the risk associated with peer-to-peer transactions and yet manages to pay peak dollar for pre-owned phones.

Just observe your device in OCBuyBack'due south database, reply a few basic questions about its features and conditions, and ship it for free or take it to a nearby OCBuyBack drop-off location if one is available. At that place's no limit to the number of phones y'all can sell through OCBuyBack.

OCBuyBack accepts iPhones, Samsung smartphones, and iPads. If yous have any other type of device, you lot'll need to look elsewhere.

OCBuyBack's offers are contingent on a thorough inspection to confirm that the data y'all've provided is accurate. Subsequently inspecting your device, OCBuyBack issues payment by check or PayPal.

OCBuyBack offered $456 for a Verizon 256GB iPhone 12.

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iii. uSell

This third-party intermediary offers a seamless checkout process and impressive payouts. That'south college than nearly of the other contenders on this list, co-ordinate to my research, though your mileage may vary. It took me less than five minutes to list my phone and check out, though list multiple phones — up to uSell's maximum of five per order — would have taken more than time.

It's an Apple-centric marketplace, only it besides accepts Google, LG, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, and Blackberry phones. Other accepted devices include tablets, laptops, desktops, smartwatches, and iPods from Apple and select laptops, desktops, game consoles, and cameras from other manufacturers.

You tin expect to receive payment by your choice of PayPal or cheque within v business days of the buyer'south receipt, contingent upon their inspection. Should a buyer disagree with your assessment, you lot'll have seven days to respond to their revised offer, after which it will be accustomed automatically and processed for payment.

This company wasn't accepting iPhone 12s when I checked, only it did offer me $290 for an unlocked iPhone 11 with 256GB capacity.

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4. Decluttr

Decluttr is a directly-buyer marketplace that pays a decent amount for former phones, plus a host of other tech and not-tech goods.

Decluttr'due south main differentiator is their Tech Price Promise, a guarantee to pay the first toll offered for devices that pass inspection. If Decluttr's inspection materially conflicts with the information you provided during the listing, y'all'll have 14 days to reply to a revised offering. Decluttr issues payment the twenty-four hours later on you accept their final offer. Payment options include PayPal, direct eolith, and paper bank check.

Decluttr claims to scrub devices of personal data on users' behalf, but don't take their word for information technology; wipe earlier you sell.

Decluttr accepts a broad range of phones brands, including Apple, Google, LG, HTC, Nokia, and Samsung. Too phones, information technology also accepts:

A slew of Apple devices
A smattering of devices from other manufacturers, including Kindle readers
Video games and game consoles, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs
Wearables, such as smartwatches and GoPro cameras
One-time textbooks

Decluttr offered $481 for a Verizon 256GB iPhone 12.

Learn More than Nigh Declutter

5. ecoATM

Easy-to-use ecoATMoperates a network of semi-automatic kiosks in retail districts, shopping malls, and large-box stores across the U.s.a.. The front end stop of the procedure is comparable to direct-heir-apparent marketplaces such as OCBuyBack: You enter some bones details near your phone's type, features, and status, then receive a buyback quote.

The deviation is what happens next. Unlike most platforms, you don't accept the option to mail in your device. You must take information technology in person to a kiosk. For security-conscious consumers, that's a approval in disguise, as ecoATM kiosks are loaded with cameras, secured by thumbprint scanners, and operated past remote staffers who check IDs against live photos in existent time. If yous try to sell a stolen phone at an ecoATM kiosk, you're unlikely to get away with it.

If you're the rightful possessor of the phone you're trying to sell, you lot'll receive instant greenbacks for your merchandise-in right there at the ATM as presently as the remote appraisal is consummate. The company claims transactions take only three to five minutes.

Instant gratification comes at a meaning cost, however — namely, the lowest payouts of any provider on this list. It offered just $300 for a Verizon 256GB iPhone 12.

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half dozen. Swappa

Swappa is a peer-to-peer sale market place that claims to pay out more than popular straight-heir-apparent sites such as Gazelle. The grab is that sellers must create their own listings, which means uploading photos and writing tricky product descriptions.

It's gratis to listing on Swappa, just the platform takes a 3% cut of the sale cost. If you lot list an item for $500, Swappa takes $15 before passing the rest to you.

In a quick survey of Swappa listings, iPhone 12 list prices started around $530 for devices in expert condition. That's improve than near other resale platforms, though Swappa's market fees cut into the profit a bit.

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seven. eBay

The cyberspace's original sale site, eBay, has changed a lot since its debut in the late 1990s. It yet serves equally a clearinghouse for millions of peer-to-peer transactions — and, increasingly, retailer-to-consumer transactions — covering simply near every legal good under the dominicus.

Unlike most of the sites covered and then far, eBay is a DIY platform. Phone owners must create and mail their own product listings, which means taking original photos, researching pricing for comparable devices, and paying applicable fees.

Its committee varies only generally comes in at 10% or less of the final sale cost. Items listed on eBay aren't guaranteed to sell, though in-demand phones are quite likely to sell at sale if priced competitively.

If you're willing to put in the work and your merchandise sells, you lot'll reap the rewards. On a glance through eBay's mobile phone inventory, I plant 256GB iPhone 12 phones with fixed listing prices every bit loftier as $1,000, though $700 to $900 was a more typical range.

Larn More than About eBay

eight. Amazon

Amazon is another great DIY option. Because the platform is dominated by professional sellers, many individuals don't realize how easy it is to list and sell valuable pre-owned items on Amazon. Amazon's listing process is arguably easier than eBay's.

Pricing is convoluted, however. When you sell your cell phone on Amazon, you'll pay a small listing fee and a larger "referral" fee (between 8% and 15%) on the final sale price. You'll also pay at to the lowest degree $iii in standard aircraft if you lot're not passing that cost on to the heir-apparent. As a general dominion, and depending on the terminal auction toll, yous should await to lose at to the lowest degree 10% of your item's gross to fees. Check Amazon's pricing schedule for more information.

The same caveats virtually creating and managing your own listings apply to Amazon, merely the payoff is real. On a quick spin through Amazon's listings, I establish unlocked like-new 256GB iPhone 12 devices for $600 to $800. Phones with paid-up carrier subscriptions fetched $1,000 or more than.

Learn More than About Amazon

Where to Sell Your Old Phone: Retail Buyers

If a retailer sells refurbished electronics, there's a good hazard information technology buys secondhand devices from consumers. Consider these pop options, all of which have a coast-to-coast presence in the U.s.a..

9. Your Cellular Carrier

Every cellular carrier accepts trade-ins, usually from customers looking to upgrade to newer devices. Policies vary past phone carrier, simply merchandise-in payouts are more often than not redeemable for account or store credits or full general gift cards for use elsewhere in the carrier'due south merchant ecosystem. You should not expect to receive greenbacks payouts for your trade-in, though T-Mobile has in the past paid off new customers' old-carrier balances.

Near carriers let you complete the merchandise-in process online and ship your trade-in device to a central hub for verification. You lot may want to visit a store if you demand assist swapping your old telephone for an upgraded version or want to browse new devices in person.

Actual trade-in payouts vary by carrier, but they're invariably lower than retail marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. For case, Verizon offered $380 for a Verizon 256GB iPhone 12. An unlocked only otherwise identical device fetched $370 at AT&T.

10. Major Electronics Retailers

About remaining brick-and-mortar electronics and function supply retailers offer trade-in or buyback programs of their own. You lot won't become top dollar, but yous'll deal with a known quantity, and the procedure is invariably seamless. These iii are representative of the bunch:

Best Buy. Best Buy's merchandise-in program doesn't offering the best pricing, but it's easy to use in a pinch. My offering: $350.
Target. Target's trade-in program includes some hard-to-detect manufacturers, such as Alcatel and Kyocera, but its payouts are the worst of the bunch. Information technology's also non available online. Yous must visit your local Target tech department and ask if they accept trade-ins.

Where to Sell Your Old Phone: Local Options

Not sold on selling your phone through an impersonal online market place, trading it dorsum to the phone company, or trying your luck with the nearest friendly corporate retailer?

Consider these local options instead. They all require more piece of work than list with a direct-buyer marketplace, just the potential for a higher payoff may be worth the effort.

Craigslist Website Online Computer Magnifying Glass Searching

11. Craigslist

Craigslist needs no introduction. The United states of america' largest and busiest online classifieds marketplace is a great place to sell your one-time phone, provided you lot're willing to supply high-quality photos and meet your buyers in person. You should never ship a device to a random buyer before receiving payment, and a savvy buyer almost certainly won't pay you earlier receiving the device.

On a cursory glance through my local Craigslist, I institute an unlocked 256GB iPhone 12 in what appeared to exist splendid condition listed at $850, considerably college than whatever of my trade-in offers. While I suspect the telephone's eventual buyer talked the seller down a chip, I'1000 willing to bet the seller even so came out ahead.

12. Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a localized social network where neighbors communicate about pretty much everything. Melody out the chatter and caput straight to the For Sale & Free section, which features a dizzying array of cheap and costless items — including, on occasion, older phones.

Nextdoor's pick isn't as broad or deep as Craigslist's, but that'south partly because the buyer pool is smaller thank you to the network'due south policy of limiting users' visibility to nearby communities.

The upside is that when you sell on Nextdoor, you're quite literally dealing with your neighbors. That'south not to say you shouldn't take the same precautions as you lot would on Craigslist, of course.

13. Hold a Yard Sale

It's probably not worth your while to hold a yard or garage auction solely to offload your sometime cell phone. Nor are y'all likely to find many of your friends and neighbors walking effectually with enough greenbacks in their pockets to cover the price of a functional smartphone, old or not — though those with P2P payment app accounts might exist better prepared.

But if you're already planning to go rid of a bunch of possessions you no longer need, adding a especially valuable i to the pile is worth the attempt. For best results, mail physical flyers and digital ads on sites such equally Nextdoor advertising your yard sale at least a week in advance and mentioning any highlights, such equally your old cell phone.

14. Sell Direct to People You Know

When in doubt, sell to someone you lot already know. Your extended network — friends, friends of friends, relatives, coworkers, neighbors, social or business organisation acquaintances — nearly certainly includes people looking, right at present, for reasonable deals on pre-endemic smartphones.

Finding these prospective buyers is every bit uncomplicated as putting out a public call on appropriate social media channels — including Facebook, Instagram, and peradventure Twitter and Snapchat — and asking commencement-degree contacts to spread the discussion.

Though nosotros've never sold an sometime phone this style, my wife and I sold our concluding car to someone nosotros knew in a individual-political party transaction, expending minimal effort and earning far more than we would have netted in a trade-in or dealer sale. The same happy outcome could look your erstwhile prison cell phone.

What to Exercise Before Selling Your Used Phone

Here's what you demand to practice before listing your former phone for sale.

1. Gather All the Old Phones & Electronic Devices You Tin can Notice

If y'all're like me — the dupe who dutifully trades in his sometime phone every two years similar clockwork — yous don't have any unneeded old devices stuffed in a box in your basement or hall closet. Everyone else, heed up: It's better to sell all your old devices at once than to sell them piecemeal over months or years.

Spend a few hours combing through your closets, attic, basement, garage, storage shed, car — anywhere in that location's fifty-fifty a remote possibility of finding a forgotten sometime device. Of course, older, poorly maintained devices won't fetch primo trade-in offers, but they're still worth something, and you lot owe it to the planet non to junk them.

two. Figure Out What Your Phone Is Worth

Next, do some basic market research to figure out what each of your phones is worth. It'south as simple as visiting the buyback marketplaces on the listing below and accurately entering your phone's details: brand, model, storage, condition, and peradventure color.

Don't forget to check with your cellular carrier besides. In some cases, your phone may be worth more in account credits than hard cash.

Soon plenty, you lot'll have a rough sense of what bulk buyers are willing to pay for your phone. To detect out what your fellow prison cell phone consumers will pay, look up identical devices on eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, and lesser-known peer-to-peer marketplaces such as Swappa. All of these are described in detail below.

3. Research Your Payout Options

Now that you know about how much your device is worth, think about what you lot'd similar to get out of the transaction. Are you hoping to go cash on the spot equally fast as possible? Are you OK with waiting a calendar week or two for a mailed bank check or PayPal deposit? Would you prefer to proceed things simple with a credit against futurity purchases on your jail cell carrier's account?

Every platform has its own bounty policies. In one case they confirm that your device is every bit yous described it, direct-buyer platforms generally issue payment within a few days, simply precise timeframes vary. If the buyer disagrees with your assessment of your phone's features and condition, information technology may reduce its payout offer or refuse the device altogether.

Most buyers return phones for gratis when the seller refuses the revised offering, but you'll want to confirm that this is the instance before you lot send off your phone. Generally, sellers must affirmatively respond to revised offers inside a week or two. Otherwise, the buyer assumes they've accepted the offer and bug payment at the reduced rate.

4. Empathize What's Involved in Listing & Selling

Next, ask yourself how much work you're willing to do to go greenbacks for your phone.

Are yous willing to go through the trouble of creating an sale page or classified listing for your phone, and mayhap meeting buyers in person if yous're selling on a classified site such as Craigslist or Nextdoor? Or would you prefer to respond a few simple questions about your phone and be done with it?

The more try you lot expend, the more you stand to gain. E-commerce sites such as eBay and Amazon consistently offering higher payouts than direct-heir-apparent marketplaces such as Gazelle, only those e-commerce sites also demand more than endeavour.

As in then many other endeavors, this comes downwards to the value of your fourth dimension. If you're willing to put in the time necessary to earn a premium payout, so y'all know what you need to exercise.

5. Wipe or Reset Your Phone

If you do nothing else before disposing of your old prison cell phone, follow the manufacturer's instructions to reset your phone to factory settings. Every manufacturer allows phone users to do this; just search the manufacturer'southward website for detailed instructions.

Some buyers won't even take older devices that haven't been wiped according to the manufacturer'south instructions. Others event lower payouts for devices bearing traces of the previous user.

The occasional heir-apparent might offer to wipe devices so that sellers don't accept to, but don't take their discussion for it. All it takes is i rogue employee to play fast and loose with your personal data — and any else happens to be stored on your phone. Accept nothing less than a manufactory reset.

Of course, don't reset your phone without first backing up your phone's files, including contacts, to a secure cloud storage account or external storage device, and and then migrating those files to your new device every bit shortly as it'southward in your possession. If you have an Android phone, the free Android File Transfer app expedites this essential exercise.

Final Discussion

You take no shortage of options to sell your sometime phone for cash. Even if you're willing to expend just the bare minimum effort to offload that obsolete device, y'all'll get something for your trouble.

In fact, information technology's so easy to sell your former phone for cash that you should never, always need to junk information technology. Electronic devices contain a host of harmful compounds that leach into the soil, water, and air over time. If your municipality incinerates trash, you're probably breathing in trace amounts of harmful e-waste right now.

If your phone is broken beyond repair, your municipality'south chancy materials recycling programme is your all-time fallback, but you tin probably find a local or national charity that takes east-waste product off consumers' hands for free. If y'all itemize your tax deductions, you lot may exist able to write off the phone's off-white market value in the tax year during which you donate it. Double-cheque that with your tax professional.