12 Best Places To Sell a Phone For Extra Money
Are you looking for the best places to sell a phone? Whether you’re upgrading your old cell phone or decluttering your house, there are many ways to sell your old phone to make extra money. But, figuring out the best spot to sell a phone can be intimidating since there are so many options. I…
Are you looking for the best places to sell a phone?
Whether you’re upgrading your old cell phone or decluttering your house, there are many ways to sell your old phone to make extra money.
But, figuring out the best spot to sell a phone can be intimidating since there are so many options.
I have sold my old cell phones over the years, and I think it’s a great way to make extra money by getting rid of the things you no longer need.
In this guide, I’ll go over the best places to sell phones, how to get the most money for your phone, and how to safely sell your phone (because there are personal things on your phone after all). You’ll also learn if you can sell a broken phone or a locked phone and what your options are.
Below are the best places to sell phones.
Recommended reading: 14 Best Places To Sell Used Electronics for Money
Decluttr is a popular platform people use to sell used phones and other electronics.
The process to sell a phone on Decluttr is easy, and all you have to do is enter your phone’s details (brand, model, condition, and storage size) on their website to receive an instant quote.
For example, at the time of this writing, an Apple iPhone 12 in good condition could get you around $120 on Decluttr.
If you accept Decluttr’s offer, they’ll give you a free shipping label. Then, you just pack your phone and send it to Decluttr. Once they receive your phone and inspect it (for example, as one of the things they check, they want to make sure the condition matches what you said), they’ll pay you via direct deposit, PayPal, or check.
The pros of using Decluttr include a fast and easy process, free shipping, and multiple payment options to choose from. The main con is that they tend to give you a lower offer compared to private sales like Facebook Marketplace, and this is because they have to do most of the work (such as actually selling the phone).
My sister has sold on Decluttr, and so has another family member. So, I know this is a real place to sell a cell phone.
You can sell on Decluttr by clicking here.
Gazelle is similar to Decluttr and makes selling your used phone quick and easy.
To get an instant quote, all you do is enter your phone’s model, carrier, and condition on the Gazelle website. If you accept the offer, Gazelle gives you a free prepaid shipping label. You then just send your phone, and once they inspect your device, you’ll get payment from PayPal, check, or Amazon gift card.
A large benefit of selling your phone with Gazelle is that there’s no need to list your phone and wait for a buyer, as well as no need to negotiate with buyers. However, there are cons, like getting a lower offer compared to selling privately and waiting for your phone to be received by Gazelle to be inspected before getting paid.
You can sell on Gazelle by clicking here.
Amazon Trade-In is a great option if you’re fine with getting Amazon store credit versus actual cash. If you shop on Amazon, then this is good as cash anyway, so it’s a plus.
You can trade in your used phone and many other electronics for Amazon gift cards.
To get started, you need to search for your phone’s model on the Amazon Trade-In page and answer questions about its condition. If the offer is accepted, Amazon sends you a prepaid shipping label to send your phone. Once they receive your phone, you’ll receive Amazon store credit.
You can visit Amazon Trade-In by clicking here.
Apple Trade-In works similarly to Amazon Trade-In, and you can get a good value on your current device and apply it to a new device.
You can do your trade-in online or at a local Apple store. Also, if your item isn’t eligible for trade-in, you can recycle it for free at Apple. Besides Apple phones, Apple Trade-In also works for Apple watches, iPads, Mac laptops, and Android phones.
My sister has traded in several of her old laptops as well as old cell phones to Apple whenever she buys a new one, and she’s always telling me about how easy it is. And, they always give her a really good amount, so it’s an easy process for her that she likes.
You can find your trade-in value by going to the Apple Trade-In page online to get an idea of what your phone may be worth. For example, right now an iPhone 15 has an estimated trade-in value of up to $400 at the time of this writing.
If you want the highest price possible for your phone, eBay is one of the best options.
This site requires more effort than other methods mentioned in this article because you’ll need to create the listing, take pictures of the phone, interact with buyers (such as by answering any questions), and handle shipping. You also need to look out for fake buyers and scams.
You can also choose whether you want to sell the phone auction-style or fixed-price. Once sold, you’ll receive payment via PayPal, direct deposit, or through eBay’s secure payment system.
If you want to sell your phone right away and locally, Facebook Marketplace is an option to try.
The benefits of this option include no shipping fees, and you can connect with buyers in your area. There is a little more work involved, including taking photos of your phone, making a description, and listing all the details and the condition of your phone, and you have to meet in person to get paid.
In my experience, Facebook Marketplace can be hit or miss. This is because a lot of people will act like they’re interested in buying your item(s), and then they’ll ghost you. So keep this in mind if you decide to go this route for selling your phone.
Best Buy Trade-In is a similar trade-in program to Amazon and Apple’s program. Any items you successfully trade in to Best Buy get turned into Best Buy store credit, making this a great option if you shop at Best Buy.
Best Buy’s Trade-In program has an estimate calculator so you can get an idea of what they’d offer you. They also provide a free prepaid shipping label. Best Buy also has a free recycling program in case you’re one of those people collecting old phones and not sure what to do with them.
OfferUp is a local selling platform similar to Facebook Marketplace, and you can sell your phone locally or ship items nationwide.
If you decide to sell through OfferUp and have to ship your phone, the buyer pays for shipping. There are also fees included if you decide to ship items through OfferUp, but if you decide to sell locally and meet up with the buyer, that’s free.
You’ll likely run into low offers on OfferUp, so expect to negotiate. You may also run into scams and there’s no seller protection for local sales, so keep that in mind.
If you want fast local sales, OfferUp is a good option for selling your phone.
Swappa is a marketplace where you can buy and sell electronics, including phones. They usually have higher payouts compared to trade-in programs, making it the better option if you’re looking for more money. There are also buyer and seller protections in place.
To get started, you need to create a listing, upload photos, and provide details about the condition of your phone. Once you find a buyer, you get paid before shipping your phone. Then, just ship your old phone to the buyer and get paid via PayPal.
A pawnshop is one of the quickest ways to get money for your phone, but this also means you’ll get the least amount for your phone.
This is because the pawnshop takes time selling your phone, and they need to make it worth it on their end. However, this also means you don’t need to deal with buyers and the potentially long process of finding someone to buy your phone.
To get started, find a local pawnshop and see how much they’ll offer you for your phone. You can accept the offer or negotiate (expect that pawnshops are assuming that you will negotiate).
Another option is calling all of the pawnshops in your area, giving them the description and details of your phone, and seeing what they’d offer you. Then you can go to the pawnshop that offers you the most money.
EcoATM kiosks are self-service machines in malls, Walmarts, and grocery stores. These kiosks let you trade in your phone on the spot, but they offer much lower payouts compared to other options listed in this post.
To get started, you’ll place your phone on the kiosk and the EcoATM will scan your device for its value. You’ll receive an instant quote, which you can accept or deny.
I’ve personally tried selling my phone to one of these kiosks, and the amount they offered me was so shockingly low that I walked away. If you’re just looking to get rid of your phone and get cash quickly, this option might still be worth doing since it’s so easy (it’s extremely easy and you don’t even have to talk to a single person to make money!). However, I wanted to make more money and didn’t mind spending extra time to do so.
You can sell to EcoATM by clicking here.
BuyBackWorld is an online trade-in program that lets you sell your phone and other electronics for cash.
They offer competitive trade-in values and you get an instant offer. If you accept the quote from BuyBackWorld, you’ll send in your phone with their free prepaid shipping label.
There are multiple ways to accept payment including a check, PayPal, direct deposit, or a prepaid card. Keep in mind that you won’t get as much money from this option as you would selling privately somewhere like Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp. If you’re looking to get rid of electronics quickly though, this is an easy option.
Below are commonly asked questions about selling your old phone.
The best place to sell your phone depends on how quickly you want to get rid of your phone and how much money you want for your phone, so there are different answers to this question.
If you want to get rid of your phone quickly, you may want to try programs like Amazon Trade-In, finding an EcoATM, or selling to a pawnshop.
If you want the most money for your phone, sell privately through sites like Facebook Marketplace and eBay. This option requires more effort on your end (such as having to create a listing for your phone), but can be worth it in the end.
If you want to sell your phone instantly near you, pawnshops are an easy option. You can call local pawnshops to get an estimated quote over the phone, and go with the pawnshop that offers you the most money.
If you want to sell your phone in-store, Apple Trade-In and Best Buy Trade-In are convenient options. Keep in mind, you only get store credit for this option.
Walmart doesn’t give you money for old phones, but they do sometimes have an EcoATM near the checkout registers. I personally think the EcoATM gives you a low amount, but if you want to get rid of your phone ASAP, this is an easy option. Plus you don’t have to deal with people or put any effort in.
To get the most value for your phone, you’ll most likely want to sell privately through Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp. This requires more work on your end, including creating a listing, description, and photos from all angles, and talking to buyers.
This is a great question. To safely sell your cell phone that likely has all your personal information on it, do the following:
Doing all of these steps will help protect your personal information before selling.
You can sell a broken phone, but the value will be much lower than a working phone. Platforms like Gazelle and EcoATM accept damaged devices, but you’ll get pennies on the dollar compared to a fully working phone.
You can sell a locked phone, but it can be difficult to do and it makes it less valuable. For example, if your phone is locked to a specific carrier like Verizon or AT&T, most trade-in platforms may not accept it. If possible, you can contact the carrier to unlock the phone after you’ve met certain requirements, like paying off the balance or completing the contract.
I hope you enjoyed this article on the best places to sell a phone.
There are so many ways to sell phones, each with its pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide if you want to go the quicker route to sell your phone and get less money, or go the longer route and potentially make more money.
I have sold many phones over the years, and I think it’s a good way to make extra money. For most people, your old cell phone is just collecting dust in a drawer and you’ll never use it again, so selling it may be a better option.
Where do you think are the best places to sell phones? What do you usually do with your old cell phone when you get a new one?
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