With the upcoming release of Apple’s new iPhone X in November, or its iPhone 8 and 8 Plus releases a few weeks ago, you may wonder how much your current smartphone will be worth if you trade it in or sell it.
First, did you know that you can receive up to $375 in credit toward a new iPhone when you trade in your eligible smartphone with Apple? You can then use the credit to lower the full cost of a new iPhone, or reduce the monthly payments with your carrier. For more information about this program, visit iPhone Trade Up. Apple offers a similar program for Android users; visit Apple Switch. Although trading in your phone can be easy and convenient, you may not receive the most value with this approach as you would by selling the phone yourself.
Checking Amazon for a comparable smartphone (same model, color, storage capacity) is a great way to determine what it’s worth. You’ll need to know the brand, model number, and exact specifications of your current smartphone and search for the identical model and specifications on Amazon. For example, if you own a used iPhone 6S 64 GB GSM Unlocked Space Gray, simply type these words into the Amazon search field, then scroll through the results to view the offerings and the price ranges. Once you’ve determined the price you want to ask for your phone, you can sell it using any number of channels, including Amazon’s Marketplace, where individuals and companies can easily sell their personal iPhones using their seller account. (When selling through Amazon Marketplace, Amazon does retain a percentage of the sale.) Before listing your smartphone for sale in your seller account, you’ll need to obtain the Amazon Serial Identification Number (ASIN) for the identical item. Watch this video which explains how to sell your smartphone on Amazon.
Gazelle is a popular service where ‘millions of devices [are] bought and sold.’ The New York Times notes, “[Gazelle] allows you to select which phone you want to trade in, then it presents an estimate of how much money you could get.” Gazelle offers useful info you may want to consider if you are thinking about buying a used smartphone. For more info about Gazelle, click here.
A Connectech affiliate, Sell Your Mac offers a simple, straightforward way to sell your used Mac, iPhone, iPad, or other Apple product. Get a bid from their site today.
ebay is another great source for determining your smartphone’s worth. Visit ebay and type in your smartphone’s specifications, then scroll through the results. If you already have an ebay account you are likely experienced with how to sell online with ebay. ebay even has a special page dedicated to selling your smartphone — it’s worth reading. But just like selling on Amazon, selling your smartphone on ebay is not for the inexperienced. You could run into trouble if you don’t know the nuances and caveats. We suggest that you watch this video about selling on ebay.
Craigslist can be an excellent way to sell your smartphone. However, it’s important that you never give out your home address, mobile phone number, or email address in any craigslist ad. When you do make a sale, we recommend that you always meet the buyer in a public place, such as Starbucks, and only accept cash, never a check or money order. Click here to read Craigslist’s policy about personal safety. Some cities also offer police “safe zones” for safer Craigslist transactions; do a Google search on “police safe zone” plus your city name to see if your local police department participates. For tips and tricks about selling on Craigslist, watch this video.
Additional Tips
Although we typically recommend Amazon for selling your smartphone, there are many other options available. Consumer Reports offers an article, How to Sell a Used Smartphone, which is helpful. The Best Places to Buy and Sell a Used iPhone on tom’s guide is another good source of information. Android Authority wrote an excellent article, Selling a used phone: do’s and don’ts. The New York Times article A Practical Guide to Buying and Selling Smartphones That Last is also worth reading.