Cell phones are really expensive, so offloading an old phone somewhere that is willing to pay you money for them is a necessity if you want to be able to save as much as possible when you buy a new one. You don’t want to have thrown down $400 on a new phone only to have them for a year or two before you have to buy another one to stay on top of the current technology. That’s why it’s a great idea to sell your old cell phone to see some type of return on that investment that you made. You’ll find that there are all different types of outlets where you can offload your phone too.
However, preparing to sell your phone is something that takes a bit more work than a lot of people realize. There’s plenty that you’re going to have to do to get your phone ready for resale, so that you can ensure you’ll fetch a high price, but also to be sure that you can protect yourself at the same time. Cell phones can carry a lot of personal information, and it’s vital that you are able to obscure this from anybody that ends up buying the phone, just to protect yourself. Here’s what you want to keep in mind, when it comes time to sell your old cell phone anywhere:
Step #1: Always look up your exact make and model number and write down the information.
This is vital, because you’re going to find that anybody is going to want to know the exact type of phone that you have. That means knowing what generation your phone is, as well as the actual technical information. For example, the difference between buying an iPhone 3GS or an iPhone 4 is massive as they have completely different processors and are capable of completely different things. Therefore just advertising an iPhone for sale simply isn’t enough information.
Step #2: Next, you want to make sure all the features work.
Note any problems with the phone, and be totally honest. Whether you’re selling the phone on a place like eBay.com or if you’re selling your phone to a phone buyer that actually buys and then resells, it’s vital that you’re honest about the condition of the product. That means you have to ensure all buttons work, and see how the battery life is, so that you can create an accurate portrayal of what you’re selling.
Step #3: Remove your SIM card.
This is a necessary part of the process for a few reasons really, but you’re going to find that doing so will usually take some help from a professional. But you have to have your SIM card removed, because this is what stores all of your personal info for the network. That means you don’t want to resell your phone with them installed, otherwise the next person getting that phone can gain access to literally all of your personal info.
Step #4: Gather up all of your accessories.
Usually the more accessories that you have that are specific to your phone, like chargers and such the better price that you’re going to be able to get. This is especially true when you’re going to be selling the phone yourself. You’re going to find that having more things that you can offer up is going to make all the difference when it comes to the price you can fetch.
Step #5: List your phone on the right type of online site.
You’ll find that you have a few options here, but your absolute best are eBay.com as well as Craigslist.com. Both are perfect for listings like these when you’re selling personally, and make it really easy to get the money that you want for your phone, without having to deal with a third party of any sort.
Step #6: Selling to the right phone buyer.
Otherwise, you can also go with phone buying companies if you don’t want any of that trouble. This way, you can just send off your phone and be done with it, then they’ll pay you a value for your phone that should be deemed fair on both sides of the coin. Companies like CashOldPhone.com or Gazelle.com can give you the money you want for your phone guaranteed.