The Best Places to Sell Used Cellphones

Have a pile of old cellphones and smartphones laying around? Get them out of your junk drawer and earn some money to put toward that dazzling new device. Here's a list of places to sell your used cellphones, smartphones, tablets, and more.

Selling old devices is about more than money; it's about protecting the environment. Old phones can be resold to Third World countries, refurbished, or broken down for working parts, which can then be used to manufacture new devices.

Where to Sell Used Cellphones Online

eBay

To unload a newer phone in good condition, an eBay auction may yield the best price because there's no middleman involved. Before you list your phone, look at other auctions to determine how to make your listing stand out. Look at recently ended auctions for similar items to set a price point.

SellMyCellPhones.com 

Save time and get multiple offers for your phone or tablet on SellMyCellPhones.com. This site compares offers from 10 different cell phone-buying companies. Enter the type of device you wish to sell, select its condition, and then choose from available offers. This site gets high marks for ease of use.

SellCell.com

If you'd like an immediate offer, or you have an older phone to sell, SellCell.com is a solid option. Enter the make and model of your phone, and the site will show you which phone buyer is currently paying the most. There's even a best-price guarantee. If you find an online recycler who's paying more within 24 hours of selling your phone through SellCell.com, the site will pay you double the difference.

One thing to keep in mind: this site doesn't check prices on Amazon or at brick-and-mortar stores, so you should definitely check those yourself before you jump into anything.

Amazon

If Amazon is currently buying the phone you want to sell, there's a good chance you'll get top dollar. Go to Amazon's Trade-In Store, enter the specs for your phone, and Amazon will tell you how much it's paying. You'll get an Amazon gift card rather than cash, but with all the things Amazon sells, that's almost as good.

EcoATM

EcoATM is the place to go if your phone has a cracked screen or won't power on. Simply head to your local EcoATM kiosk to get cash on the spot for your unwanted device. Since it may take weeks to get payment from an online buyer, this is a good option if you want your money fast.

Gazelle

Sell your old iPhones, Android phones, tablets, laptops, and other devices at Gazelle and get an offer in less than a minute. If you accept, Gazelle sends you a prepaid shipping box. After Gazelle looks at your device to make sure it matches your description, the company will send payment via Amazon gift card, PayPal, or check.

Where to Trade in Used Cellphones

Best Buy, AppleWalmart and GameStop all have phone trade-in programs. If you plan to buy your next phone from one of these companies (or if you're buying any other merchandise), it's worth checking out the offer. Still, you may do better separating the sale of your old phone from the purchase of your new phone.

It's also a good idea to check the trade-in value of your device with your current carrier (or the carrier you plan to switch to). Carriers want to keep you happy, so your old device could be worth several hundred dollars toward a new phone, perhaps even more than you could sell it for.

Just want those old cell phones gone? Consider donating them to charity so someone else can put them to good use, or recycle them and use the proceeds to fund charitable work.

Maximize Your Cellphone Purchase Offer

Cellphone resellers make purchase offers based on the demand for a device, its condition, its capacity (how many GBs), the network it's on, and even its color. While it may be tempting to fudge on your phone's condition or specs, don't do it. When the company receives your phone, it will just reduce or cancel its offer. You won't come out ahead.

However, you can increase the value of your phone by unlocking it before you sell it. This will make it usable on any cell network, so it's desirable to more people.

Always wipe your personal data from your iPhone, Android, or other digital device before you sell it or recycle it.

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