Ultimate Guide To Selling Your Phone [2023]

Keen to make a bit of cash by selling unwanted iPhone or Samsung? You've probably wondered, like many others, "where's the best place to go?". But trying to sell online for a decent price without spending days messaging people or persuading swap sites about the state of your phone isn't anyone's idea of fun. 

If you're sitting on an unwanted device then this is the only guide you'll need to find the best price for your unused phone, without wasting hours of your time. 

Common problems when selling a mobile phone

It's a minefield. And a time-consuming one at that. There are all sorts of common problems with selling phones, whether that's getting a flustered, on-the-spot price at Cex, semi-randomised quote online, constantly battling with hagglers on eBay or selling back to your network for a quarter of the price. One of the big things we've found at reboxed is the time people spend selling their phone compared with the financial gain. 

First you waste hours trying to get a fair price by looking across different sites online. You send the phone off, then wait three days for the site to come back saying the phone isn't in the condition you described, so they'll knock £50 off. It sucks. You spend all that time, but don't even get the price you were promised.

To break it down, if you spend six hours selling your phone, and you end up with £60… that's minimum wage. You want a fair price, on the spot, without having to wait days to be told that you're not getting the full amount. 

How much is my mobile phone worth?

Let's say you're selling a 128gb iPhone 12 online to a 'sell your tech' website - no scratches, decent nick, unlocked. The average price from the top three sites is £314. Sounds good, but considering only one of those went into depth about the condition of the phone, are these fair online evaluations? Potentially not. When selling online, you want an in-depth quote based on multiple factors for the best price.

After you've shopped around, then you're ready to sell. But, as is the case with most online mobile sites, nothing's ever that easy. Jiffy bags being sent out, long wait times, taking half a day off work to wait for the post, waiting a week to be paid… the list goes on. In a nutshell: when you sell your old mobile phone, you want it to be swift, painless and efficient.

Make some extra money on your phone

Phones can depreciate quickly. An iPhone 12 could lose up to £130 in value within 3 months after purchasing, while on average phones lose 41% of their value within the first 12 months after they’re released. So before you sell, we have a few tips on how to maximise your phone value. If you can, follow these down to a tee and you'll likely bump up the price of your blower. 

• Keep your phone in its case.
• If you're selling an iPhone, keep the original box.
• Use a screen protector on your phone.
• Respect your battery, maximise its life by following these easy steps.

Unlike other places, at reboxed, we want to reward you for keeping your phone in top knick. That means giving you a fair price with pinpoint accuracy on the condition of your phone. That's why we invented TechCheck. It's our all-seeing, 70-point certification that guarantees you a fair evaluation for your phone. 

Guide for selling old mobile phones

Selling your phone online seems relatively straightforward, but there are a couple of things to do before you pack up your past and send it on to someone new.

Here's a checklist:

1. Remove all PIN codes and passwords for your device
2. Remove iCloud, find my iPhone or google and android accounts
3. Remove all personal data such as pictures, contacts, emails etc
4. Remove the SIM card and any external memory cards
5. Charge and switch off you device prior to packing
6. Pack your device securely with our postage pack 
6. Drop off at a post office or sit tight and get ready for your collection

 

A lot of this isn't as straightforward as it seems, so let's get into the nitty gritty:

How to remove Data: 

Wiping phone data is key. Here's how you do it.

For Android users, follow these steps:

First, remove factory reset protection (FRP). Do this by turning off your screen lock after accessing your lock screen/biometrics settings. Then remove your Google account, which can be done by accessing your account settings and tapping Remove Account. If you're on a Samsung device, you'll want to remove your Samsung account as well. Now you’re all squared away, time for the big reset. 

Samsung Galaxy: Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset and then tap Reset Device.

Huawei phone: Settings > System > Reset > Factory data reset and then tap Reset Phone.

Google Pixel: Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) and then tap Reset Phone.

iPhone crew, this one's for you:

Head to settings, navigate to General Settings, scroll down to the bottom and hit Reset. At the top, you'll see a couple of options. Choose Erase All Content and Settings. You'll then need to tap on Erase iPhone twice to confirm. Enter your password followed by your Apple ID password to begin the erasing process. Fin.

Make it spotless:

You'll need to give your old mobile a good clean before it changes hands. Scratches on the screen and general wear and tear aside, best to wipe it down and get rid of any grubby fingerprints from over the years. Plus, remember to take your sim card and memory card out.

Don't get downgraded

The biggest problem most people face when selling their phone is downgrades. There's nothing worse than expecting £500 for that iPhone 11 only to get an email telling you your phones not as described and getting a revised price of £120. That's exactly what we at reboxed have set out to avoid. The main problem as mentioned before is the one size fits all grading, which we don't believe in. 

That's why were being super prescriptive when it comes to cosmetic conditions and have a diagnostics app to scan the internals. that way, there's no nastiness. All you've got to do is describe the cosmetics accurately and boom, the price will be the price. 

Conditions explained

Premium

• Rating : 5.0
• Quality : Premium
• Description : In perfect or near-mint condition.
• Casing: May have some very light of use
• Screen: Like new
• Hardware: Hardware 100% fully working, tested, checked, and cleaned : All our batteries are at least 80% or more.

 

Great:

• Rating : 4.0
• Quality : Great
• Description : Some light scratches you can only see up close up
• Screen: Light scratches you can't see when the screen is on
• Casing: May have some very light of use
• Hardware: Hardware 100% fully working, tested, checked, and cleaned : All our batteries are at least 80% or more.

Fair:

• Rating : 3.0
• Quality : Fair
• Description : Signs of weaar with moderate scratches and scuffs.
• Casing: Will show signs of use
• Screen: Moderate scratches with slight wear
• Hardware: Hardware 100% fully working, tested, checked, and cleaned : All our batteries are at least 80% or more.

Selling your old mobile phone? Try reboxed

Our mission is clear: rehome 100 million new mobile phones by 2030. To reach our goal we’ve made selling your phone easy, fair and trustworthy. Give us a try via our sell.reboxed.co