When it’s time to upgrade your phone there’s no need to leave your old one sitting around collecting dust. Instead, check out this list of the best places to sell your old cell phone.
Selling your old cell phone is a great way to earn back some of the cash you spent on your new phone.
Where to Sell Your Used Cell Phone
And you can sell your own phone in a variety of ways. There are websites that will make an offer on the spot and send you a free shipping label to boot.
If you’re looking to make a bit more cash off your sale, you can sell your old cell phone outright to a private buyer.
However, the companies listed here may help you sell your phone faster. The list of websites below are some of the most popular places to sell your old phone. Which one will you use?
1. SellCell
SellCell says it will give you the most cash for your used cell phone, guaranteed.
The reason SellCell can give you this guarantee is because they use a price comparison engine to research prices from dozens of companies that buy used cell phones.
SellCell also says it works with buyers that are exclusive to SellCell. That means you might have offers from companies you may not be able to access offers from otherwise.
When you enter your cell phone information on the SellCell website, the site will populate a list of offers.
You choose which offer you accept, and follow the instructions given for sending in your phone. Starting at this point, you’ll be working with the individual buyer and SellCell is out of the picture.
The buyer will assess the phone for condition when they receive it. If it’s in the condition you described, they’ll pay you in the manner explained on their website.
Trustpilot score: 4.3 out of five stars
2. Buyback Boss
Buyback Boss is a company that will buy your phone directly. The Buyback Boss website says they have a highest price guarantee, although the site doesn’t specify how that works.
You begin by entering your old cell phone’s technical information on the Buyback Boss website. At that point, the site will give you an immediate offer price.
The offer price is locked in for 14 days. If you decide you want to accept the offer price Buyback Boss will send you a free shipping label.
After you send your phone in, they’ll assess it to be sure it matches the condition stated on the web form you filled out.
If your phone meets the criteria specified, Buyback Boss will send payment within their current processing timeline.
If Buyback Boss offers a re-quote of a lower price after assessing your phone and you refuse to accept that price, they’ll send the phone back to you free of charge.
Not all companies will send your phone back for free if they have to re-quote you and you’re not happy with the new offer.
For that reason, it’s important to read the fine print on any cell phone buyer’s website before agreeing to a deal.
You can choose from a few different payout options with Buyback Boss, such as PayPal, Direct Deposit, or check.
Trustpilot score: 4.7 out of five stars
3. Swappa
Swappa works a bit differently than many of the sites listed here. With Swappa, you list your old cell phone for sale and wait for an offer from an individual.
You’ll have to create a free account to list on Swappa, however, that only takes a few minutes to do. And Swappa will guide you on descriptions, suggested list price, etc.
There are no fees for listing or selling your old cell phone on Swappa. When you agree to an offer, you’ll be responsible for shipping the phone directly to the buyer.
Swappa will make sure you get paid immediately, even before the phone is shipped. The site focuses on encouraging good communication between buyers and sellers so that there are no misunderstandings.
Note that Swappa also has a feature (in some cities) called Swappa Local. Swappa Local provides designated meeting spots for buyers and sellers that live close to each other.
The designated Swap Spots are usually in public areas such as police department buildings or coffee shops.
However, Swappa staff does not personally verify the conditions at Swap Spots so it’s important that you use safety precautions as you normally would when meeting a buyer in person.
But remember that even if you’re selling to a local buyer you can use shipping to get your old phone to the buyer.
That might be the way to go if you’re concerned about meeting someone in person.
Trustpilot score: 4.9 out of five stars
4. OCBuyBack
OCBuyBack has a simple process for selling your old phone too. When you go to the OCBuyBack website, just click the “Sell” button at the top of the page.
From there, you’ll enter information about your phone. You’ll get an instant purchase price quote, and if you accept it OCBuyBack will send you a free shipping label.
After OCBuyBack receives your shipment, they’ll assess it and pay you within one business day. They pay via check or via PayPal.
One cool thing about this company is that you can use their app to track the entire process. That way you’ll know exactly when you’ll get your money.
The OCBuyBack website says they offer competitive payouts, a 14-day price lock, and the fastest payout time.
The list of phone types OCBuyBack will purchase is more limited than what other companies might offer. However, the company also buys a host of other electronic items.
They’ll buy Macbooks, tablets, Smartwatches, GoPros, and some gaming consoles. See the website for specifics.
Trustpilot score: 4.8 out of five stars
5. Decluttr
Decluttr has a long history of buying old cell phones, along with other electronics such:
- Tablets
- iPads
- iPods
- CDs
- DVDs
Using Decluttr to sell your old cell phone is easy. You just have to download the Decluttr app or visit the company’s website on your PC or other device.
You’ll enter information about your phone’s features and condition, and Decluttr will give you an offer price instantly.
If you like the offer price, just hit the “Sell this device” button and Decluttr will show you how to ship your phone using their free shipping label.
After they receive your device, they’ll assess it to ensure it’s in the condition stated. If it is, they’ll send you your money via Direct Deposit or PayPal.
If the phone isn’t in the condition that was stated at the time of the offer, Decluttr will contact you with a new offer price.
See the Decluttr website for the long list of cell phones they’ll buy from you. And while you’re at it, you may as well get money for other items you no longer need or want.
Trustpilot score: 4.5 out of five stars
6. EBay
If you’re looking to get top dollar for your old cell phone, selling directly through a site such as EBay is probably your best bet.
With EBay and other similar sites, you sell directly to the buyer. Other sites buy your phone in order to resell it, so they’re going to offer you a low enough price that they can resell it for a profit.
When you’re using EBay or a similar site, you’re selling directly to the user so you can cut out the middleman. And you get a worldwide audience, which is nice.
Probably the biggest downfall of selling on EBay is that their fees might be tough to swallow.
You can expect to pay between 10% and 13% to sell on EBay.
You can raise your price in order to offset some of those fees, but there’s no guarantee you’ll get that higher price if it’s not competitive.
That being said, you still can’t beat EBay’s ridiculously large audience. In operation since 1995, EBay is a go-to source for buying and selling.
Trustpilot score: 2.1 out of five stars
7. Amazon
Amazon, the world’s largest online shopping mecca, has a “sell” feature on their site as well. You can sell on their Individual Plan or on their Professional Plan.
With the Individual Plan you’ll pay 99 cents per item sold. With the Professional Plan, you’ll pay $39.99 per month, so you’ll only want to get that plan if you’ll be selling 40+ items per month.
However, there are additional fees when selling on Amazon too. When I used Amazon’s Cost Calculator to calculate fees for selling my cell phone on Amazon, fees came up to just over 8%.
While this is lower than what EBay charges, it’s still plenty high. However, as with any site where you list and sell yourself, you’ll likely fetch a higher purchase price than you would with “instant buy” websites.
The tradeoff is that you’ve got to do the work of listing, waiting for a buyer, packing, shipping, etc. The “instant buy” sites will pay you less, but there’s a lot less work involved too.
Trustpilot score: 2.8 out of five stars
8. Craigslist
Craigslist, in spite of the lack of bells and whistles on the site, is an old standby for selling cell phones. It’s still free for non-dealers to sell most stuff on Craigslist.
You simply post the info (and some great pics) about your phone and list your desired price. You’ll work directly with potential buyers to determine details about meeting up and exchanging the phone for cash.
I have to remind you at this point that safety precautions are important any time you’re dealing with meeting someone in person to sell an item.
Meet in a public place, bring someone with you, tell someone when you’re leaving and when you expect to be back.
My personal favorite “public place” to meet to exchange items sold online is the local police station parking lot.
You can’t get much safer than that when meeting up with people you’ve sold stuff online to.
Trustpilot score: 1.3 out of five stars
9. OfferUp
OfferUp works a lot like Craigslist. In just a few short years, OfferUp has become one of the most widely used local buy/sell apps.
There are no fees to sell your old cell phone on OfferUp. The site–like Craigslist–focuses on connecting local buyers and sellers.
One feature that OfferUp has that Craiglist doesn’t is an extra effort to keep users safe. You need to become a member (it’s free to do so) to use OfferUp.
Both buyers and sellers can get rated by other members. You can see their transaction histories as well.
It only takes about 30 seconds to list your old cell phone for sale on OfferUp. When communicating with potential buyers, you use OfferUp’s private messaging system to communicate and finalize the exchange details.
It’s important to note that even with OfferUp’s commitment to safe buying and selling, you should still take safety precautions when meeting up with your buyer.
Practice the same safety measures you’d use when selling on Craigslist or any other venue.
Trustpilot score: 1.2 out of five stars
10. Nextdoor
Nextdoor is an app that works to connect people within their neighborhoods. People in the same neighborhood use the site to share information, to meet other neighbors, and more.
You can use the site’s “Finds” section to list your cell phone or other items for sale. There are no fees for using Nextdoor this way; you simply post your listing and see if it sells.
The Nextdoor site can be a great site to sell your old phone on because you’ll only be interacting with people who live near you.
This means you have a better chance of knowing–or at least knowing of–the person who buys your phone.
Trustpilot score: 2.9 out of five stars
Summary
With so many options to sell your old cell phone, why leave it sitting in a drawer? When you use one of the websites above to sell your phone, you earn some cash and declutter your house too.
Have you ever used any of these sites to sell your old cell phone? If so, feel free to share your experience in our comments section. We’d love to know which site you think is best.
Laurie is personal finance writer and a licensed Realtor. Her goal in blogging is to help others find their way to financial freedom, and to a simpler, more peaceful life.