How Much Is My Phone Worth?

Nowadays, these cell phone manufacturers are releasing smartphone after smartphone. And in reality, the technology isn’t really that much better than the previous models. Leaving a spare phone in the drawer may seem like a pretty smart move, but you will lose over $100-$200 every year if you’ve bought one of the latest models.

So, if you’re the kind of person that updates their phone every couple of years, it’s a smart move to trade-in your old device when you upgrade.

INSIDER TIP: Most online trade-in companies will lock the price they offer you for up to 30 days when you register a trade-in. Do this a few days before your new phone comes and you can avoid price drops and be ready to ship it free and pocket your bucks!

First off, it’s important you know the facts. You can sell an old phone locked to ANY carrier to any store, so you don’t have to sell it back to your carrier. In fact, you’ll get paid more not selling to them. The benefits of selling to your carrier are getting store credit to put towards to a new phone, so if you’re upgrading you can do the whole transaction in one.

The downside is that we found you get paid a lot less when comparing carrier trade-in services to online buyback stores. For example:

It sure does! So if you’ve got a phone you want to sell in the future, it’s time to buy a case and screen protector. Typically, the phone buyer website will value your device by its quality and conditions, but the criteria can differ from store to store.

When it comes to online buyback stores, there's no such thing as 'unwanted phones.' No matter what condition your phone is in, as long as it is not broken in half, it will be accepted. We classified the tradeable conditions into four categories:

Even if you've got your phone wet it can still be worth some money when you trade it in, so start digging out your old devices from those drawers and earn some cash while you can!