Selling your old phone? Here’s how to get more bang for your buck!

Any phone freak will be feeling the thrill already: holding the latest version of IOS and Android phones in your eager paws – the bigger, better, smarter version of the device you think you can’t live without.

But what to do about the two- or three-year-old cell you paid good money for though? You want to get as much moolah as possible for it but trying to sell a second-hand phone can be tricky if you don’t know the tools of the trade.

Here are some nifty tips that will put some extra change in your pocket and prepare you for your iPhone 8, Huawei P10 or Samsung S8.

Check the markets

There are a number of ways to sell your old phone but the best isn’t the second-hand phone shop at the side of the road. The proprietors are trying to make a living and are likely to offer you far less than your phone is worth.

Try looking at online trading sites such as OLX or local second-hand groups on Facebook instead. Make sure the geographical area you are advertising your phone on is close to where you are so you save on shipping costs. This will also help to avoid scammers because you can probably just meet your buyer at a public place to make the exchange.

Facebook gives you the option to post your advert onto multiple groups at a time, which means you won’t spend hours posting to several groups one at a time.

How to price it

Deciding how much to sell your phone for can also be quite tricky as you have to check how much other people or second-hand stores are selling your phone model for. For example, a second-hand iPhone 5s right now is going for about R3 500 so if you price yours at R4 500, you probably won't attract a buyer. Be strategic about your pricing. If you have an iPhone, try to sell it before the new iPhone 8 is released – because once the new phone it out, the value of older models will drop immediately. Trust us, it’s better to spend a few weeks with a scrappy spare handset than to sell your phone for a price that’s ridiculously less than the amount you spent on it.

Cleaning and presentation

Looks matter!

Remember the person buying your phone is basing their purchase on a picture. They can't touch it or feel it before buying it so you have to make it look as attractive and "brand new" as possible.  Be honest about any defects but also play up the good things about your phone – like the fact it’s one of the only phones out there with the screen still intact.

Also, ensure your photo is as aesthetically pleasing as possible to draw in your potential buyer.

Prepare your phone

Once you’ve found a buyer remember to wipe out all your information by factory resetting it. Also

 make sure you’ve disabled Find my iPhone or Android so your buyer doesn’t run into problems. Letting go of your phone can be as hard as saying farewell to an old friend but think of this: soon you’ll have a brand new baby in your hand. And what can be better than that, really?

Source: The Verge, iMore, Sellyouriphone