How to Decide Where to Trade In Your Smartphone

So your smartphone has reached the end of its useful life, and it’s time to get a new one. Before you trash your old phone, did you know that you might be able to trade it in and get some cash that can go toward your new phone? It’s also more eco-friendly, since electronics shouldn’t be thrown in local landfills. But where you should go to trade it in? Here are some of the most common places that will take old phones.

Retail Stores

Your local Walmart or Best Buy may take your old smartphone, but often won’t give you cash for it. Instead they will trade it in and you will need to purchase your new phone from the same retailer; the value of your old phone will be applied toward your new purchase. Not all retailers will take back phones, and depending on how old (or damaged) the phone is you may not get much in the way of trade value.

Sell it Online

You can also try to sell your old phone to another buyer on your own. This would usually involve listing it on a website like eBay, or a local Facebook marketplace or classified ads website and selling it to someone for cash. This can be a hassle, though, and you might see the value of your phone drop dramatically if others are pricing their similar smartphones artificially low in an effort to get rid of a phone quickly. You also have to deal with the logistics of meeting someone in person at a mutually convenient place and time to exchange the phone for cash.

Cell Phone Carriers

Your local service provider (such as Verizon or AT&T) will often take your phone back, but similar to retailers, they will usually only offer you a credit toward an upgraded or newer model, and won’t give you cash straight up for your phone. These trade-in programs generally have strings attached, because when you get that upgraded model you get stuck with a long-term contract.

Local Shops

Unlike huge retailers, local shops that repair and sell phones and tablets can be a great option to sell your old smartphone. These shops won’t have the same restrictions or requirements for trade-ins that carriers and large retailers have, and in many cases will offer you either cash or the chance to trade it in for a newer model. Even older models that are not in pristine working condition can fetch some cash, so if you still have that iPhone or Android that is several models old, this is a great way to cash it in and get it out of your clutter drawer.

Bring your device to Bad Apple today to find out what it’s worth, and we’ll pay cash or give you an amazing deal on a trade.