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Best Cell Phone Trade-In Options for iPhones and Android Phones
With smartphone technology advancing at a lightning pace, it can be downright irresistible to snag the latest models, even if you already have a great device in your pocket. You might want more storage, a better camera, or you might just want the latest color. It may even be that your other personal needs have changed between the time you originally got your smartphone and now. Whatever your reasons for wanting to upgrade, you'll most likely want to get the best phone trade-in you can for your current model.
Furthermore, with the pandemic squeezing pocketbooks, there's a rising demand to get your money's worth out of a mobile trade-in. That's where the CNET directory of gadget trade-in providers comes in. We'll look at a few of the best phone trade-in options like ItsWorthMore and others where you can get top dollar for your devices.
Read more: Best Places to Sell Your Used Electronics in 2022
To evaluate the merchants on our list, we looked at a composite picture of each business. We ranked merchants based on our research into Better Business Bureau ratings, CNET staff reviews, online reputation among resellers and how easy or hard it is to get in touch with someone at each business, among other factors.
Every service is different, though, and trade-in values change by the day. They also assign values based on the condition of the cell phone you're trading in, and take into account things like the device's color. This means that preowned phones in good condition are likely worth more money or store credit.
So you're going to have to shop around. Below the list of merchants is our basic FAQ of carriers, buyers and online marketplaces for your best phone trade-in experience.
- Smartphones: Yes
- Tablets: Yes
- Laptops: Yes
- iPods: Yes
- Action cameras: Yes
- Wearables: Yes
- Other: Kindles, books, video, more
Not surprisingly for the king of online commerce, Amazon offers trade-in pricing for a large number of items, including phones and tablets, as well as books and videos. Because Amazon also has its own marketplace, you can also choose to list pretty much anything and expect to have a chance to sell it through Amazon.
We focused specifically on the Amazon Trade-in offering only. If you're not a regular Amazon customer, you might be disappointed to find that Amazon only pays in Amazon Gift Cards. For those of us who are dedicated Prime users, that's pretty much the same as cash, but you need to decide.
There's long been a rumor that Prime customers get better trade-in prices than non-Prime customers, but when we asked Amazon, we were told that everyone was treated equally.
In terms of the mechanics of the trade-in, Amazon will send you a prepaid shipping label you can print out. Pack the device yourself in your own packaging (like an old Amazon box) and send it back. You should clear your phone of data, but Amazon will also do that for you. Make sure you don't dawdle when shipping your item. The quote time is valid only for seven days, and you should get paid in about 10 business days.
- Smartphones: Yes
- Tablets: Yes
Apple offers two ways to trade in your iPhones and iPads. You can either walk into an Apple Store or use an online service run by Apple partner Phobio.
Either way, don't expect to trade in your iPhone and get money you can use to go out and buy that hot new Google Pixel 4 phone. Apple's trade-in services only give you Apple Gift Cards. If you're staying in the Apple ecosystem, this might work for you. If you're jumping ship or just need the money, you'll need to look to another alternative.
I liked the convenience of a walk-in trade-in, assuming you're near an Apple Store. If you go the online route, quote time is valid only for 14 days, and you should get paid quite quickly, with the company promising two business days in most cases.
Like Amazon, going with Apple is a bit of a no-brainer, but only if you're OK with its limits: iPads and iPhones only, exchanged for Apple Gift Cards only.
- Smartphones: iPhones only
- Other: Contact merchant directly
If you want to sell your iPhone (and only your iPhone) to a company with a fun tag line, GadgetGone is for you. The site has "Goodbye iPhone. Hello Moola" plastered on the front page, just in case you didn't understand what it does. It claims to take items other than iPhones, but its online estimator only works for iPhones. You have to email to find out what else it's interested in.
The company pays by check and PayPal, but also will pay you using a "printable echeck." While printable checks are a pretty standard practice for some businesses, you probably should ask your bank whether they'll accept a check printed out on your inkjet.
I like the company's "two days to payment" policy, but GadgetGone stumbles on its lack of security practices and price offer guarantees. It also provides no clear method for phone support, and offers almost no background on the company itself on its website.
- Smartphones: Yes
- Tablets: Yes
- Laptops: Yes
- Wearables: Yes
- Other: Macs
If you dig deep in its menu system, you will find Samsung and Google phones listed for trade-in at igotoffer, but this is mostly an Apple-branded trade-in shop. Not only does it make offers on Apple phones, but also on Mac Pros, Apple Displays and Apple TVs.
That said, igotoffer doesn't let you know how long its offer quote is good for, and it doesn't specify whether it provides a security wipe on your data (you should do it anyway). There also appears to be no telephone support.
If you do want to trade in your iPhone, the company will email you a prepaid shipping label you can print out. That's workable, but I prefer the full shipping kit with a box designed to protect your device. igotoffer says it pays within three business days by check, PayPal or Amazon Gift Card.
- Smartphones: Yes
- Tablets: Yes
- Laptops: Yes
- iPods: Yes
- Wearables: Yes
- Desktops: Yes
Most of what It'sWorthMore accepts are Apple products, but the company also lists Android devices and some other laptops and tablets.
The company provides a 14-day offer quote guarantee and a prepaid shipping label, and it pledges to pay within three business days. It also provides phone support.
It'sWorthMore pays by check and PayPal, but here's a kicker. If you ask for payment via PayPal, the company deducts 3% to cover its PayPal fees. It's a little too nickel-and-dime for our tastes and makes us wonder whether it'll be generous in its final payment determinations, or if it will be just a little too cheap. If you use this service, let us know how it did from quote to final payment in the comments below.
- Smartphones: Yes
- Tablets: Yes
- Laptops: Yes
- Wearables: Yes
- Other: Media, Lego, Games
If you want to get money for your clutter, Deculttr Is the place to bring your stuff. They take in many different smartphone models, some tablets, some Kindle models, game consoles and games, DVDs, CDs, Blu-rays and Lego products (Hey, don't knock the Lego. That stuff has a pretty high resale value, especially with full sets).
Although they don't provide a shipping kit, we liked how they suggested filling a box (they say any box will do) with up to 200 items and send it into decluttr.com. It's a great way to clear out a pile of gear and get some money back.
Plus, you can trade-in your device an earn an extra 10% of trade-in value (maximum $40) code CNET10EXTRA.
We don't like that the company doesn't clearly specify how long their price quotes are good for, and that it doesn't explicitly state that it wipes your technology on receipt. Instead, they have some FAQ entries about how you can do that yourself.
That said, the company does offer solid phone support and a great way to check the value of products before shipping, and free insurance on items you ship to them.
What about Gazelle?
Gazelle has lived on this list for a long time, but after refining our review criteria, we've removed it. The change comes in light of an increased number of poor customer reviews and recent complaints to the BBB. We will continue to update this list over time.
FAQ: Carriers, buyers and online marketplaces
When looking for value from your old phone, there are four types of organizations you can work with: retailers, buyers, marketplaces and carriers. The characteristics of each are quite different:
Retailers: These are the brick-and-mortar stores in your neighborhood, ranging from Walmart and Target all the way to the remaining Radio Shack locations. In many cases, you can walk into the retailer, hand over your old Apple, Google or android phone and walk out with a new one, with a healthy discount applied. Many of these retailers won't just give you money for your old phone. They want the deal for your new business and give you a trade-in offer, so keep that in mind. Some also offer online trade-ins.
Carriers: These are the cellular service providers and almost all of them have some sort of mobile phone trade-in program, to encourage you to trade up to the next model and keep their service. Good news: this doesn't necessarily mean that the phone needs to be in working condition.
Buyers: These folks want your phones and will give you money or credit for them. A buyer generally won't force you to buy a new device from them (although expect some deal sweeteners if you go that way). Some of them will send you packaging to send your device back to them. This is the group we look at in this guide because they generally send you real money in return for your device, which means you're free to buy anything you want once you get your green.
Marketplaces: This option includes the classic resell methods like Craigslist and eBay, along with some specialty referral marketplaces like Flipsy, which are built around the idea of trading in gadgets. Here, you're often dealing directly with individual buyers (or bulk buyers who are scooping up phones for other markets). Straight talk, though: There is substantially more risk when selling to individuals than companies with known reputations.
Keep those concepts in mind as you look for the best deal for your device.
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