My wife said to me one day, “You always by new cell phones, that must be expensive!” to which I replied “Not really, I haven’t paid for a cell phone in many years!” the thought puzzled her for awhile, and she changed the subject. I explained that I bought a cell phone about 10 years ago, and I always sell the older phone to cove the costs of the new one. Somehow this seemed to confuse her a little more. So I went through the thing that I do and she was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do. I thought I’d share my experience with you all.
Many people don’t want to go through the hassle of finding someone that will actually buy a product of theirs. They may think sometimes, it’s just too complicated or risky when dealing with strangers. And I would completely agree. However there are several things you can do that are easy and simple that will help you sell you cell.
Problem:
A new cell phone comes out with all the features that you “need” but you are stuck with your old phone till the contract runs out, or these new phones just cost too much to be spending all of this money on year after year.
Research:
I could always go to friends and family and see if they are interested in buying my phone, but if that option were to fail, I would need to have another plan. Actually, cell phones are so personal now, with all the fancy colors and styles, it’s unlikely anyone in you family will have the same taste as you do. So, I looked online and found many different solutions for selling things. There are many sites that are very similar to the old classified newspaper you were use to. Sites like kijiji.com or the more popular craigslist.com allow you to place an add and people will call you inquiring about your phone. You will either have them come to your house or you can meet them in a public place. But even that seems like a little too much trouble unless you always go to coffee shops. And I have heard too many stories about people getting their phones snatched out of their hands and the thief running off with it. No, I don’t want to deal with people directly in this case.
The other option that I found was Ebay.com or another popular auction site. i hear both positive and negative things about eBay, but you have to agree that it is still the number one online auction site, and that’s exactly what you need to get you item sold. The more eyes you get, the better!
What I do, is I search for the exact make and model of the cell phone that I want to sell, and I take a look at what others are asking for theirs. I also take a look at the completed sales listings, I want to see what people are actually paying for theirs. Its easy to ask for $1,000, but its just a waste of time if people are only willing to pay $150 for the phone.
Solution:
With this new knowledge, I create a listing detailing exactly what features or problems my phone may have. (It helps a lot if you take care of the phone to begin with!) It is very important to list any blemishes the phone may have, especially if you bumped or dropped it and it receives a little body damage or scratches as a result. What I have found, is that the more honest you are, the more people are willing to pay. People want to be able to trust you, and trust that they are not getting riped off. When the phone sells and they have paid for it. All I have to do is place every thing in a bubble pack envelope that I get from the Post Office of the local office supply store, and ship it to them. The buyer even pays for shipping in most cases.
Conclusion:
I can’t go into every detail that is required to sell your cell on eBay, but I have been using this method for many years and it has never failed me. I started with the old Nokia 3650 that I actually paid for, then I went to the Treo 650, then the Cingular 8525, then to the iPhone 2G, then the iPhone 3G, then the iPhone 3GS. Each time selling the previous phone to reimburse me for the next phone, sometimes at a small profit. I also have a family plan, so I’m doing the same thing for my family members, but they beat up their phones so bad or they loose them, that this plan doesn’t work out so well. However, something is better than nothing – One persons junk is another persons favorite phone…
