How to Get The Best Value For Your Phone

If you are looking for a used phone, read my post on how to get the best deal while buying a used phone.

Running an up-to-date smartphone has now become a necessity. With newer versions of operating systems and applications rolling out every year, developers have hard decisions to make as they can either create advanced new features or write apps that will work on yesterday’s technology. So eventually the phone which was great when you bought it a couple of years ago you will start feeling left out and every application on your phone will feel slow. I witnessed one such incident which happened to my Dad with his first generation Moto G.

Thanks to the boom in online marketplaces, selling is now easier than ever before in India. Online selling is no longer a unwanted experience where you have to please strangers and meet them at a shady location. It is now much more open and trusted. With all the advertisements on television, even my frustrated old fella said four words — “Olx Pe Bech De!”

While you may know an estimate amount you will recover when selling your phone, you will never know a fixed amount. You need to go through some hassles and know the online-offline battle. Here is a diverse How-To on getting the best value for your phone.

Things You Need to Consider  

1. Condition of Your Device

If you have taken utmost care of your phone and have protected it against scratches and dings then there won’t be any issues when you are selling your device in mint condition. If you didn’t take care of your phone you cannot hide those signs of daily wear and tear. If it has too much of a violent history, then your pricing should be modest.

Cheat: You can change the scratch guard before selling the phone. It is as good as replacing the engine oil of a motorbike as the bike feels new.

2. Age of Your Device

The age of the device will matter when you want to sell it. From what I’ve seen, most owners sell their devices after 2 years of usage on an average and a technology enthusiast may even change phones every year. If you sell your device within warranty,  it will be easier to fetch a potential buyer. Warranty makes the buyer have a peace of mind that if anything goes wrong, he can claim it. If your device is more than 2 years old it loses both – warranty and interest. So if it is more than 2 years of age and out of warranty, then reconsider while pricing it.

3. Accessories You Have With Your Device

The bill and box plays the most important role when you are selling the phone. It assures the buyer that you are not selling a stolen phone. The bill also helps in claiming the warranty, so it will definitely make a difference when fetching good money for your device. Apart from bill and box, charger and earphones are crucial to pocket a few more bucks on your deal. But, if you are not including the charger and earphones, further moderate the pricing.

Research

After evaluating the things mentioned above, go through the price history of device and know the last price the device is selling for. You can also go directly to any online marketplace and see what value is the phone being sold at. Based on all these metrics, decide a definitive price that you are willing to settle for.

Chose Between Swap/ Buy Back /Exchange or Sell It for Cash

When you want to switch to a new phone, there are couple of options. You can swap your device for a new one by paying the difference. It is available through Quikr and Croma, even with some major companies like Samsung, can exchange your phone. A good example would be selling your phone over to online marketplace like Sahivalue.com and simultaneously listing it on Olx or Quikr. There are higher chances of selling your device by listing it on multiple sites so that more people can find it.

Pick a Place to Sell (or Post It Everywhere)

If you rule out the option of swapping your phone for a buyback offer then you can maximise by listing it online and offline. But what you should avoid while selling offline is approach dealers, as they tend to have a higher margins for themselves. You can try negotiating with them but it works only if you have a history with the dealer. Such dealers should only be approached when there is a particular defect in the device which is giving issues in selling it off. One to one selling earns you more, every time.

Tips for a better performing advertisement:

1. Catalog it properly. It takes a few seconds to properly list your phone on the website. Doing it ensures that when a buyer uses the website’s filter, your phone will be found easily.                        
2. Have an appropriate title for your advertisement. You should not talk in the title — meaning, “Nexus 5 | 32GB | Red” is better than “I want to sell my 7 months old Nexus 5 which is limited edition red”. Don’t disclose the age of your phone in title, make use of the description. It will make sure that your ad is in the top results.
3. Write a crisp description. Provide a good overview of your device. Here you have the freedom to talk all about your priced possession. Clearly state what is included in the box to let the buyer know about the accessories you will be including with your phone, warranty information, extras that you want to let go off with your device, etc. The more information you provide, more the chances of getting a potential buyer.
4. Make your device look spanky new in the photos. This is the closest way to virtually hand over your phone in the hands of the buyer. Choose a clean surface that doesn’t distract the buyer from the device and accessories. Clean it thoroughly by either a damp cloth or Min Cream. Cover all 6 angles (front, back, left, right, top and bottom). You do not have to be a professional photographer to present the best images, but put efforts to make these device photos stand out from the rest.
5. Shoot without flash. Flash amplifies the subtle wear and tear of your phone, making it easy to spot. Shoot photos in natural lighting but avoid harsh reflections. Also include one photo with accessories laid out together.
6. Do not post an ad without photos, as your visibility gets poor on the website. Never use stock photos for your ad because it will make your ad look fake.
7. Make the buyer comfortable with the product so that it will fetch you the money you are asking for (if you price it spot-on)

TIP: Do not forget to remove or disable the advertisement to avoid unnecessary callers after you’ve sold your device.