If you’re an unashamed fan of technology, chances are you go through your smartphones on at least an annual basis. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of unboxing a brand new device, after all. But constantly switching phones is not a cheap pursuit so if you’re into the habit of upgrading, you’re probably also in the habit of selling your old phones.
Whether you’re trying to sell your iPhone 8 for the latest model or switch from one platform to the other, however, there are several things to consider. To that end, here are some of the most common things to do and not to do when selling your smartphone.
DO be honest
Don’t lie about the state of your phone because it will come back to bite you whether you’re selling online or shipping to a recycling company. If you’ve said your phone has only suffered minor water damage and won’t even turn on due to the components being water-logged, you’ll have a very angry customer to contend with.
DON’T waste time
The phone sitting in the draw at the side of your bed is not making you any money and is actually losing value every single day. In the world of second-hand smartphones, time is money. So don’t wait until the next generation is released. If you’re not using a phone, sell it today.
DO be detailed
The more information you offer, the more money you’ll probably get and the happier the customer will be. This means including everything from the size of the hard drive to the network carrier (or whether the phone is unlocked or not) and even the size of the screen.
DON’T leave a cracked screen
Rather than selling a second-hand phone with a cracked screen, you should do everything in your power to get that screen repaired or replaced. You’ll make significantly more from the sale and screen replacement is not anywhere near as involved as most people think it is.
DO back up your files
From your text messages and phone numbers to personal photos and so much more besides, our phones today hold so much of our valuable data. So be sure to backup anything valuable to you before selling your phone.
DON’T forget to wipe the drive and take out the SIM
In the same breath, however, you should always do a firm factory reset before selling a phone and you should always remove the SIM card. Otherwise, your personal information could end up being sold to the highest bidder on the dark web or something even worse.