We’ve all been there. You dropped your phone and broke it, you left it a concert venue or some creep swiped it at Starbucks. If you HAVE to get a new one ASAP, don’t worry! An entire industry has cropped up around getting you a used quality phone fast. Here are some of my choices of where to look first.
Swappa
I’m a phone-a-holic so I know Swappa well. I have about 30 transactions on the site and all have worked out well for both parties, even when there’s an issue with the phone. Swappa is a bit like a remote Craigslist.
You make a posting for your phone with pictures and a unique code you have to write down on some paper and include in the pictures. You add in your information like color, accessories, condition, and shipping service. There’s a comments section where people can ask questions and make offers.
Every device is approved by a Swappa staff member based on the pictures. During the posting process, you’re required to put in your IMEI number (perspective buyers can’t see it) so the staff can check to see if it’s on a payment plan or has been blacklisted.
Once you’ve agreed on a price and the purchase has been completed, Swappa generates a second page just for you and the seller. The seller will put in shipping information when it goes out and you can notify Swappa staff of any problems. I once had a phone get blacklisted three months after the sale and once I notified Swappa staff, I was able to get my money back through PayPal. Highly recommended.
Website: Swappa
Overstock
Honestly, I never would have thought of Overstock.com before I started doing research for this article.
They have a surprisingly good selection of phones. I’ve found some great deals on HTC‘s, Galaxies, and LG‘s. Since you’re buying directly from Overstock, you take the third party out of the equation and that can somewhat streamline the process. The prices aren’t as good as on Swappa since people aren’t competing against each other, but they’re competitive with sites like Gazelle.
Website: Overstock
Gamestop
With the push into more digital downloads and a move away from physical media, Gamestop has been looking for revenue streams and they’ve found one in electronic trade-ins. Gamestop does sell used and refurbished smartphones on their website, and if you luck out, you may be able to pick one up in store. They definitely win on expediency in that regard.
The prices seem to sit around Swappa and Overstock. They’re not too overpriced, but you can find some better deals if you’re willing to spend the time to look for them and wait on the phone to arrive. Also, be sure to check the condition of the phone. I’ve seen some pretty beat up devices in store.
Website: Gamestop
Glyde
Glyde offers a strong set of guarantees to make sure your purchase goes smoothly. First off, all sales come with a full return and refund policy. The phones are “gently used” according to Glyde and come with no contracts. All phone listings have their condition listed so you can see if it’s in good, certified, new or another condition to make sure you’re getting exactly what you’re expecting.
Glyde takes care of all seller communications and they’re normally running free shipping promotions. We found some good deals like an unlocked good condition Note 5 for $440 and an excellent condition LG G4 on T-Mobile for only $216.
Website: Glyde
Conclusion
These are just some of the many sites you can purchase used cell phones from. I intentionally left out Amazon, Gazelle, eBay, and Craigslist due to their overwhelming popularity. If you’re having trouble finding a phone for a good price, you should definitely check them out. Posting a “Looking to buy” ad on Craigslist isn’t a terrible idea either!
Have you used any other sites? Let us know down in the comments what they are and how your experience was.
“Enhorabuena por la noticia, es justamente lo que buscada. Besos.”
De nada.
Glyde will give you the highest price for a small number of phones. Their website is nice, but their shipping “routine” is kind of silly for both buyers and sellers. At the very least it slows down the overall process, by making sellers wait for a pre-paid mailer to arrive before they can ship. Also, other categories on Glyde (video games for example) offer sellers far less than they can get on less spiffy sites like Leaptrade and Gameflip. I just checked three popular titles and the maximum you can sell them for on Glyde is roughly half the maximum on Leaptrade for cash (and even less if you sell on Leaptrade for credit). Buying video games on Glyde is great because the prices are lower, but sellers are losing out big time.
After several years of using Android phones, my overheating, laggy mess of a Galaxy s6 has me wanting to run back to the loving bosom of Apple.
I’m looking for a phone that’s reliable (i need to use navigation a lot for work), doesn’t tend to overheat or lag, and ideally is fairly rugged. I’d play a few games and watch a bit of netflix on my phone while travelling, but it’ll mostly be used as a phone/navigation.
I’ve been looking at the 6 Plus, but don’t have any direct experience with it as everyone I know has the smaller model. My main concern is that I can’t afford to buy a phone outright at the moment, so I’ll be on a 2 year contract. Obviously I don’t have a burning need for the latest technology, but I do worry about a loss of support/necessary updates etc that will make me regret my choice in a year or so. Like I said I’ve been away from Apple for about 5 years now so I don’t know what support for older phones is like now. If I would buy used, it would probably be here https://www.getorchard.com/us/iphone-6-Plus-for-sale/ but also welcome to any other suggestions. :)
Many thanks for any insight!