Sell or Trade In Your Old Phone: Compared

The sell or trade in old phone question comes down to what you want back. Selling outright gets you money you can spend anywhere, and it usually suits a phone that's unlocked, paid off and in good shape. Trading in gets you credit toward a new phone, and it suits you when you're already buying that phone from that seller and the credit beats what a buyer would pay. Condition, locks and timing move both numbers. A cracked screen, a carrier lock or a balance still owed narrows who will take it, and older models tend to lose value each time a new one comes out. Before you choose, get one outright offer and one trade-in quote for the same phone in the same week, then compare what you'd actually keep.

Sell or trade in an old phone: how each route works

Both routes turn a phone you've stopped using into value. They differ in who's on the other side of the deal and in what form that value takes. The comparison holds anywhere in the US, and only a few details change by state.

Read the table as two different kinds of deal. An outright sale is a one-time swap: phone for money, and you're done. A trade-in is one part of a bigger purchase, so its value depends on the terms of that purchase. Makers such as Apple and Samsung, and carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile, all take phones in trade, and each sets its own terms. That's why one phone can draw two very different numbers from two different counters.

When selling it outright comes out ahead

Picture a two-year-old phone with a clean screen, no carrier lock and nothing owed on it. That phone has plenty of buyers, and buyers competing with each other is what lifts an offer. A trade-in has one bidder: the store selling you the next phone. That's the phone's side of it. On your side, selling outright tends to win when:

• You aren't buying a new phone right now, or you're buying one from a seller that doesn't take trades. Credit you can't use is worth nothing to you.
• You want the money for something else: a bill, a repair on the phone you're keeping, or a pre-owned phone instead of a new one.
• The trade-in credit depends on a plan, an extra line or a long payment agreement you wouldn't pick otherwise.
• You plan to switch carriers soon and don't want credits that only last while you stay.

Selling outright comes in two versions. You can sell the phone yourself to another person, or sell it to a business that buys used devices. Doing it yourself usually brings the higher price, because nobody in the middle needs a margin. It also means photos, a listing, messages from strangers, a meeting, and the risk that a payment fails or a buyer disputes the sale later. A business will usually offer less than a private buyer might, because it has to test the phone, fix what's wrong and resell it. In return, you deal with someone who handles used phones for a living, and the deal is over when you hand it across.

What you give up by selling is any promotional credit you'd have qualified for, plus a little of your time. Either way, the phone has to be backed up, signed out and wiped before anyone else touches it. The order to do that in is in our guide on how to prepare a phone to sell.

When a trade-in is the better deal

Most people assume a trade-in is always worth less than a sale. Often it is, but a promotion can set the credit above anything the resale market would give you for the same phone. That's the case for trading in. It tends to win when:

• You're buying that new phone anyway, from that seller, on terms you'd have accepted without the trade.
• A promotion puts the credit above the outright offers you're getting. These tend to show up around a new model's release.
• The phone is locked to the carrier you're staying with. A lock that puts off outside buyers usually matters less to the carrier that set it.
• The phone is old or worn enough that outright offers are low, and the promotion's condition terms still accept it. Read those terms first.
• You want the fewest steps: one purchase, with the old phone going back as part of it.

What you give up is flexibility. The credit only works with that seller. Promotional credit is often paid as monthly bill credits across the payment plan instead of all at once, and leaving the carrier or paying the phone off early can end the credits that are left. Ask how the credit is paid before you agree to anything. A mailed-in phone is also inspected after it's out of your hands, so ask what happens if the inspection disagrees with your description, and whether you can have the phone back.

If a carrier lock is the main thing pushing you toward a trade-in, check the lock before you decide. Ask your carrier first, then see Wireless Kinect's page on getting a phone unlocked.

Decision rules: condition, locks and timing

Three things change the answer more than anything else: the shape the phone is in, what it's locked to, and when you act. Find your situation below.

• If it's unlocked, paid off and in good shape, sell it outright, because that's the phone the widest pool of buyers wants.
• If it's locked to the carrier you're staying with, price the trade-in first, because the lock thins out other buyers but rarely bothers that carrier.
• If it's locked to a carrier you're leaving, ask that carrier about unlocking it before you collect offers, because a lock you can remove is value you'd otherwise give away in a sale.
• If you still owe money on it, ask the carrier about the balance before you do either, because the debt usually stays yours and many buyers pass on a phone that isn't paid off.
• If the screen is cracked or the battery is weak, price the repair before you pick a route, because damage lowers an outright offer and can knock a trade-in down a tier or out of a promotion.
• If it's still signed in to your Apple or Google account, fix that before anything else, because an activation lock stops both a sale and a trade-in.
• If a newer model is about to launch, sell before it does, because older models tend to slip once the new one is out. If you're trading instead, compare launch promotions against outright offers that same week.
• If you aren't replacing the phone, sell it, because trade-in credit only has value when you're buying.

Whichever route you take, the same things move the price: the model and its age, the storage size, the state of the screen, back glass, cameras and battery, whether it's carrier locked, and whether anything is still owed on it.

A cracked screen doesn't settle the question by itself. Here's the math. Get the cost of the repair for your exact model. Then ask the buyer for two offers: one for the phone as it sits, and one for the same phone with a good screen. If the gap between those offers is bigger than the repair cost, a phone repair before you sell leaves you with more. If the gap is smaller, sell it cracked and keep the difference.

The mistake most people make when comparing the two prices

The common mistake is treating a trade-in credit and a sale price as the same kind of money. They aren't. A sale price is money in hand, once. A promotional credit may arrive a little each month, and only while you keep the plan and the payment agreement it came with.

To compare them fairly, ask what the trade-in is worth with no promotion, as if you paid for the new phone in full. Put that plain figure next to your outright offer. Then treat the promotion as its own question: is that plan, for that many months, one you'd choose anyway? If yes, count the full credit. If no, count only the plain figure.

Tax is part of the same mistake. Whether a trade-in credit lowers the sales tax on the new phone depends on your state and on how the credit is applied, so the real gap between the two routes isn't the same everywhere. Ask to see the tax line before you sign.

The comparison also tends to assume your next phone is a new one. Money from a sale can go toward a pre-owned phone from any seller. Trade-in credit is tied to what that one seller offers. If a pre-owned phone is on the table, read what to check before buying a used phone before you pay for one.

What Wireless Kinect recommends, and how to choose a buyer

Get both numbers before you commit to either. That's the whole recommendation. Wireless Kinect buys, sells and repairs phones, tablets and computers, and device buyback and trade-in is one of its main services. Its advice is the same for everyone: one outright offer and one trade-in quote, in the same week, for the same phone, described the same way.

The reason is simple. Used phone prices move, so a quote from last month says little about this month. An honest description matters as much. If one side hears about the crack and the other doesn't, you aren't comparing the same phone.

How you choose a buyer matters as much as the route. Before you hand a phone to anyone, ask:

• Is this offer firm, and how long does it stand?
• Will you test the phone while I'm here and tell me what lowered the number?
• How will I be paid, and when?
• Do you buy phones that are locked, damaged or still on a payment plan?
• What ID do you need? Rules for businesses that buy used goods vary by state and city, and many will ask for a photo ID.
• For a trade-in: is the credit taken off at purchase or spread across monthly bills, and what happens if I leave early?

Wireless Kinect buys devices through the shop's buyback site and has four walk-in stores, two in Pennsylvania and two in Florida. Ask the same questions there that you'd ask anywhere else.

It also sells pre-owned phones through its online store, which matters if the money from a sale is going toward a replacement that isn't new.

For a damaged phone, add a third number. The website gives an instant repair quote by brand and model, so you can see the cost of the fix before you weigh the offers.

Want an outright number to set against a trade-in quote? Bring the phone and a photo ID to a store and ask for one. Each store is listed on the Wireless Kinect store locations page.

Selling or trading in a phone: FAQ

Is it better to sell or trade in an old phone?

Sell it if it's unlocked, paid off and in good shape, or if you aren't buying a new phone now. Trade it in if you're buying that phone anyway and the credit, counted fairly, beats your outright offers.

Is a trade-in credit the same as cash?

No. Credit can only be spent with the seller that gave it, and promotional credit is often spread across monthly bills and tied to a plan. Money from a sale has no conditions once the sale is done.

Can I trade in a phone that isn't paid off?

Often yes, but a trade doesn't erase what you owe unless the terms say so. Ask the carrier what happens to the remaining balance before you hand the phone over.

Can I sell a phone that's locked to a carrier?

Yes, but only people on that carrier can use it, so expect lower offers than the same phone would get unlocked. Ask your carrier whether it qualifies for unlocking first, since many want the phone paid off.

Should I fix a cracked screen before I sell or trade in my phone?

Only if the repair adds more to the offer than it costs. Get the repair cost for your model, ask for an offer both ways, cracked and fixed, and compare the gap.

When is the best time to sell or trade in a phone?

As soon as you've stopped using it, and before the next model in its line comes out if you can. Older models tend to lose value once a newer one is on sale, though launch season is also when trade-in promotions tend to appear.

How long does a phone trade-in take?

It depends on how the credit is paid. Credit taken off the price lands at purchase, a mailed-in phone waits on shipping and inspection, and promotional credit can be spread over the months of your plan.

Do I need ID to sell a phone to a shop?

Usually, yes. Rules for businesses that buy used goods vary by state and city, and many require a photo ID, so bring one.

Price the repair, then pick your route

If damage is what's holding your phone's value down, start with what it costs to fix. Get an instant repair quote for your brand and model on the Wireless Kinect website, then set it beside your outright offer and your trade-in quote. With all three in front of you, it's clear which route leaves you with more.