To afford the new trendy smartphone without breaking the bank, you can sell the old one. But it can’t be improvised with the snap of your fingers. Follow the guide !
According to a parliamentary report from 2016, the French keep nearly 100 million used smartphones at home. If you are one of them and you want to unclog your drawers, several solutions are available to you, including reselling your device. Here are our tips on how to best proceed with this sale.
Read also >>> How to resell your iPhone?
Prepare the device
First, you have to remove the SIM card. No need for the new owner of your smartphone to recover your contacts and your telephone subscription! Regarding your contacts, in fact, check that they are all saved in the cloud or on the SIM card and that none are left in the device memory.
Another card to remove from the smartphone, the SD card that you installed to expand the memory. If you decide to sell your mobile with the card, consider deleting it.
Next step, restore factory settings. With this operation, your personal data and your personalized settings (apps, photos, Google account, etc.) will be deleted from the smartphone as well as the accounts associated with it. For more information on deep deletion of all data from a smartphone, we invite you to read our how-to article on the subject.
Once you have taken care of the inside of your smartphone, you can also treat it to the exterior. Start by dusting it off and removing traces and dust that could prevent it from functioning properly or simply make it ugly. Check the appearance of the protective case if you have one. If it’s badly scratched, see if replacing it might be a worthwhile investment. Protect the screen glass with a film if you haven’t already. And if you sell accessories, consider cleaning them as well.
Know the price of your smartphone
To sell your smartphone well, you have to offer it at the right price. An overrated device will remain on your hands. Several sites allow you to assess the value of your mobile by indicating its brand, model, external condition and if it still works. Boulanger or Rebuy, for example, provide you with an estimation tool. Other sites such as L’Argus du mobile or the Centrale du mobile offer a rating to indicate the value of your smartphone on the market. You can also consult the offers already published by other sellers to get an idea.
Sell on a classifieds site
To sell your smartphone well on a classifieds or auction site like Le Bon Coin, Price Minister, Paru Sold or eBay, you have to start by writing your ad and attaching several photos. The text must be precise and must include a complete description of the device as well as its condition, the reason for the sale and the price. Do not hesitate to indicate that you have the purchase invoice if this is the case, this will reassure the buyer. And if you accompany the smartphone with a case, charger or headphones, say so too. Once the ad is published, respond quickly and precisely to questions that potential buyers may ask you.
If on classified ad sites, there are sometimes dishonest sellers, we can also find ourselves facing a malicious customer. To avoid default of payment, prefer payment in cash or by PayPal. Avoid checks. Prefer public places if you choose a personal delivery and have a proof of sale signed in two copies. If you choose to send the device, inquire about the amount of postage beforehand.
Sell to a platform or shop
If you do not want to go through a classified ad, you can turn to large retailers or market places. For example, Fnac, Darty and Boulanger have launched programs to take back high-tech devices for several years. The brands offer you an online tool to estimate the value of your smartphone but the return itself is done in store with an identity document and the accessories necessary for the proper functioning of the device (charger, battery, etc.). Good to know, the payment is often made in gift vouchers to spend in the store.
The big operators also often offer to take back your old smartphone. Bouygues Telecom has therefore joined forces with Recommerce Solutions to take back all mobile phones regardless of their condition. They will either be resold or sent for recycling. The same goes for Orange, which has chosen to work with Morphosis to give new life to the components of old devices. If it still works, it will be taken back by Orange against a discount on a new smartphone. SFR works on the same principle: the trade-in amount for your old mobile will be valid for the range of accessories available for your new device.
Another option is to turn to one of the many smartphone take-back sites. A simple Internet search gives dozens of responses from companies who will then resell your device or recycle it: PriceMinister, Backmarket, Easycash, Rebuy, Love2recycle, e-recycle … Not to mention the sites that place themselves as a trusted third party between you and a possible buyer such Certideal or YesYes.
In most cases, you estimate the value online, send your smartphone in and receive in return within a few days a check or a transfer for the value of the device … which may correspond to the starting estimate or go down if the site considers it to be in worse condition than expected (the reverse is rarely true). Be aware that these sites take a commission, so you will receive a little less than if you sold your device directly.
To make a choice among the many platforms, you can take a tour on the comparecycle site. You just need to enter the make and model of your device and you get its value back from the site’s partners. Seven of them will thus take back a Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus for an amount ranging from 351 euros (for a like-new model) to 40 euros (for a non-functional device).