Ways to get the most bang for the buck from your old phone

Phone aficionados always want the latest and greatest in the mobile world, right? As we all know too well, carriers require customers to sign 2-year contracts in order to get some savings on the purchase of a new device, but then again, some people can’t wait close to another two years to make the switch to a new device. Sure, you can go the outright route, but that requires plopping out some serious cash in order to buy a handset at its full price.


For your old device, it might seem like it’s going to be the end of the road for it – though, you can still turn a profit from it. Rather than collecting dust somewhere when the time comes to make the upgrade to a new handset, you can do several things to get the most bang for the buck for it. Heck, if you’re meticulous with taking good care of your phone, you can fetch top dollar for it – and that’s despite being tagged as being an “older” handset! By the time it’s all said and done, it’s possible that you won’t even have to dish out a single dollar for your next smartphone of choice if you follow some of the items listed below.

Ways to get the most bang for the buck from your old phone

1. Use screen protectors

Seeing that most of our interaction with our device is done via its display/touchscreen, it’s imperative that you keep it clean, smooth, and most importantly, scratch-free. Using screen protectors, like the ones fromWrapsol, which are incredibly strong and prevent scratch damage, it can seemingly do wonders to get you top dollar in the end. Thanks to the easy to apply process found with Wrapsol’s screen protectors, it’ll provide the adequate amount of protection to your handset’s display to keep it fresh looking from start to finish.

2. Get your phone unlocked

If you’ve shopped around for phones online, you probably notice that unlocked devices tend to fetch more money than what their locked counterparts do. Of course, GSM devices are the primary targets for this one, as anyone can literally plop in their SIM card and have it running on almost any GSM carrier around the world. Rather than having the device working on one single carrier, people see the value of paying more to have an unlocked one. In order to get your device unlocked, you can do a number of things to get it done – like smooth talking a customer support representative from your carrier.

3. Make sure to keep the box and accessories

When you buy something new and anticipate selling it later on, it’s always a good idea to keep its original packaging – box and included accessories! Seriously, you have to think about it for a moment. People are more inclined to pay more if you’re able to sell them your old handset in the same manner you bought it at the beginning. Who wants to go out and buy a charger or data cable for a used phone? Well, if you have all the items on hand, you might be able to increase your monetary intake for your old device, even if it’s only a little bit more. Honestly, what else are you going to do with old cables and chargers?

4. Sell your phone a month prior to the release of a new model

Timing can make or break everything when you’re trying to sell your old phone, especially if you happen to have a popular device that normally sees a yearly refresh – like the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S series. Needless to say, it’s rather difficult to pinpoint when a successive device is about to launch, so you’ll need to do some sleuthing and keep track of rumored release dates. As with most things, you don’t want to sell your old device when the new version of it is already out, so that’s why selling it a month prior is most optimal – then again, you’re gambling on a date. Still, if you’re somehow able to guess right and sell it approximately one month before, you can squeeze out more value from it.

5. Sell it through a buyback program

Surely, if you want a quick quote and get top dollar for your old device, you ought to check out some of the buyback programs out there – like the one offered by uSell. If you’re able to follow all of the previous recommendations that we’ve pointed out, this should yield you the most bang for the buck. With uSell’s buyback program, it’s an easy and quick way of getting money for your old device. Not only will you get offers from its network of trusted, professional buyers, but they will even send you the shipping material for free. Come to think of it, you can do it all from the comforts of your home without setting foot outside.