The average price of a recycled mobile phone recently broke the £100 barrier, a rise of 68% in a year. So, if you’ve got a few old handsets you could be sitting on free money.
There are now lots of companies competing for your recycled phone business, all promising to get you the best price in the quickest time. With around 18 million handsets due to be recycled by the end of the year, smartphones are now the big money spinner.
The iPhone 5 launch has seen iPhone resales jump by 400 per cent since July this year according to sellmymobile.com, as Apple fans try to soften the blow of that hefty new price tag by selling on old models.
But before you jump in and sell your old mobile, there are some important things to know that will help you get the best deal.
How to recycle your phone
There are dozens of companies that will recycle your phone, including UK networks and even supermarkets. Each mobile phone recycler has its own rules and associated pricing policies. Check to see if you still have your phone’s packaging and original leads, as some offer more than for a handset on its own. Some will take damaged phones – cracked screens, faulty software, broken sockets are all catered to for different prices on different sites.
Be realistic about pricing too. The first price you see on any website will be the best price they offer for phones in pristine condition – but after a year or two of faithful service, no matter how careful you are, it’s likely your handset will have suffered the odd knock or scratch.
Be honest about its condition and you’re much more likely to get the price you’re quoted. Many also offer store vouchers with a greater than the cash amount value.
But that’s not to say you should accept the first price you’re quoted. Shop around, check out comparison sites like CompareMyMobile.com and do some research on the companies that offer the best prices. As with everything, there are scammers in amongst the legitimate dealers and as you’ll be sending your phone off before you see any money, it’s crucial to make sure they’re legit and also offer an efficient, reliable service.
Check out forums and customer reviews, which are often the best way to find the right deal for you.
What you need
Once you’ve decided on your price and recycler of choice, take photos of your phone (and the packaging if you’re including it) before you send it – recorded delivery of course with insurance depending on your phone’s value. This will help should there be any conflict between your description and their valuation once they see it in the flesh.
Many phone recycling companies offer free postage, which his worth considering if your phone is worth £46 or less, make sure you get a certificate of posting from the post office, which will provide cover for lost or damaged items.
Absolutely crucial is a clean sweep of your phone’s contents. The last thing you want is to send off a phone loaded with your photos, contacts, personal details and keychain passwords to websites.
Firstly, check you’ve backed up all your phone data, either to a hard drive or an online backup service like iCloud, Sky Drive or Google Drive. Once happy you’ve saved everything you want, do a full phone factory reset. The process of doing this differs for each phone so check online for your model, but remember that some phones can retain a certain amount of information even after a reset. If you are really worried there are companies that will completely wipe your phone for a fee, but you should still perform your own reset before using one.
Once cleaned and cleared, wrap it up well for the journey. It would be infuriating to have spent time getting the best deal only for your phone to get damaged in transit.
The best deals out there now
Here we’ve listed the current prices of a few popular handsets at some of the best-known recyclers, just to give you a taste of what yours might be worth. These prices are for working handsets with no accessories, either unlocked or on a UK carrier. Happy recycling!
iPhone 4S 16GB
CompareMyMobile £200
Envirofone £195.05
Mazuma Mobile £200
Vodafone Buyback £202
Fonebank £216 - BEST PRICE
Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
CompareMyMobile £74.20 - BEST PRICE
Envirofone £72.03
Mazuma Mobile £48
Vodafone Buyback £73
Fonebank £74
Blackberry Bold Touch 9900
CompareMyMobile £157
Envirofone £120.08
Mazuma Mobile £110
Vodafone Buyback £121
Fonebank £161 - BEST PRICE
Source Yahoo News
No comments:
Post a Comment