Smartphones are essential pieces of hardware. But let’s face it, these devices are becoming more and more expensive with each passing year. Anyone who wants to buy the latest hardware needs to spend a hefty sum of money. Especially if they’re aiming for flagship devices released by the top companies in this industry. Fortunately, there are ways one can lessen the financial load of smartphones. You can try buying your phone through a carrier on installments. This is definitely easy, but it also binds you to a single phone until you’ve paid off all your installments.
Another more popular option is to trade-in your old phone for a new one. In fact, this option is far better than buying a phone on installments. Trade-ins are environmentally friendly, lessen the financial load, and are also really simple. You can even take devices that really old or severely damaged, have them fixed by an affordable repair company like Breakfixnow and trade them in as well.
If you’re new to the concept of trading in old devices then you are in the right place. Today, we’re going to go through the trade-in process and discuss what can you do to get the most out of your trade-in.
How Do Trade-Ins Work?
Trade-ins are really simple; you take an old device to a retailer and exchange it for either cash or store credit. The value that your old device gets can be adjusted in a new device that you are about to buy. This way, you can buy a more expensive phone. Why do retailers hand over cash for old devices? This is because outdated and even damaged phones still hold value. Companies often refurbish old phones and then sell them at a lower price. This is a great practice since it reduces the amount of electronic waste ending up in landfills. Older phones can also be stripped for spare parts, this is why retailers also accept phones that may have broken screens.
It goes without saying that the state of your device plays a huge role in determining its value. A phone that’s heavily scratched or damaged will probably have a lower trade-in value. This is why it’s a good idea to freshen up your phone before taking it for a trade-in. Wiping its screen and buffing minute scratches can be done easily. If you have a reliable repair technician nearby, you can have them work on more extensive damage as well. A broken screen replaced by an expert can be hardly noticeable, and it can really increase your phone’s resale value.
Before you go to a nearby retail store, you should check your phone’s maker’s website. Some companies give you the option to recycle your phone by directly sending it to them. Apple and Samsung both offer options for trading in older devices.
Another way to squeeze more value out of your phone is to try and sell your phone yourself. A retailer offering trade-ins will always place lesser value than what you could get through a direct sale. Websites such as eBay and Craigslist are your best friends here.
Things to Keep in Mind About Trade-Ins
The option to trade in your phone is great, but it is not a perfect solution. There are certain things that you should know before you go for a trade-in. One of these being problems with carrier phones. Carrier phone is hard to trade-in. This is because they are often restricted to one carrier. Many retailers don’t even accept carrier phones for trade-ins.
You should make sure that you wipe all data on your device before you trade it in. make sure to double-check that you’ve deleted everything from your device. You can make backups of more important data and then factory reset your phone. If you have an Android device with older software, you’ll need to take an extra step. Encrypt your phone’s data before a factory reset. Encrypting your data makes it impossible to try and retrieve any information left on your device without the proper key. Encrypting data on android phones is quite easy, you can find an option in the settings.
Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that if you do sell your phone directly to someone else, you should be careful. It’s better to arrange a sale through a proper online platform rather than go meet some stranger with your phone in hand. Keep your safety in mind at all times.
The last thing that you should know is that when it comes to trading, the more devices you have the better. You should salvage around your house for any other old phones that might be lying around.
