An outdated yet beautiful iPhone 3GS: Photo from technobuffalo.com
Okay so maybe you want the new iPhone 5S or Surface RT but you don’t have money for it? The good news is that if you have an old phone, iPod or iPad laying around, you could sell it to raise some cash for your new gadget.
Craigslist
While you’re reading this you should open up another tab and start creating a Craigslist ad for your old device. Take photos of it and upload them to the ad listing. Just mention its condition, price you’re willing to sell it for and your relative location. As you try selling your device through other ways, Craigslist deals will be coming through. If the offer you get through Craigslist is good then you can quite trying to sell your device. Most of the time though, Craigslist is all it takes.
If you want to know if the deal you got is a good deal, find the average price your device is being sold for on eBay and times it by 90%. You should be getting 90% for your device on Craigslist as others are getting for the same device on eBay. The 10% less profit on Craigslist is explained to the fact that Craigslist is cheaper, faster and more efficient. On eBay you have to pay fees, ship the product, make sure you don’t get scammed, etc. Through Craigslist you are meeting someone face to face and the deal is done instantly. No need for waiting two weeks in the mail for the buyer, or for you getting negative feedback on eBay or any of that bologna.
Getting More Advanced (eBay)
If you don’t think your city is big enough for Craigslist to workout, then you can enlist the help of eBay. Sign up with a PayPal account and create a listing for your old device. Set the starting bid price to start at one cent if you really want to get things going.
You can also set the starting bid at 80% of what your device is worth if you’re not comfortable with one cent. However I can tell you that a lot of people list their things for one cent on eBay, I’ve done it numerous times with expensive things, and it always works out.
Naturally iTouchApps.net is not a financial advisor and this article should not be taken as financial advice. If you want to set your device’s bidding price to one cent in the beginning without risking anything, then you can also setup a minimum sell price. Basically if this minimum isn’t reached, then no one wins the item.
DO NOT SETUP A MINIMUM SELL PRICE without stating in your listing what the minimum sell price is. Advanced bidders will overlook products that have a hidden minimum sell price and not even bother with it.
In addition to setting up a bid listing for your device, you can also configure it to sell instantly as a “Buy Now” option. Make your Buy Now price 110-120% of what your device is worth. This will insure that if someone uses the buy now option, you get as good a profit from your sale as you would from bidding.
Friends
The only time it’s okay to spam blast your friends, is when you have everything to benefit from it. *Remember that.* With that in mind, spam blast your friends on Facebook and Twitter. DM friends, message them, comment on their broken phone images with the phone you’re willing to sell them, taunt them, excite them, do whatever it takes to let people know you’re selling.
Photo from thehindu.com
Use your friend’s phone to log into Instagram and take a photo of the device you’re trying to sell. Share the phone and deal on Instagram. This is the 21st century, so act like it! Use everything at your disposal to sell your device as fast as you can. Don’t forget that if a new phone comes out, or if another month passes, the value of your device continues to drop forever. In five years from now you will have to pay someone to take your old dinosaur phone out of your hands.
Family
Do you have a nephew whose parents want a phone to keep in touch with him? He would probably be happy with an iPhone 4 or 4S, considering that his parents would probably get him a Motorola Razer instead.
Maybe you have an outdated aunt or uncle who has never had a smartphone. Whatever the situation, just ask around your family and see who needs a “new” phone. Sell them your old phone and then everyone is happy. Just make sure that you don’t insult close family members by “selling” them things. Don’t try selling your old phone to your mom or dad if they are the ones who bought it for you!
Facebook Groups
Did you know that there are groups on Facebook dedicated to connecting iPhone and Blackberry buyers and sellers? An example of such a group would be this one. Another Facebook group connects people who want to buy/sell iPhones, as well as swap devices for other devices.
If you’re lucky, you can get a really great deal on Facebook, even higher than selling your phone through eBay. The only downside is that you aren’t protected from scammers in anyway. Dealing phones over the internet should be dealt with caution, especially if your phone is worth $100+.
Selling Old iPhones and iPads
If you want to sell an old device to raise money for newer phones or iPads, then you’re going to have to put in some work. Doing only one of the methods above will insure a 25% chance of success. However, if you try everything outlined above, then you will surely succeed within a matter of weeks if not days.
If worst comes to worst, then you can always sell your old device using a fail-safe buy back program. Keep in mind that buy back programs buy any phone instantly but they often give you 40-70% of the phones actual value.