*This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure
Do you have an old cell phone lying around collecting dust?
Did you know that phone could put HUNDREDS of dollars back in your pocket?!
I’ve put together the top places PAY CASH for your old cell phone. And I’ll show you who pays the MOST!
The best part is that all transactions are ONLINE, which makes this the simplest, and SAFEST way to sell your old phone.
Table of Contents
Who Pays The Most For My Old Cell Phone?
There are many trusted options for selling your old phone online. Many offer FREE Shipping and pay quickly.
But who pays the most?
I put this to the test buy inputting my wife’s phone (Samsung Galaxy S8, 64GB) and seeing who is willing to pay the MOST money for it. I also put in the iPhone X for comparison.
Here are the results:
| Website | Samsung S8 | iPhone X | Free Shipping? |
| Decluttr | $146* (+ $5) | $392* (+ $5) | Yes |
| Gazelle | $162 | $310 | Yes |
| OCBuyback | $130 | $385 | Yes |
| Buyback Boss | $125** | $385** | Yes |
| SwopSmart | $97 | $313 | Yes |
- *Decluttr will give you an extra $5 using code FREE5 at checkout. So the $146 phone is actually $151. The iPhone X would be $397!
- **Buyback Boss promises to match any offer. This does not include the $5 bonus given by Decluttr
Private Sale Websites (List it yourself)
As you can see, there is a BIG difference between these sites, the TOP result paying up to $87 more than the lowest! And the prices are possibly EVEN MORE when you decide to list the phone yourself.
BUT BEFORE YOU SELL, PLEASE READ BELOW!
I want you to understand the process for selling on each site, including the pros and cons, ease of use, and things to be aware of. I’ve put together an overview of each site, step-by-step instructions on how to sell your phone, including screenshots of the prices I was quoted for mine.
Ready to make some CASH?
1. Decluttr
Decluttr is the HIGHEST RATED program on TrustPilot. They have almost 10,000 reviews and a 4.6 rating, which speaks volumes to their program. They also have a VERY slick phone App, and can sell more than just phones (CD’s, DVD’s, Books, Games, Other tech).
In the small sample size above, with their $5 bonus, Decluttr pays a little less for my wife’s Samsung, and MUCH MORE than anyone for the iPhone X.
Getting a quote from Decluttr is super simple.
- On the homepage, go to “Sell My Cell Phone”
- Select your Make/Model
- Select your exact model (example: Samsung S8, 64GB)
- Select your carrier and phone “Condition”
- Once you see the quote, select “Sell This Device”
- It will show your “Selling Basket”, and simply select “Complete Order”
Decluttr will then EMAIL you a free shipping label to send in your device. Once they receive the device, they will inspect it to make sure it matches your description, and then pay you the next day. They pay with either Direct Deposit, Check, or PayPal.
Selling Tips
Make sure your device is exactly as described. If not, they will contact you with a Revised price, and you have 14 days to accept or reject the offer and pay to have your phone shipped back to you. Use the Decluttr App for a quicker, simple selling experience!
Pros: Simple to get quoted a price. Free shipping. Simple to use phone App for iPhone or Android devices. Allows direct deposit for getting your money quickly. Next Day Payment Guarantee.
Cons: May revise the quote if they deem device is not as described.
Decluttr makes it really easy to sell. If you want to sell your phone today, feel free to give Decluttr a try!
2. Gazelle
Gazelle is another great company that buys your old cell phones directly. Their process is simple, and their payouts are competitive!
The process to sell your phone on Gazelle is very simple:
- Go to Gazelle.com and select “Sell” at the top of the page
- Find your cell phone brand (Apple, Samsung, or “Other”)
- Select your Carrier (or “unlocked”)
- Find your exact model and select “Get an Offer”
From here, you answer a few questions about the condition of your phone, and Gazelle will present an Offer to buy if from you.
Once you select “Get Paid”, you will input your email address and Gazelle will send your FREE shipping label. Then just package and ship the phone!
Gazelle will PAY YOU once then have received and inspected the phone to make sure it matches your description.
Selling Tips
Make sure to answer questions as ACURATELY AS POSSIBLE. Gazelle will revise their original quote if the phone is not EXACTLY as described. And if you don’t like their “revised” offer, you only have 5 days to Decline it. If you decline, they will ship the phone back to you, but YOU will pay for shipping.
Pros: Quick and easy to get a quote. Based on my comparison, pays the MOST for our used phone. Pays either via Check, PayPal, or Amazon Gift Card.
Cons: Many online reviews stating people got a revised offer which was too low. They don’t pay until phone is reviewed by their team. They don’t accept all phone models.
Sounds like a good option?
Sell your phone on Gazelle today!
3. Buyback Boss
Buyback Boss is a highly rated program on Trustpilot. With over 1,000 reviews, they seem to have built a reputation for simple, hassle-free transactions.
Buyback Boss may not have the highest initial quotes, but they price match with their Buyback Boss “Highest Online Offer Guarantee”. Here’s the proof direct from their website.
The process to sell is simple:
- On the Homepage, select “Get Started”
- Select your device brand
- Select your device model
- Select your provider
- Select storage size
- Select phone Condition
Buyback Boss will create a quote for you. Then just enter your email address and select “Get Paid.” They will email you a FREE shipping label for you to ship your device in. Once received and inspected, Buyback Boss will send payment via Check or PayPal.
**IMPORTANT: To get the highest offer, search the other programs here and find the highest quoted price. Then simple email pricematch@buybackboss.com with a link to the higher offer, and they will adjust your offer to match. For example, my $125 offer is automatically $162 to match the highest quoted price for my phone.
Pros: Highest price guarantee. Simple quoting process. Free Shipping. Highest rated program.
Cons: Only 2 payment methods (check and PayPal).
Ready to make some cash? Use Buyback Boss today!
4. OCBuyback
OCBuyback is similar to other re-sellers in that they will pay cash for your phone, and pay for your shipping as well.
Selling your phone is just a few simple steps:
- On the homepage, select “Sell Cell Phone” and select your brand
- Select your model (i.e. Samsung Galaxy S8)
- Select your carrier, storage capacity of phone, and condition of the phone
- Select “Click To Sell Now”
- Input shipping and payment info and select “sell my device”
You will receive and email with your FREE shipping label and instructions on how to send in your device.
Once the phone is received, the OCBuyback team will inspect it to make sure it matches your description, and then pay you by Check or PayPal (typically within 2 business days).
Selling Tips
Make sure your device is exactly as described. If not, they will contact you with a Revised price, and you have 3 days to accept or reject the offer. If you don’t like the evaluation, you can request a 2nd evaluation. If you reject their offers, they will return your device FREE of charge.
Pros: Simple to get a quote. Free shipping. FREE RETURNS if you don’t like the quote. Very high rating on Trustpilot.
Cons: May lower price upon evaluation. Only 3 days to respond to Revised price. Only 2 payment methods (Check, and PayPal).
Check out your phone today and see if OCBuyback will pay you top dollar!
5. Swopsmart
Swopsmart is another re-seller that will pay cash for your old cell phone.
As you can see, based on our specific phone model, Swopsmart was the lowest offer we received.
And similar to other re-sellers, listing is simple:
- On the homepage, select “Start Selling” and select your device
- Select your carrier
- Select your exact device model
- Select the device condition, and you will be shown a quote
- Select “Get Paid” and fill out the email and shipping details to get your shipping label
Once Swopsmart receives the device, they will inspect to ensure it matches your description, and then will process your payment within 24 hours. They will pay out via Check or PayPal.
Selling Tips
Make sure your phone is exactly as described. If you don’t want to dig out a box and bubble wrap, simply ask Swopsmart for the “Shipping Kit”, and they’ll send it to you, free of charge!
Pros: Free Shipping kit (includes label, box and cushioning). 30-day price guarantee.
Cons: Lowest price quoted. Only 2 payment methods (Check and PayPal).
If you want the shipping taken care of, give Swopsmart a try today!
6. Swappa
Swappa is an online marketplace where you can sell your phone to private buyers (think “eBay” for only electronics).
You can list your phone on their marketplace, and price it at whatever price you feel is fair.
To list your phone, it’s pretty straightforward:
- On the homepage, select your phone brand (iPhone, Samsung, etc.)
- Select your exact model
- Select your carrier
- Select “Sell Your Phone”
- Sign up for a Swappa account to complete your listing
Selling Tips
The best way to list your phone is to look “All Listings”, and see what price other comparable phones are listed at. Then list your JUST BELOW the lowest price, which will help you sell VERY quickly.
Since shipping is NOT free for the seller, I highly recommend including the shipping cost in your total price, so they buyers pay one price for the item. Also, include as many pictures as possible, from ALL angles to showcase the condition of your phone.
Pros: Swappa allows YOU to set the price, you may be able to get more $$$ from your phone this way. A large pool of potential buyers. Option for selling “Local” to avoid shipping costs or disputes about the condition of the phone.
Cons: You have to pay for shipping. Phone may not sell quickly (not an instant transaction). Dealing with buyer disputes if there are arguments over the condition if the phone. Offers for phone may be lower than listing price.
If you think you can get more cash buy using Swappa, you can list your phone today!
7. eBay
Bay is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world. You can sell your phone through a private sale to another user.
To list your phone, you need to create an eBay account (you can sign in the Facebook or Google), and create your listing.
- After you are signed in, go to the eBay Cell Phone Page
- Select the make/model of your phone
- Select the carrier, capacity, and color
- Select the condition of the phone
- Select any accessories the phone comes with
- Select “Continue To List”
- Add description details and pictures
- Turn off “Auction” and select “Buy It Now” as the only option
Complete the rest of the listing, and list on eBay.
Selling Tips
List close to the bottom price of other sellers for a quicker sale. Ensure you include as many pictures as possible, from ALL angles to showcase the condition of your phone. Be as accurate as possible about the condition of your phone.
Pros: You list the price.
Cons: Seller beware, buyers can report you and ask for a refund with complaints like “not in described condition”, or “never received item.” Ensure you get delivery verification through your shipping. Item make take longer to sell.
If you want to give eBay a shot, start HERE
What To Do Before You Sell
Now that you’ve compared the top places to sell your cell phone, there are a few quick steps before shipping off your old phone.
Backup Your Phone
This is the MOST critical step before sending you phone in. You don’t want to LOSE OUT on your pictures and other important information on your cell phone.
For Android phones, simply go to Settings > Accounts and Backup > Backup and Restore and select the option to back up to your Google account.
For iPhones, go to Settings > iCloud > Backup and make sure it is turned on.
And to make sure all your data gets to your new phone, I highly recommend purchasing your new phone BEFORE shipping off the old one. You can then simply transfer your data to the new one before deleting everything.
For photos, I prefer the Google Photos App, as it allows unlimited photos to back up to my Google account.
Reset Phone To Factory Defaults
You want to make sure you don’t send your phone off with all your personal information included! Make sure you reset everything back to factory default, the way it came out of the box.
For Android, go to Settings > General > Reset and select Factory Data Reset.
For iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset and then select Erase All Content and Settings.
Sell Your Old Cell Phone For Cash!
It’s easier than ever to get the most cash from your old cell phone. Using one of the above services will quickly get rid of your unused phone, and put hundreds back into your bank account (or toward your DEBT PAYOFF).
Ready? Set? SELL!
Have you used any of these services? Would love to hear how it worked for you!
This came at the perfect timing! I’m about to sell one of my old cell phones and I definitely want to get the most money 🙂
Glad to be of service 🙂 These sites are insanely useful, especially Swappa. Happy selling!
Totally wish this post had come 1 day earlier, as I just sent our old phones for cash today. And for some reason didn’t do enough research (which is not like me) to find out that the website is indeed a scamming website. Pretty devastating being played like that. So glad you are warning others so they don’t make this mistake.
AHhh, so sorry to hear, Jennifer. That’s the worst feeling ever, getting scammed. I’ve had it happen a few times, and there’s nothing more frustrating.
On the bright side, it’s another lesson learned, and now you know where to point people if they are looking to sell their phones. 🙂
We’ve had a run of good luck selling our old phones to friends of ours. Or, we’ve used them for so long that we can’t get much for it… so we end up donating. Either way, none of the hassles and headaches. 🙂
I hate selling electronics to people I know (though i do it all the time), because then I become that person’s personal IT specialist 🙂
And yeah, anything worth under $50, I’d just donate to Operation Gratitude or another worthy cause.
I have not sold any phones yet, but I have purchased a phone off of Swappa and I know two people that have done so as well. Since you can always ask the seller to provide more pictures and the phone status must be “clean” I have not had any problems purchasing a phone off of there.
I’ll be selling 3 phones in the next few weeks, looks like a straightforward process, great for buyers AND sellers 🙂
So many places here in Canada have free WiFi I don’t pay for data and always buy unlocked phones
Wifi is everywhere! That’s why Data Plans are becoming obsolete. I hear you on unlocked phones, definitely a good idea 🙂
Republic Wireless actually built their company on this premise. They do all voice calls and texting over WiFi too when you are connected.
Wow nothing like republic wireless exists in canada. Our cell plans are controlled by a few big companies. Not as much competition as USA.
My cell phones always die or break. I have never gotten a new one while my old one still worked. And yes, I do have a cell phone graveyard in one of my desk drawers.
Holly, Swappa.com has a “graveyard” section where you can sell your broken phones as well! You can still get a little cash for those!
I have many old smartphones lying around and I never think of to sell them anywhere as all of them suggested me to keep it with myself and they are not worth anything to sell. Thanks for such helpful post!