Take the opportunity to make money by selling your smartphone rather than leaving it in a drawer. The more time passes, the more the device loses its value. OTC = high resale value in theory BUT high competition and time consuming. Resale to a professional take-back site = time saving, payment security and participation in the circular economy BUT lower resale value.

Take two seconds to answer this question: how many unused smartphones do you still have at home? According to recent statistics, the average household has 4-5 unused smartphones somewhere in the household. According to Recupel, this represents more than 2.3 million mobile phones.

Why do we keep unused equipment?

There are a number of excellent reasons why we might keep them: we plan to give them to a family member, perhaps as a backup smartphone in case theirs has a problem, out of nostalgia (unlike a TV or washing machine, their size makes them easy to keep), out of concern for what will happen to the personal data contained in the memory, or even to turn them into a smart gadget for the home (e.g. connected camera, monitoring of home settings). All these reasons are legitimate. But it is also possible to look at old smartphones in a different light.

Recycle your old appliances!

Indeed, recent smartphones are a concentrate of technology and are incredibly powerful. There is a tendency to assume that the latest models are already outdated after a few months. But most of the time this is not the case and it is quite possible that your smartphones sleeping in the drawer are still valuable. And that’s money that can reduce the cost of your next smartphone!

But let’s be realistic: no matter how you look at it, you won’t get enough from the resale of your old smartphone to buy the next one, especially if you are considering buying the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. But resold in a smart way, the money collected from an old device will reduce the bill!

It is important to note that the resale value of an appliance will depend on the model, its age and its appearance. Chances are, the longer you wait to resell your smartphone, the lower its resale value will be. So if you’re thinking of selling it, don’t wait any longer!

Resell by mutual agreement

The channel with the highest resale value is the OTC channel via eg. the 2ieme main platform. That said, the process is time consuming. You need to be prepared to create an advertisement, write the content, add photos, filter the offers received, answer questions, negotiate the price, arrange the meeting with the buyer (not always risk-free) or take care of the packing and shipping.

Ebay represents a close second hand option with the possibility to put your device at a fixed price or at auction. However, do not forget to take into account the commissions and fees retained by the platform for the use of its services.

The positive aspect of this sales channel is that your ad will be seen by as many people as possible. The downside is that there is a lot of competition on this type of platform and your ad will quickly be lost in the crowd. It should also be remembered that one of the downsides is the time you will spend creating your ad and managing your sale.

Resell to a professional trade-in site

There are professional trade-in sites where you can sell your smartphone. These sites are probably the fastest and safest way to add value to your equipment. However, the proposed repurchase price will be lower than in OTC. Let’s try to understand why.

What does the company that buys your phone actually do? First of all, it will go through expert hands to analyse it, to define if it is 100% functional, to check that the battery is still in good condition, or to define its aesthetic condition. The idea is, of course, to be able to put the device back on the second-hand market at a later date, which may require one or more repair operations. Then comes the time spent reselling the smartphone and managing the associated logistics. The whole process can be seen as a turnkey, hassle-free service: you entrust the resale of your phone to a professional who takes care of all the necessary steps for its resale. The latter therefore takes into account the remuneration of its service when making a repurchase offer, which explains why it is less expensive than over-the-counter.

In contrast to OTC, these companies are interested in all types of smartphones, both those in good condition and those with one or more defects (e.g. broken screen). The first step to reselling your smartphone on the trade-in site is usually to answer a short and simple questionnaire about the condition of your device. Based on your answers, a first estimate of the value of the smartphone will be determined. You will then have the choice of whether or not to entrust the resale of your smartphone to the company. In the positive, you will be asked to send the smartphone to the company via a prepaid parcel that the company will send you. Once received by the company, the device will be analysed to confirm the initial offer. Of course, if the analyses reveal functional and/or aesthetic defects that were not indicated in the questionnaire responses, the company will make you a lower offer than the one initially communicated. You will then always be free to accept it or not. In the latter case, you should receive your smartphone back, usually at your expense. If you intend to resell your device, it is therefore in your interest to answer the questionnaire as honestly as possible to avoid any surprises after analysis.

It should be remembered that it is still possible to sell your smartphone back to your telephone operator by going to one of its sales outlets. Unlike a trade-in site, which is the operator’s core business, the trade-in of equipment is not. The idea for the latter is more to facilitate the sale of a new product (e.g. subscription) by taking over your smartphone than to really bring a new source of income to the operator. The price and service are therefore likely to be much less attractive.

Note that all the topics mentioned in this article also apply to tablets!