If your family are anything like mine, you might have old mobile phones stashed in drawers, re-used shoe boxes and various hiding spots around the house. You might even have a spare phone that you use to give your little ones to play games or watch their favorite children’s shows.

Well, it might be time to dust them off and make a little extra cash for Christmas as these old phones might still be worth something to someone. Apple iPhone 7’s can still fetch a decent price, and if you want to join the thousands of others who are cashing in on your family’s old and unused mobile phones – it couldn’t be easier.

Mobile phone recycling.

‘Mobile phone recycling’ is a way that you can turn those phones into cash and is a fast, easy and stress-free way of getting quick cash for your old phones, and it can be done by anyone with little or no technical experience. You might be tempted to go and try to sell it on one of the many auction sites that are available – but with the added fees attached to selling on these sites and the problems and pitfalls that come with them, is it really worth the time and effort to try?

 

But where can I sell them?

I myself own an iPhone 7 32gb, which has been a great phone for me and my baby over the years – I am interested in the next model but with the holidays coming, I am not sure if I can afford to upgrade without making cut-backs around the home. So, after browsing various selling sites, I saw that there were a lot of people selling them and some of these sellers seem to have been doing this for years – they have better feedback than me and even have better adverts. In all honesty, I ended up thinking ‘is it worth all the hassle and whatnot?’.

 

Sellmymobile.com

I was nearly giving up and thinking of using it as a player for Peppa Pig – but it was then that I accidentally stumbled on mobile phone recycling websites like Sell My Mobile. They have a search box where you can input the model of the phone and see what companies are currently paying. After this, you are given a list of prices that allow you to find the best deals for used iPhones. I genuinely did not realize that the market was so competitive, and the prices offered were higher (and sometimes lower) than I expected. However, having that information to-hand allowed me to quickly compare and see how much I could get. Most offer-free postage and have a quick payment window, so you can expect to have your money in your account within days (sometimes the same day).

If you’re worried about getting less than it is worth, price comparison websites offer you the opportunity to see each company and how they like to do things. Even if your phone is damaged or broken, sellmymobile.com allow you to compare based on whether your mobile is working or not. But don’t expect loads of cash if your old phone has been used as a teething soother or dribble bucket 🙂

Is my phone in good enough condition? 

To see if your phone is in good enough condition – use this quick little guide:

Can you turn it on/off?

Can you use it in the day without problems?

Can you see and use the screen normally?

Can you charge it okay?

Is it free from water damage?

 

If you can answer yes to the above checklist (bumps and scratches are usually fine), then your phone would be ‘in working condition’ – if not, it would be counted as broken. Other things to look out for are if it turns on and off by itself, crackly sounding phone conversations (from little ones spit getting in the mouthpiece) and any big marks or nicks.

 

Give it a go.

 

It takes five minutes of your time to check, and you don’t have to jump through hoops to do it. Whatever phone it is and whatever condition, you might just be surprised at what you can get. One important thing to remember is that if you think about auction sites, remember the fees and postage costs as well as time and effort.