How Much Is Your Phone Worth in the New Instant Selling Program on EBay?
There are a million different ways to sell your old phone before you buy something shiny, new, and probably a lot more expensive than your old device. While the classic advice is to just “buy your phone on eBay” – if you still don’t believe in Craigslist and don’t want to have fun with the Facebook Marketplace – you have two options if you want to sell your smartphone at the giant auction house. You can put it up for auction just as you have done since unloading your Beanie Baby collection, or you can try eBay’s new Instant Selling program.
If your old smartphone meets the criteria – eBay has ahuge list of FAQs and an online selling wizard that you can use to find out if it’s there – then eBay will buy your device directly. (Technically, you’re selling it to CExchange, but eBay makes the deal easier.) You enter the specifications of your device, state its condition, detail what accessories you still have, and eBay will give you a price. Accept the transaction and you will submit your device for review, hoping that CExchange agrees with your assessment. However, you will immediately receive an eBay voucher to use with the service, which is nice. Waiting for your “cash” through other services can be annoying.
Your eBay voucher limits are you, well, eBay, so it won’t be as good as getting cash (or digital cash payment) for your device. That said, if you do a lot of eBay – or if the deal is right – you can do a pretty decent job of donating your device for instant sale on eBay.
I took a look at a few phones that are eligible for the eBay service, and here’s how eBay’s offerings compare to other selling services you may want to use. (Note: you will need to buy a shipping label in order to use eBay, and you will also receive a 10 percent final payment fee. These prices do not reflect this or other fees charged by other providers. You can never avoid fees.)
Apple iPhone X
Specifications: 256GB, Unlocked, Space Gray, CDMA + GSM, Used, Excellent Condition, All Original Accessories.
EBay Instant Sale: $ 714
Regular eBay auction: about $ 700-750
Exchange to Amazon: not available
Gazelle: $ 495
Swappa: around $ 730-850
Apple Exchange: $ 500.
Summary: You can roll the dice by listing your iPhone X on eBay and you can get a little more, but you can’t. You probably won’t be able to get $ 800 for an iPhone X right now without heading to a site like Swappa. And even then, you roll the dice a little. It’s worth a try, though, if you can get $ 800 for it. Otherwise, eBay’s instant voucher – minus the fees you’ll also have to pay on a site like Swappa – isn’t a bad deal, especially since you’re guaranteed a sale.
Apple iPhone 8
Specifications: 64GB, Unlocked, Space Gray, CDMA + GSM, Used, Excellent Condition, All Original Accessories.
EBay Instant Sale: $ 400
Regular eBay Auction: Probably $ 350-400 (with some variation from $ 500).
Exchange to Amazon: $ 255
Gazelle: $ 245
Swappa: $ 500-700
Apple Swap: $ 275
Bottom Line : If you’re looking to part with your old iPhone, I’ll definitely try Swappa first. The Instant Voucher program on eBay works much better than Amazon, Gazelle, or Apple’s exchange, but you can probably get between $ 100 and $ 300 extra on Swappa. May the chances of resale always be in your favor.
Google Pixel 2
Features: unlocked, 128 GB, black, used, excellent condition, all original accessories.
EBay Instant Sale: $ 383
Regular eBay auction: $ 380-420.
Exchange to Amazon: $ n / a
Gazelle: $ 245
Swappa: $ 450-475
Apple Swap: $ 200
Summary : Again, Swappa comes out on top, but not in large numbers. If you don’t find buyers on the service, I would probably try a regular eBay auction. Even at a low level, you will probably still get close to what you would get from an instant voucher – and you will not be stuck with “money on eBay.”
Samsung Galaxy S8
Features: unlocked, 64 GB, black, used, excellent condition, all original accessories.
EBay Instant Sale: $ 246
Regular eBay auction: $ 175-380.
Exchange to Amazon: $ 170
Gazelle: $ 185
Swappa: $ 300-320
Apple Swap: $ 150
Summary: It’s tricky. I couldn’t settle for a good selling price for the Samsung Galaxy S8 on eBay because the range is huge. Some are lucky enough to get pretty high scores for their one and a half year old smartphones, others get a little better than Apple’s exchange office (phew). EBay’s instant coupon program sits right in the middle. Swappa might be your best bet if there is a lot of interest, but after that I will probably go with the instant voucher. You don’t want to give up the extra $ 100, do you?
Is eBay Instant Selling a great deal?
It’s best to try Swappa for a few days. If you don’t have buyers, you can try the Instant Selling program. It’s nice to have a guaranteed sale, since you never know exactly what your old smartphone can be sold for – more expensive, great! below is bad! – if you go the eBay auction route. Sending your device straight to eBay won’t make you rich, but you won’t be upset if your auction doesn’t go as planned either.
If you’re looking to sell a new device, you probably won’t be able to use eBay’s Instant Selling program. Of course, if you are already looking to ditch your iPhone XR or Pixel 3, you should go to the store and really try out your next big smartphone purchase before buying it.
I would avoid more established exchange services like Apple or third-party exchange services like Gazelle unless you want your money to be tied to the eBay platform. This is one of the obvious downsides of the Instant Voucher program on eBay, but it’s not such a big deal if you’re going to use that credit to buy a new smartphone (via an eBay auction). You can also look into many other exchange services, such as your smartphone’s mobile operator, to see if you can get a better deal.