Trade-in vs selling: Which is the better option for your old phone?

Of course, how much you get for it won't only depend on the make and condition of the phone you want to give up, but the means by which you get rid of it — whether that's taking it into a shop to exchange or by selling it yourself.

This method offers a great many upsides over selling your phone yourself: you don't have to worry about anyone running off without paying (à la Facebook Marketplace) or whether your listing is seen in the first place, not to mention taking photographs and monitoring the account for purchase inquiries. On the other hand, you make much less money trading-in compared to selling yourself, as the cost of convenience comes out of the value you get back. Take the iPhone 17, for instance, which retails at $899 in the US. Apple's trade-in page asserts that the maximum value when returned (which assumes the phone is essentially good as new) will only be $585. Moreover, an Apple store will only pay you back in a discount or store credit. The same applies to Samsung, Best Buy, and many other retailers.

Of course, this will mean much more preparation, and you may even want to get an expert evaluation, such as the service Apple provides at its stores, before pulling the trigger. You'll need accurate details regarding the make and condition of the phone, as well as the right keywords in your listing to make it visible.

Regardless of whether you're trading-in or selling yourself, you'll need to take some steps to prepare your phone before offloading it . Make sure your data and passwords are backed up and that your old phone is scrubbed clean — log out of all accounts and factory reset the phone.