Unwanted or broken, your old mobile can still ring up a return
A WAVE of must-have mobile gadgets will be launched next month. But if you upgrade, don’t leave your old handset lying in a drawer – you can turn it into cash.
Dozens of companies will pay from £5 to more than £200 for a secondhand phone, depending on its make and quality. These firms make profits by restoring the handsets and selling them to customers in Africa, South America and Asia.
Colin White, managing director of second-hand phone comparison website sellmymobile.com, says as the trend catches on the mobile recycling industry is growing by about 25 per cent a year.
He adds: ‘Last month £1.5million worth of mobile phones were sold on our website. With new phone and tablet launches, we are expecting a spike in trading as people cash in their old gadgets to help pay for upgrades.’
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 and a mini-iPad next month. Microsoft, Samsung and Google are also releasing new phones and tablets.
Hundreds of models trade on the second-hand market with the most popular being from Apple. An iPhone 4 in good condition commands a second-hand price of £200. BlackBerry is also a popular tradein, accounting for four in ten sales. The average price offered through sellmymobile.com – which compares 36 separate dealers – is £60.
Although mobile phones make up the vast majority of sales, the iPad, launched two years ago, has also spawned a healthy secondhand market. The iPad 3 can be sold for £400, while a Blackberry PlayBook can change hands for as much as £300.
White says: ‘You need to make the decision to sell quickly, as items can halve in value within just six months. As new items are launched demand for the older models falls along with the price they can fetch.’
Condition is key but even a phone that does not work can command a price, though it may be a quarter of that of an item in tip-top condition. A perfect iPhone 4 may fetch between £180 and £220, depending on memory capacity, but might sell for £60 if in non-working condition. Other damage, such as dents, may leave it worthless. Screen cracks, which can be repaired, may knock 20 per cent off the final price offered.
An estimated 100million mobiles lie forgotten in drawers or the back of cupboards. Despite this growing industry, less than ten per cent are
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recycled. Before selling it may be necessary to provide an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) 15-digit number to show a phone is not reported stolen. Sellers should also wipe mobile memories to stop personal details including photographs and contacts being shared with a buyer.
Research by security company CPP has found half of all secondhand phones still contain personal information about the seller. It is also important to remove passwords, security locks and opt to ‘return to factory settings’ before handing over a handset.
Hannah Ammerson, 26, from Stoke Newington, north London, sold her old iPhone 3GS for £97 last year to the mobile phone recycler mazumamobile.com. She used the money to upgrade to an iPhone 4.
Events manager Hannah says: ‘I was dubious about selling a phone using an online service. But I got the money in a couple of days and I put it straight towards a new phone. It would have been easy to have just forgotten about the old handset and let it collect dust – but that would have been such a waste of money.’
Mobile phones and other electronics can also be recycled as donations. Charities such as Computer Aid International take old computers and accessories such as monitors and keyboards and refurbish them before using them to help those in need abroad. More than half the computers it receives end up at schools in Africa and South America and some are donated to hospitals and doctors living in remote areas.
Viviane Walker, marketing officer at Computer Aid International, in Enfield, north London, says: ‘If you are upgrading your computer equipment, whether you are a company or individual, we would love your old items as long as they are not obsolete.
‘We ask donors to drop off their computers with us, but we fix and refurbish them for free and we will make sure they go to those who need and are able to use them.’