How to sell smartphones

I would also like to point out that in addition to being available in the form of an Internet site, Subito.it can also be used via an app for  Android , iOS and Windows mobile devices  . The operation of the application is practically the same as that of the site.

How to sell smartphones

Are you planning to buy a new mobile phone and are you thinking of covering part of the expense by selling your current smartphone? Sounds like a great idea to me, really! However, if you are here now and are reading these lines, it seems clear to me that you do not yet have very clear ideas on how to sell smartphones and would therefore like to receive some useful tips on what to do. I am wrong? No, indeed. Well, given the situation, why don't you take a few minutes of free time and concentrate on reading this article of mine entirely dedicated to the topic in question?

In fact, below you will find a list of sites that allow you to sell smartphones on the Internet, guaranteeing a sufficiently large audience of potential buyers. Some of these sites allow you to insert ads a bit like the classic paper newspapers, others allow you to create real online auctions while on still others it is even possible to fix the withdrawal of used mobile phones in order to obtain discounts on the 'purchase of new devices. For the sake of completeness of information, it will also be my concern to show you what are the basic rules to follow to create a good ad, to be able to win the trust of the public and increase the chances that sales can be successful.

So, if you're actually interested in finding out how you can go about trying to sell smartphones, I suggest you don't waste any more valuable time and immediately start focusing on reading this article. Obviously, I can't promise you anything but for sure if you follow the suggestions and directions I am about to give you, you will see that the results will come sooner or later. Happy reading and above all… good luck!

Ad sites

As I told you in the previous lines, one of the most popular systems for viewing smartphones is to appeal to those Internet sites that allow you to create real online ads. Among the many available, I invite you to try  Ebay.com . In case you've never heard of it… let's fix it right away! It is a famous portal through which users have, in fact, the possibility to advertise their goods, to be contacted by third parties via email or telephone number and to sell them at the desired price. The site is suitable for the sale of the most diverse products, from everyday objects to technological ones, from books to used cars.

Before explaining in detail how to take advantage of the service, let me give you some little common sense tips that will surely help you to attract more potential buyers.

  • Insert in the advertisement all the technical and physical details of the mobile phone you decide to sell. If you don't know where to find the technical specifications, keep in mind that generally you just need to visit the website of the manufacturer of the device or an online store such as Amazon.
  • Complete your ad by inserting more  real photos of the device in your possession. Don't take pictures from the web, shoppers want to see what the item you're trying to sell really looks like.
  • Highlight any defects on the mobile phone (e.g. marks on the body, dents, etc.). Being clear and honest in your listing increases the buyers' confidence rate in the buyer and will allow you to avoid any future trifles.
  • Try to  respond  politely and politely to all the answers you receive. A single minute late or a "misplaced" response could make you lose a potential buyer since, I'm sorry to remind you, but it's not just you selling used smartphones on the net!
  • Specify the age, shipping, and warranty details of the phone within the listing.
  • Set honest  prices  or at least in line with those of similar advertisements on the site.

To try the service, connect to the home of Subito.it and then click on the  Insert ad button  located at the top right. Once this is done, you will find yourself in front of the form to fill out in order to place your ad to start selling on the Internet. Then select the Telephony category  from the drop-down menu located next to the  Category entry and the Cell Phones and Smartphones category from the Type menu and then check the For sale  option  under the Ad Type  entry  .

Proceed by uploading one or more photos you have taken on the used cell phone you want to sell on the Internet, enter a title for your ad, a description text (try to be as detailed as possible) and indicate the price. Also specify the municipality in which the smartphone is located and choose whether to show the location on the map or not.

Finally, fill in the fields displayed on the screen by typing your name and your e-mail address. Then add your phone number and, depending on what your preferences are, choose whether or not to hide it from those who will view the ad by ticking the appropriate box.

Then choose a password to associate with your reserved area and type it twice in the appropriate fields, add the check mark next to the box referring to the terms of use of the service and then press the  Continue button .

After having carried out all these steps, you will receive an e-mail message from the Subito.it team at the previously specified email address. The message contains a link to click in order to validate the announcement. Once you have confirmed your willingness to publish the announcement, the Subito.it team will assess that the latter does not violate the rules of the service and will publish it online within a few hours. Subsequently you will also receive an SMS on the mobile number indicated during registration. The message contains a security code to be entered in the appropriate Subito.it form shown on the screen in order to validate the announcement.

Keep in mind that in order to highlight your merchandise compared to that of others and, consequently, to have a better chance of selling it you need to pay small amounts of money. However, it is not compulsory, which is why you can freely choose whether to pay and obtain the relative benefits or not. To learn more about the subject, you can consult the appropriate information web page  and possibly pay to use the service that interests you.

I would also like to point out that in addition to being available in the form of an Internet site, Subito.it can also be used via an app for  Android , iOS and Windows mobile devices  . The operation of the application is practically the same as that of the site.

I also point out that, apart from Subito.it , there are several other similar classifieds sites through which it is possible to sell used smartphones. So, if Subito.it does not satisfy you or if you still want to expand your sales possibilities, try to contact the equally famous  Kijiji ,  and / or ebay.com . The modus operandi is identical!

Although ad sites turn out to be very popular, another great way to sell smartphones is undoubtedly to turn to auction sites, especially in the case of phones of a certain value.

The undisputed king of online auction services is eBay which provides a commission of 11.5% on all successful sales (to which we must add a commission of 0.35 euros per transaction + taxes on shipping costs) . The addition of the advertisements is free as well as that of the photos up to a maximum of 12 per advertisement but you pay for the inclusion of some accessory elements such as the subtitle, additional images, etc. Additionally, fees may apply if you use PayPal as a way to send and receive money. For more information, see my guide on how to sell on eBay  and my post on how PayPal works .

As far as the guidelines for the sale are concerned, even in the case of eBay the ones I have given you in the previous lines refer to Subito.it . In addition, do your utmost to create graphically curated and professional-looking ads (there are also software that allows you to do this very easily through predefined themes).

Social network

If you think that the solutions to sell smartphones that I have indicated in the previous lines are not for you or if the recommended ad sites and eBay have not brought the desired results, you can still succeed in your intent by relying on the "power" of social media network. In fact, considering that nowadays almost everything revolves around social services, trying to insert a post as a kind of ad on  Facebook  and / or  Twitter  to sell used smartphones online can certainly be an excellent idea.

In the specific case of Facebook, if you are subscribed to the service and are in contact with a large number of users, you can write and publish a post on your profile specifying the characteristics and price of the mobile phone you want to sell and maybe even adding one or more photos. Once the post is published, ask your friends to share it so as to increase the level of visibility as much as possible and, consequently, the likelihood that someone will contact you for the purchase (in this case I suggest you set the visibility of the place to  All  in order to circumvent any extractions that may be applied according to your usual settings).

I would also like to point out that on Facebook there are many groups specifically dedicated to the sale of used items online (therefore, not only mobile phones but also other). To find these groups, just use the search bar located at the top of the social network by typing in the reference keywords (eg  sale of used items  or  smartphone sales ) and selecting those of your interest attached to the  Groups section  of the list that is shown to you. Then publish a post within the group you subscribed to with price, features and photos of the object.

If, on the other hand, you have a Twitter account, have a good number of followers and are looking for a valid alternative to the above solutions, I suggest you publish a tweet with the characteristics and price of the object you want to sell as well as a photo of it. Once this is done, ask your friends for a retweet. By doing this, within a short time you could be contacted by people interested in the smartphone on sale.

Services for the collection of used items

If none of the solutions I have already proposed proves effective in being able to "place" your mobile phone, you can consider using a second-hand collection service. These are services available both online and in physical stores that allow you to deliver your used smartphone and receive in exchange sums of money (usually much lower than those that can be obtained from the direct sale of the device) or discount coupons for the purchase of other products.

Announced for the Italian market in the summer of 2020, Amazon Recommerce is the service with which Amazon, through a partner company, offers all its customers the opportunity to earn some money in exchange for their used smartphone. The evaluation of the device, of course, depends on the state of the same. To use Amazon Recommerce, all you have to do is access the main page of the site, indicate the model of your smartphone in the appropriate text field and select a suggestion from those that appear below, to indicate the exact type of mobile phone you want to put. on sale.

On the next page, indicate if the smartphone looks perfect , good or damaged ; then specify if the device turns on , the buttons and screen are functional and, in the case of iPhones, if the “Locate my iPhone” function has been disabled . Then press the Continue button , provide your personal data , check the boxes to declare that you are of age and accept the terms of use of the service and press the Continue button again .

Finally, indicate the shipping method you prefer between the prepaid shipping label and the prepaid envelope , choose whether to insure the shipment , indicate the IBAN on which to receive the payment and press the Complete collection button to confirm everything. Once the smartphone has been collected, Amazon will validate it and payment will be made within 48 hours. The final value of the device may not correspond to that indicated in the preliminary phase on the Amazon Recommerce site. For more information, see the official Amazon Recommerce FAQ .

Among the most convenient second-hand collection services available in Italy there is also BuyDifferent 's Trendevice which, however, refers only and exclusively to iPhones (and other "bitten apple" products). Its operation is extremely simple: an evaluation of the device is performed on the site, the collection is booked by courier and payment is received by bank transfer. It should be emphasized that before payment a check is made to verify the real status of the phone and then the amount due is paid. Payment is guaranteed within one week from the date of delivery of the phone.

Some telephone operators also offer services for the collection of used vehicles at the same time as number portability or the purchase of a new “branded” mobile phone. The evaluation of smartphones and tablets can be carried out directly on the operator's website or in the store. Since these are services that are not always active, I suggest you ask for more information on this directly from the relevant customer service. In this regard, you can read my posts on how to talk to a TIM operator , how to talk to a Vodafone operator , how to talk to operator 3 and how to talk to a Wind operator .

How to verify the reliability of sites and services

Have you found a new site or online service to sell smartphones and would like to try it out? Very well! However, before using it, let me give you a small but very important suggestion: evaluate its actual reliability! You ask me how? Very simple: try searching for his name on  TrustPilot .

It is a collaborative service, i.e. based on user comments, which allows you to quickly discover the degree of reliability of online shops, ad sites and second-hand collection services thanks to people who have already tried them and they tell their experiences about it (a bit like TripAdvisor with hotels and restaurants).