SAN ANTONIO – On launch day for the shiniest new Apple iPhone, there was no shortage of people ready to bite.
“You have to have the newest,” said Frank Anderson, who was seventh in line to pick up his pre-ordered iPhone XS at the Alamo Quarry Verizon Wireless store.
But what about the old phones?
“If they own the device, they definitely tend to trade in,” said Ivan Dominguez, Verizon Wireless store manager.
“Just gonna trade it in. It goes toward my value, you know?” said Krystine Marcano, a customer.
If you’re getting rid of an old phone, the price you get depends not only on the model, age and condition of the phone but where you sell or trade-in.
An online check for selling an iPhone 8, silver, 64 GB in good working order with no scratches found a range of offers. Verizon offered as much as $340, Apple offered up to $350 and Best Buy offered up to $285. Those were for credit toward the purchase of a new phone or a store gift card. If you want cold hard cash, there are several online buyers. For the same iPhone 8, Gazelle quoted $240 and Nextworth offered $275. Even if that phone had a cracked screen, USell offered up to $91.
Sellers may be able to get more for their old phones on apps such as OfferUp or marketplaces such as Craigslist, Facebook or ebay.
Selling isn’t the only option for old phones. Some charities gladly accept used working phones. Retailers also have drop-off boxes for recycling electronics.