How do you sell your phone? What do you do if you haven't received your money? What constitutes a broken phone? We answer all your frequently asked questions
Who are SellMyMobile.com?
We are a mobile phone recycling comparison website, and part of Decision Technologies Ltd. Our goal is to help you get the most money for your old phones, by letting you compare all the possible options from dozens of recycling companies.
Please note that we are not a recycler ourselves - we simply provide the comparison engine on our site so you can choose a buyer to sell your phone to. Your phone will be sent to, purchased by, and ultimately recycled by one of the many merchants we work with.
How do I contact SellMyMobile.com?
Please see our Contact Us page.
I sent my mobile and I haven't received my money - what do I do?
Note that SellMyMobile is a comparison site, and as such does not buy mobile phones. If you send your phone to a recycler and do not receive your payment, you'll need to contact the buyer directly.
When you placed your order with the phone buyer, you should have received an email confirmation from them with their details and how to contact them. Get in touch with their customer service department - they should be able to help you with payment issues.
Bear in mind that it can take several working days for payment to come through after you send your phone off.
If you continue to experience problems with a recycler, contact SellMyMobile's customer service department.
I haven't received a postage pack - what do I do?
After you accept an offer on your phone and receive a confirmation email, the recycler should send you a postage pack within a few days. If more than a week or so has passed and you still haven't received it, contact the recycler's customer service department directly.
How do I know that the recycler has received my phone?
The recycler should send a confirmation email as soon as they receive your phone. If you're concerned about your phone reaching them safely, you have the option to send it yourself via Royal Mail Special Delivery so you can track your order.
Postage packs can take several days to reach their destination. However, if more than a week or so has passed and you haven't received confirmation, contact the company directly via the contact information on the initial email they sent you.
How much is my phone worth?
To find out how much your phone is worth, enter the name and model into the search box on our site. Our comparison tool will show you all the mobile recycling companies we work with who have offers on that particular phone, and what price they're offering.
Remember to select which network your phone is locked to, and whether it's brand new, working, or broken, as this can all affect its worth. Make sure you select the version with the right internal storage capacity too.
I don't know what model my phone is - how do I find out?
Look in the 'About this phone' or 'About this device' section of your phone's settings - you may have to look up how to find this on your phone's operating system.
Alternatively, look in the user manual, on the back of the phone, or on the manufacturer's website.
Can I still get cash for my phone if it's broken or doesn't work?
Yes, almost certainly. The majority of buyers featured on our site will still pay you for a phone that doesn't work, though quotes are usually lower for broken phones.
To see how much you can get for your broken phone, type its name and model into the search bar, and select the 'broken' condition on the comparison table.
What's the definition of a broken or non-working phone?
The difference between a working phone, broken phone, and completely unsellable phone varies slightly between buyers, but there are a few rules of thumb.
To be considered a working phone, it should:
- Turn on and off with no issue
- Work normally, with a functioning operating system
- Have a mostly undamaged body - though a scuff or two from everyday use is fine
- Have a working screen
- Have a working battery
If it can be used as a working phone, that's what the buyer will treat it as, and will pay accordingly.
A phone usually counts as 'broken' if it:
- Does not switch on
- Has a broken, cracked, or bleeding screen
- Has a corrupt operating system
- Has a broken or faulty speaker, microphone, aerial, buttons, or battery
- Has major chips and dents on its body
- Does not have a battery
However, it's unlikely to get any money from a recycler at all if it is:
- Water damaged
- Twisted or snapped in two
- A counterfeit device
These definitions are a general guide. We recommend checking the terms and conditions of your chosen phone buyer to double check before you sell.
What is an IMEI number?
IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It's a 15-digit serial number unique to your phone. It's what identifies your handset, and can be used by networks to mark it as lost or stolen, or bar it from connecting to networks if necessary. Mobile recycling companies sometimes ask for it upfront, and they always check it once they receive the phone, so they can tell whether they can legally buy it or not.
You can find out yours by typing *#06# into the keypad, or looking it up your phone's settings.
Can I sell a lost or stolen phone?
No - that would be an illegal sale. When a company receives a phone reported as lost or stolen, they won't pay for it, and in some circumstances may have to contact the police.
If the phone is indeed yours, and you're the one who reported it, contact your network to revoke the report before selling it.
Can I sell my phone if it's been network barred?
No. Phone recycling companies will not buy network barred phones.
To sell your phone, you'll need to remove the network bar first - which you can do by contacting your network.
How long will my quote be valid for?
Most phone buyers will keep their offer open for around 14 days, so it's always best to take a good offer as soon as possible.
Sometimes, however, recyclers may revise their quote after receiving your phone. This may happen if it's in a different condition to what they were expecting. In that case, you have the option to either accept or reject the new quote.
What do I need to send in the postage pack?
You need to send the phone you're selling, with its battery. As for how to package it, there are some recommendations you should follow:
- Perform a factory reset on the phone and fully charge the battery.
- Secure the phone against movement in the postage pack, such as by using stiff cardboard.
- Don't send more than two phones in a single package.
Many recyclers accept charges and accessories in the pack too, though this isn't required.
Do not include SIM cards, SD cards, or anything else that contains your data - most buyers are not able to return them.
Will I have to pay for postage?
Generally, no - most phone buyers featured on our site include a free postage service. Some don't, however, so it's best to check this in advance.
Even if free postage is offered, you can send your phone via another method if you prefer, such as Royal Mail Special Delivery or a courier service. This is especially recommended if you're sending a high value phone or multiple handsets at once.
You should also be very careful when you package your item to make sure it doesn't get damaged during transit. Rigid cardboard packaging is the best way to do this, with bubble wrap or card to cushion the phone.
How will I be paid?
The phone buyers on our site use many different methods of payment, giving you plenty of choice over how you get paid. The most common methods are:
- Bank transfer
- PayPal
- Cheque
- Voucher or gift card
- Charity donation
Payment is usually sent out a day or two after the buyer has received your phone and checked it over.
What happens to my phone after I send it?
A lot of phones are refurbished and repaired, then sold on - often in markets in areas such as China, India, Africa, and Latin America.
If it can't be resold - if it's badly damaged, or if it's a very old model, for instance - it'll have all its parts removed, recyclable elements and minerals extracted, and the company will dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way.
How many phones can I sell?
You can sell as many phones as you want - there's no limit. If you're selling a large number to a single company, they may even offer a free courier service to make sure they get your gadgets safely.
However, you may get a better deal on your tech by selling your phones separately to whichever company offers you the best price for each one.
I can't find my phone on the site - can I still sell it?
Probably not, sorry. We get our phone information directly from the buyers featured on our site. We're afraid that if your phone doesn't show up in the search results, none of the companies we work with are currently offering to buy that model.
How do I get in touch about your best price guarantee?
We pay out the difference if you find a quote on a recycling company’s website that’s higher than the equivalent on our website, SellMyMobile.com. For example, if you sold your phone for £100 and found a deal for £110, we’d pay out £10! There’s a criteria that our team use to break down what’s what for each guarantee, so head to this page to find out more.
How does your comparison service work?
We compare deals from top phone, tablet, and personal electronic device buyers and recyclers to get you the best quote - we don't buy your device ourselves.
Just tell us your device name and condition and we'll give you quotes. Then, post it to your chosen recycler and get paid. It's that easy.
Our device recycling comparison service is powered by MoneySuperMarket.