Selling Your Cell Phone: A Look at Your Options
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I recently upgraded to a family share plan (hooray marriage) and we got two new LG VX8600s. Thus, I need to sell my Motorola E815. I have a few of the typical options — Craigslist, eBay, donating/recycling it…
But you have other options too! Specifically tailored sites to sell your cell. Let’s take a look — are they similarly priced?
I looked at the following sites:
Also to note, Cellphone Tradeins requires you to input:
Each site, of course, is a little different. For the most part they are the same. You input the make and model, occasionally the provider you used it through. Add the condition and what accessories you have, and you are presented with a price. I’ll test with the Motorola E815, my new phone the LG VX8600, and my terribly old phone the LG VX4500. We’ll see if it matters how old the phone is.
The results are below:
A mixed bag of results! I was surprised that two of the five sites did not list my newest phone, the LG VX8600.
As you can see, the oldest phone did not have much variation in the price you could receive. One site didn’t even list it as an option — most likely from its age.
The E815 did not have a ton of variation, except for CellForCash. $11? Are they serious? That’s $1 more than the price I would receive for the VX4500 from CashMyPhone. And they are offering $48 for a brand new $200 cell phone? No thanks.
Judging from this small test, CellForCash looks like an absolute rip off. The cash you would receive for your cell there is 1/3 or 1/4 of what you could get elsewhere. SimplySellular may take your phone for nearly nothing if it is really old. Your mileage may differ.
Overall, the winners look like Cellphone Tradeins and CashMyPhone. CashMyPhone had an edge in the amount of money I would receive, but remember this is a small test of three phones. SellYourCell and SimplySellular may be decent options depending on the phone you are selling.
I also checked eBay for E815 prices and saw a few phones with bids at $46, $56, $59, $37.50 all with 12+ hours of bidding left. That would be another option if you take eBay (and PayPal) fees into consideration.
Conclusion:
It looks like I’ll be selling my two older phones to CashMyPhone. The only price I pay is shipping. 30 days after they receive my phones, I will get a check in the mail. I might make a tad bit more money on eBay, but there is also the risk I would make less. With CashMyPhone I know the exact amount I should be getting after shipping.
Updated: I ended up using Cash My Phone for a combined total of $55. Shipping cost me something like $3. My phones have been received and I should get my check in about 30 days.
Updates!: One, two, three, and four. Did I ever get my cash? Read on and find out!
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20 Responses to “Selling Your Cell Phone: A Look at Your Options”
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I had the same experience with Cashmyphone.com! I still can’t get anyone to respond to me. Do you have a number or any other contact info for them. I am ticked.
I have had the same experience with Cash my Phone. My phones were received on July 1, 2007, as of today October 12, 2007 I still have not received a check. I have sent numerous emails to them with the same response “Thanks for your patience. If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. Have a nice day!”
I am starting to feel that this site is a fraud!! I would highly recommend using a different company.
For those of you still waiting for checks to be issued from CashMyPhone..I managed to find a number for these shady characters. I just called as spoke with a Danny and he claims that a check is going in the mail today. For the record, my account status showed that a check had never been issued. Danny claimed a check was cut on August 5, 2007 and was somehow “misplaced” by the USPS. I hope this helps out someone out there. I’ll keep you guys updated.
CashMyPhone is a subsidiary of
TMP Communications CoTMP Communications Co
1709 65th St
Brooklyn, NY 11204
(718) 837-2887
For those thinking about selling your old cell phones to these websites, please make sure you read the terms and conditions / agreements before placing your order! This is very important!
It seems that I have also been screwed by Cashmyphone.com They received my phone on 8-9-07 and today is 11-20-07 and I still have not received a check from them. I really wish I would have seen this blog before sending them my phones. I am getting the same generic “Thanks for your patience, check is in the mail” email response as above. Although their terms and conditions clearly state a check will be issued with in 30 days. We have all clearly waited over that amount of time. They owe me almost $600!!! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. Good Luck
Hey, i tried cashmyphone.com and they ripped me off. Lucky me i only sent 2 out of the 5 phones i had. They never even answered any of my emails. But i stumbled across e-c-r.org. THEY ARE SWEET i sent the rest of my phones in and got my money in like 2 days they pay you with paypal or gift cards. they answered all my emails within a few hours. If you anyone get a chance try e-c-r.org GOOD LUCK
Thanks for the number, Justin! I am SO MAD that I have not received my money! I called today and they claimed that the check was issued. He said he’d re-issue the check today and I’d have it by Friday. Did anyone ever get their check?
I just received my check of $725 in the mail today from Cashmyphone.com.
I submitted my phone to Cashmyphone in mid-Nov and received an email back in Dec stating that my phone was rejected because of water damage. The phone was in fine working condition and had no water damage when it left me. So either the contact is lying or they damaged it.
My gut feeling is that this a guy running this business out of his basement with no inventory or financial controls. All of these posts indicate that.
I received a confirmation from cashmyphone.com that my items were received and qualified on October 29, 2007. They have not sent my money or responded to any of my attempts to contact them.
I did receive their phone number, address, and the name of their president, just in case anyone wants them.
Tell people more people about your negative experience with cashmyphone.com
CashMyPhone.com
TMP Communications Corp.
Address:1709 65th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11204View Location Map
Original Business Start Date:2/1/2004
Principal:Chi Ho Yee, PresidentPhone Number:(718) 837-2887Fax Number:(718) 837-2081Email Address:contact@cashmyphone.comWebsite:www.cashmyphone.com
Cashmyphone.com sucks ass! Had I known I would get ripped off, I would have visited their address in New York when I was up that way last year. Even though it was only $25, my phone was practically in perfect condition and had a deccent camera with 1 megapixel. I’m tired of these small unknown companies ripping people like me off and using big time networks and advertising to do it.