Need some extra cash? In this article, we’ll reveal the top 3 stores for selling your old phone.
If you have an old phone or two lying around, you could be sitting on £100, £200, £300 or above £700 without knowing about it!
The easiest way to get cash for your old phone is with a mobile recycling company who will either collect your phone or prepay for your postage.
There are 3 reputable stores that stand out from the crowd: I Need A Mobile, Mazuma and Music Magpie. We’ll take a closer look at these 3 stores below to get to the bottom of which is best for selling your old phone.
I Need A Mobile has been around since 2010. We are best known for our refurbished smartphone business, where you can pick up a professionally refurbished smartphone for up to 40% less than the retail price.
But, did you know you can also sell your old phone to us?
As a matter of fact, I Need A Mobile started life out as a mobile recycling company.
Back in 2008, there were very few fair mobile recycling companies. Our founder, Kasim Javed, found this out to his disadvantage when he wanted to get rid of a Nokia N95 but was quoted over £100 less than the phone was worth.
Kasim thought “there has to be a better way”, and here we are.
I Need A Mobile was created to be the best paying and most efficient mobile recycling company, and this is what makes our store different to all the others.
Here’s how we stand out:
- Courier collection
We are the only mobile recycling company we know of who will collect your old phone through courier pick-up irrespective of the price of the phone.
We work with DPD who will collect your smartphone for free the next day after placing an order, so you don’t have to mess around with posting or those fussy pre-paid bags.
- Fair prices
We use a complex pricing system that is manually reviewed every day for changes in phone value. We apply pricing changes automatically in line with the market to ensure our prices reflect the true value of your phone. Once an order is placed your price is guaranteed providing we receive your device within 14 days.
We won’t blow smoke and say we offer better prices than anyone else – but we will say visit https://sell.ineedamobile.com/ and see for yourself.
- Same day payment
We will test your phone the day we receive it and release payment on the same day. We pay by bank transfer, so it should be instant.
This applies whether you send in one phone or ten. We have a savvy operation so can test multiple devices in one day.
What do the reviews say?
I Need A Mobile is rated 4.5/5 on TrustPilot based on over 2,000 reviews. You can find out more about our service here.
Mazuma has been around since 2006 and is one of the best-known names in the mobile recycling industry. Their reputation has been well-earned, with the company offering good service and decent recycling prices.
The company was set up by Charlo Carabott and John Lam. Within its first four years, it paid out over £68 million to customers.
Today, Mazuma is one of the first recycling sites people think of when selling their old phone. This is testament to the strength of their brand, and while it can pay to shop around, the prices Mazuma quotes are generally fair.
Here are some key features of Mazuma’s service:
- Send your own phone with prepaid postage
Mazuma asks you to post your phone to them.
You can do this by requesting a free sales pack and shipping with Royal Mail, or by packaging your old phone, printing a DPD prepaid label and taking it to your local DPD drop off shop. There’s no courier pick-up option.
- Same day payment*
Mazuma releases payment on the day they test your device, unless they receive your device after 2pm, in which case it will be the next day.
- Simple price guarantee
Mazuma promises to pay 100% of the value they quote you online or they will send your device back to you free of charge.
This is an important feature because some mobile recycling companies say your device is worth ‘up to’ a certain amount and then low ball you. This price guarantee is also offered by I Need A Mobile and Music Magpie.
What do the reviews say?
Mazuma is rated 4.5/5 on TrustPilot based on over 120,000 reviews. You can find out more about how Mazuma’s service works here.
Music Magpie has been around since 2007 but it didn’t start out as a mobile recycling company. They started out buying CD’s, before expanding into DVD’s and games, making it easy to sell these items by typing in their barcodes.
They opened their mobile recycling division in 2014 and began selling refurbished smartphones at the same time. And so, Music Magpie has been recycling phones for less time than either I Need A Mobile and Mazuma.
Despite this, their service is still excellent.
Music Magpie buy all makes and model of phone and offer some of the best prices in the industry for damaged and working phones.
Here are some key features of Music Magpie’s service:
- Tech Price Promise
Like I Need A Mobile and Mazuma, Music Magpie offer a price promise, guaranteeing to pay the price you are quoted so long as everything checks out.
- Multiple payment options
Music Magpie offers to pay you by instant bank transfer, PayPal or cheque. They also offer the option for you to donate the money to charity.
- Send your own phone
Like Mazuma, Music Magpie asks you to post your phone with a prepaid label, however unlike Mazuma, you can’t request a pack – you’ll need your own box. There’s also no courier pick-up option, so you’ll have to post it yourself.
What do the reviews say?
Music Magpie is rated 4.5/5 on TrustPilot based on over 140,000 reviews, but because they buy so many things, a consensus on their mobile recycling arm is difficult to gauge. What we will say is we’ve heard good things from most people.
You can find out more about how Music Magpie’s service works here.