Selling a smartphone -- what should I know?

CitizenDanMember

I bought a Samsung Galaxy S II (model SPH-D710) in June for a temporary work assignment (at the client's insistence), but now that the assignment is over I have little use for it. If I kept it I'd be paying a monthly bill for a nice digital camera, essentially.

Before I put it on eBay, what should I know? Or more to the point, what will prospective buyers want to know?

I'm five months into a 24-month contract with Sprint. Should I eat the early termination fee, or try to transfer the balance of the contract to the buyer?

Is getting my data out of the phone as simple as opening it and removing the SIM card?

What sorts of nuts and bolts facts about the phone are buyers going to want to know?

Auctions I'm seeing make a selling point of phones that are "unlocked" -- I presume this one isn't as long as it's subject to my Sprint contract?

Sorry for all the questions. As you can see, I'm pretty much at sea when it comes to cell phones, so any help is appreciated.

10/30/1210:55 AM

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

BorisPerson Man Camera Dildo Shop - NFLFU®

You're probably going to have to sell that "as is"

I'm not an expert in this field so I will stop there

11/12/1212:27 PM

BuckyB93Member

First and foremost wipe all personal data off of it. Here’s how…

Wipe Personal Data

I don’t think many buyers will warm up to the idea of transferring your plan over unless it is someone you know. I know I wouldn’t sign off on taking over a strangers plan.

As for unlocked… (cut and paste from elsewhere).

“An unlocked cell phone is a cell phone that is not configured to operate any one specific cellular service provider. With unlocked cell phones multiple cellular networks can be accessed by swapping in and out SIM Cards. Simply put, unlocked devices are cell phones that recognize SIM cards from any carrier.

GSM cell phones use a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card which stores the customer/subscriber data. When a cell phone is activated the cellular service provider or carrier will issue this SIM card.

Many phones come “locked” and will only recognize a SIM card from a particular carrier. The “lock” is a software setting that keeps the cell phone “loyal” to one carrier.”

Other than that, I think if you give them the make and model number they could look up the specs on their own or you could cut and paste them right in your ad. I’d advise to do the latter. It will keep potential buyers on your ad and not force them to go look for the info themselves.

Here’s tips on selling a cell phone on e-bay

Selling a cell phone

11/14/1211:48 AM

Skip to main content

Add Reply

Membership Required

Remove From Your Block List

Manage Follow Preferences

Block

Please wait...