Every year, millions of Australians upgrade their phone and end up with an old one sitting in a drawer. In Canberra, where there are fewer independent phone shops than in larger cities, it's worth knowing your options — and understanding what actually moves the price.
The main ways to sell
You can sell privately through Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree, trade in through a carrier or manufacturer, sell to a retailer or repair shop like us, or use a specialist buyback service. Each has different trade-offs.
Private sale typically gets you the most money but requires effort — listing, messages, arranging handover, and the risk of no-shows or lowball offers. For a newer flagship in good condition, it's often worth it.
Carrier trade-ins are convenient — you hand the phone over when you pick up the new one — but the values are often lower than you'd get elsewhere, particularly for older models. The convenience has a price.
Selling to a repair shop or buyback service is fast and certain. You get a firm offer, accept or decline, and walk out with cash or credit. The value is typically between carrier and private sale pricing.
What affects the value
Screen condition. A crack — even a small one in the corner — has a significant effect on resale value. Private buyers notice immediately. Repair shops and buyback services will factor it in. Interestingly, getting the screen repaired before selling can sometimes return more than the cost of the repair, if it allows you to list the phone as undamaged.
Battery health. On iPhone, battery health is visible in Settings. Anything below 80% is considered degraded by Apple's own standards. A buyer paying $600 for a second-hand iPhone 15 wants to know the battery will last. Similarly, a repair shop will offer less on a phone with a degraded battery.
Activation locks. An iPhone that still has iCloud lock or a Samsung with Samsung Account attached is essentially unsellable through most channels. Sign out of your account and factory reset before selling — this is the single most important step. A phone with activation lock is worth almost nothing to a buyer.
Back glass. On glass-backed iPhones and Galaxy phones, a cracked back panel matters less than a cracked screen but still affects the offer. If the back glass is the only damage and the screen is perfect, repair shops can sometimes offer a better price after a back glass replacement than before.
Included accessories. Original box, cable and charging brick aren't essential but do help in private sales. They signal that the phone was well looked after.
Timing. Trade-in values drop sharply when a new generation is announced. The month before a new iPhone release is a good time to sell the old one — buyers are still paying good prices. After the announcement, demand drops and so does price.
Getting a valuation in Canberra
If you're thinking of selling or trading in, bring it to The Fone Club at Majura Park Shopping Centre, Canberra Airport. We assess the device and make an offer on the spot. You're not obligated to accept it, and we can advise whether a repair before selling would improve the return.
You can also put the trade-in value toward a repair on your current or new phone — useful if you're switching devices and having the new one set up at the same time.