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Today is an exciting day in tech! Today is the launch of both the iPhone on T-Mobile and the new Facebook phone. While you may want to get a new phone, affording it is another matter.
If you’re craving a new phone but you’re not due for an upgrade for a while, check out Swappa, a site that makes it simple to buy and sell gently used mobile devices.
What Is Swappa?
Swappa is a website that’s been around since 2011 designed to help you buy and sell mobile devices. The site started off dealing exclusively with Android devices but now includes all sorts of mobile devices including iPads, iPhones and Kindle Fires.
How Swappa Works
Swappa is a resale website like eBay or Craig’s List. But unlike eBay or Craig’s List, Swappa only lists mobile devices and requires that the devices sold on its site be in good working order – no cracked screens or devices sold for parts. If you’re looking for a broken phone, this is not the site for you.
Swappa also requires that the mobile phones have a clean identification number (also called ESN/IMEI /MEID) to help prevent people trading in stolen phones. You can check a phone’s identification number right on Swappa’s website.
Swappa reviews and approves every listing that appears on their site. This isn’t a guarantee that the listing is legit, but that the listing meets Swappa guidelines.
Sellers list their mobile devices for free. They receive payment when the buyer has paid for the device. Buyers pay a $10 fee when they purchase a device which is included in the price of a device. For example, if a seller lists a phone for $210, the buyer will see a listed price of $220.
To start using Swappa, head to the Swappa website. You can browse through the listed devices on the home page or search for a specific device. Mobile phones are listed by carrier (such as Verizon, AT&T, etc.) or as unlocked. You can search the site for devices for your carrier, or by top sellers, country, 4G, keyboard, unlocked, Apple or by the specific name of your device.
You’ill see a list of devices, arranged by price. Also included in the listing is the reviewers’ rating of the seller, the condition of the phone, whether the device has been modified, how many times the listing has been viewed, and photos. Any discussions between the seller and potential buyers is also displayed on the listing. The seller also lists whether accessories such as charge cords, cables or cases are included with the device.
PayPal is the only payment method accepted on Swappa. PayPal serves not only as a payment method but also provides protection. to both sellers and buyers if the transaction isn’t satisfactory to one or both parties.
Who Can Use Swappa
People in any location can purchase devices from Swappa, but sellers may state in their listing that they don’t ship internationally. Make sure to check the listing before you buy. If you want international shipping, check with the seller ahead of time to make sure that shipping is available to your country.
Sellers must be from the US, UK or European Union (yes, I know the UK is in the European Union, that’s Swappa’s designation, not mine).
Both buyers and sellers must have a PayPal account.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re interested in buying or selling a mobile device, check out Swappa. They won’t have either the Facebook phone or the T-Mobile iPhone yet, but check back in a month or two and those phones may start appearing on Swappa. Also check out phones you can use with Facebook Home, such as the Samsung Galaxy 3 and Note 2 that are listed on Swappa.
Are you thinking of getting a new mobile device? Are you interested in selling a gently used device? Have you ever used Swappa? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Also check out:
- Mashable, T-Mobile Trade-in Offer Lets You Upgrade to iPhone 5 From 4, 4S
- Wonder of Tech, How to Get the Best Deal for Your Used Tech!
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After reading about the features you have mentioned in the post, its looks a good website for selling the phones. I will try it when I have to change my phone. Thanks for the share
Hi Abhishek, I’m so glad you like Swappa. The site makes it very easy to buy and sell phones. By using Swappa to sell your current phone, you can afford a new phone sooner.
Sounds interesting, worth checking out for sure. I’ll look into it next time im in the market for a new phone. Thanks for sharing, Carolyn!
Hi Luis, Yes, whether you want to buy or sell a smartphone, you should check out Swappa to see if it’s the best resale site for you.
I haven’t visited the site yet Carolyn but I wouldn’t think that anyone would want to purchase our old flip phones would you? I mean they’re in good working order and in perfect condition. I’m assuming those might be a little old for some people but all I was going to do was turn them in to be recycled. If someone can use them that that’s even better.
Thanks for letting us know about this one.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, There isn’t much of a market for resale of flip phones. But you could donate your phone to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Here’s a link for more information: http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone.php
You can also recycle your phone using an electronics recycling center. Here is a link to the EPA site for more information: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/donate.htm
You can also check with your local electronics retailer such as Best Buy or Radio Shack to see if there are any cell phone donation programs in your area.
Carolyn, another great post. Swappa seems to be somewhat of an online thrift store. Will check it out to see what can be found…
Hi Frank, Yes, if you’re selling your gently used tech, Swappa can be an easy, efficient and inexpensive way to list your device. If you’re buying, you can see what’s listed easily without having to sort through broken phones that are just being sold for parts.
This sounds interesting, especially since we had this in news, that some poor guys bought a very cheep new iphone over local “craigs” list and got a …brick! So he just lost $400. I would guess Swapa has a good buyer/seller protection policy in place, right?
Hi Dankas, Yes, I’ve heard of people buying phones or iPads and what they got was an empty box.
Swappa uses PayPal’s protection policies to protect its buyers and sellers. As PayPal is the only payment method accepted by Swappa, all transactions have to go through PayPal.
This is a very informative post, Carolyn! I like the concept of buying mobile devices in SWAPPA but the only problem is, I can’t sell my device since I’m not from US or EU. Anyway, this is a good option if I can’t find devices in local online buy and sell sites. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Ronaldo, Yes, Swappa has been expanding but it isn’t worldwide yet. When Swappa started out two years ago, it was Android only and US only. Now the service has been expanded to the UK and the EU and includes other mobile devices. Let’s hope they continue to expand and come to your country. 🙂
Let’s see what stuff I had to sell ! , thanks for giving the site name .
Hi Aditya, Yes, I hope you find stuff you have that is worth selling.
This is awesome! I’ve got about 5 old phones hanging out in a drawer… guess I’ll be creating some listings 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Dawn, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, this is an easy way to turn your gently used phones into cash into your PayPal account. Enjoy!
Hey Carolyn
Swappa sounds like a really cool place for people to buy and sell phones if they’ve been kind to them.
By the time I get the chance to upgrade mine, I don’t think many people will want to buy it after the kids have had their hands on it. Recycling is the only thing to do!
Hi Tim, That’s what I do too, pass along my gadgets to my kids. That’s a good way to recycle your electronics!
I haven’t bought a phone for years. I usually wait until my contract runs out and then I get a new one which always comes with a new phones. My present phone is a HTC and my first ever smartphone. Man, I love this phone.
Still, if I was ever to consider actually buying a phone this site sounds pretty good, as long as they deal with Aussies that is. 😉
Hi Sire, I’m so glad you’re enjoying your HTC phone. So long as you like your phone, there’s no need to upgrade. But perhaps by the time you tire of your phone, Swappa will come to Australia. 🙂
Hi Carolyn, yes I’ve used it in the past, Learned about it from my kids. It was a great way to sell an old phone. I just got the Droid DNA not too long ago so I’m not in the market for a new one for a while yet. It’s amazing how fast they keep coming out with new ones.
Hi Lisa, It’s great to hear from a satisfied user of Swappa. I heard about Swappa from a Wonder of Tech reader who has used it frequently and highly recommends the service.
You’re right, Android devices come out quite frequently. If you don’t want to wait two years until your contract is up to get a new phone, the Swappa is a great way to trade up I expensively.
iPhones are only launched once a year and major upgrades seem to happen every two years, in line with cell phone contracts.
Thanks for stopping by to share your experiences with Swappa.
Hi Carolyn,
I never heard such but this is definitely interesting. It would be a good investment to buy phones in here. Will check the site for some iPad for sale. Thanks for sharing! Indeed useful.
Hi Margaux, I hope you find an iPad you like at Swappa!
This site seems interesting, I’m gonna visit it now and see if I can sell someting here. Thanks for this post.
Hi Jan, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Good luck. I hope you’re successful at Swappa!