The surprising item in your trash pile worth $821
When’s the last time you went through your ‘miscellaneous drawer’. You know the one: full of old USBs, power cords, elastic bands and playing cards.
Chances are, if you’re like thousands of other Australians, you also have an old mobile phone handset hidden in one of these drawers, but unlike your elastic bands, this device could net you serious cash.
New insights from eBay reveal Australians are sitting on more than $7.8 billion worth of mobile phones, with 11 handsets sold every hour on the marketplace.
Australians have sold 76,626 pre-loved handsets in 2020 so far, with mobile phones eBay’s best selling tech items.
They’re also the fastest selling category for pre-owned items, making up nearly a third of all mobile sales on the site.
“With Christmas rapidly approaching, there’s no better time to clear out your unused tech draw and treat yourself to a mobile upgrade - or simply sell your old handset to make a bit of extra cash ahead of the most expensive time of the year,” eBay Australia spokesperson Sophie Onikul said.
Australians are picking up the most cash for their Samsung Note 10 plus 5G, with those pre-loved handsets going for up to $810 on the platform.
Onikul said eBay has also developed an online tool allowing sellers to gauge the worth of their devices, noting that it could also be as much as $386 more on eBay in the case of the Google Pixel 4 handsets.
Which phones are preferred?
iPhone’s, Samsung handsets and Google Pixel handsets have the best secondhand return on eBay, with a Deloitte 2019 survey finding Apple and Samsung still maintain an iron grip on the mobile market.
However, the speed with which Australians replace their handsets is slowing.
When it comes to selling your handset, it’s important to know your phone’s storage capacity, the camera details and the accessories it is compatible with to sell it to potential customers.
Additionally, take good photos in well-lit spots with a white backdrop to show off the handset. eBay recommends using at least three great pictures.
And, make sure you don’t give away your data. Make sure the information is backed up when you switch to a new handset, and removed from your old handset.
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