How to sell your phone in the UK: the complete 2026 guide

There are two ways to sell a phone in the UK: the slow way — photographing it, listing it, haggling with strangers, hoping the buyer does not claim it 'arrived broken' — and the fast way: an instant quote, a free insured label, and money in your account the day the phone is checked.

This guide covers how to get the best price either way, and the five-minute preparation that protects you regardless of route.

Timing: sell before the keynote, not after

Phone values drop in steps, not slopes — and the biggest step is the launch of a successor. iPhone prices fall 10–20% in the weeks after Apple's September event; Samsung values do the same around the Galaxy launch early each year. If you are holding a phone you plan to sell, the best day is almost always today, not after 'one more month' of use.

Condition is the other lever you control. A £15 screen protector and a case pay for themselves many times over at resale: the gap between 'good' and 'excellent' grades on a flagship is routinely £40–£80.

The five-minute preparation that protects you

First, back up — iCloud or an encrypted computer backup for iPhone, Google One or Smart Switch for Android. Second — the step people miss — sign out of Find My iPhone (Settings → your name → Sign Out) or remove the Google account on Android. A phone with activation lock still on is worthless to any buyer and will stall your payment.

Third, erase properly: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Erase All Content and Settings. A factory reset on a modern encrypted phone renders your data unrecoverable. Finally, pop out your SIM and, if you use eSIM, remove the plan during the erase prompt.

Why the IMEI matters

The IMEI (dial *#06# to see it) is your phone's fingerprint. Reputable buyers check it against loss, theft and finance databases before paying — and so should you before selling privately, because a phone with outstanding finance can be blocked in the buyer's hands and traced back to you. When a buyer asks for your IMEI, that is a mark of professionalism, not suspicion.

Trade-in vs private sale, honestly

A private sale on eBay or Facebook Marketplace can fetch 10–15% more — before fees, postage, time and the non-trivial risk of scams and returns fraud. A trade-in service pays slightly less but pays certainly: instant quote, free insured shipping, payment on the day of inspection.

Our trade-in portal gives you a fixed quote in under a minute — no email hostage-taking, no 'final price on inspection' games. If your phone matches your description, you get the quoted amount. If we grade it differently, you see why and can have it returned free.