Selling your phone — repair it first or sell it broken?

When a device has a defect, buy-back services and private buyers do not just deduct the repair cost, they deduct a lot more. After all, they have to price in the risk that something else is broken too.

A cracked display therefore often lowers the price by more than the replacement costs. That difference is exactly your gain if you have it repaired first.

On top of that, only a working device can reach the better condition grades at all. Many buy-back portals sort broken devices into a separate category that pays much less.

Anything a buyer sees immediately or notices the first time they use the phone has a disproportionate effect on the price.

On a very old device, a bigger repair often does not bring in more than it costs. The remaining value is simply too low, no matter how well you fix it up.

Cosmetic repairs to the frame or back rarely pay off either. Buyers accept signs of wear on a used device as long as it works.

If the device has a history of water damage, repairing it to sell rarely pays off. You would be taking on a risk that is hard to judge.

If you sell privately, mention what was done. A professionally replaced display is not a flaw, but keeping quiet about it turns it into one.

Keep your repair receipt and hand it over with the phone. It is a good argument for the buyer and proof for you that the work was done properly.

First back up your data, as described in the backup guide. After that comes the step many people forget and that annoys buyers the most.

On an iPhone, sign out of your Apple ID in Settings, which also turns off “Find My”. Only then reset the device. Otherwise Activation Lock stays on and the device is useless to the buyer.

On Android, remove your Google account in Settings before you reset. On Samsung, also remove the Samsung account. Otherwise a protection against use by others kicks in there, too.

Come by and let us take a look at the device before you decide. We tell you openly whether a repair before selling is worth it for exactly this model.

Sometimes the answer is: keep it. A spare phone for your pocket on holiday or a first phone for a child is often worth more than the amount a buy-back portal transfers to you.