Shop Around, Check the Market
Before you settle with one recycling company we recommend that you look around the mobile phone recycling market to find the best price for your old mobile phone. There are several comparison websites that will do this for you however we suggest that you also look at the individual sites yourself as sometimes comparison websites can show you old prices. We also suggest that you look at each sites terms and conditions. Some companies don’t accept phones with water damage and others do. Also, some companies have very specific grading systems which will bring the price down on your old mobile phone BUT will give you a more accurate price than mobile phone recycling companies who do not have a grading system.
Payment Methods
The most common payment methods are: BACS (direct bank transfer), PayPal and cheque. However you need to look at the individual mobile phone recycling company to see their specific payment methods. Some companies also offer shopping vouchers as a payment method. Read our page on getting more money with vouchers for more information on this.
In general BACS and PayPal payments are instant but take 2-3 days to arrive in your bank account. Cheques that slightly longer because they need to be posted and will take 5 working days to clear when you pay them into your bank account. In general we would suggest that you use BACS or PayPal because they are more secure than receiving a cheque in the post, and also, they’re much quicker! Shopping vouchers will always be sent to you by post and most can be used in the stores online shop as well as in store.
How to package securely
Some mobile phone recycling companies will provide a freepost envelope. Sometimes these are padded, sometimes they aren’t. We recommend that if the envelope is not padded then you use extra padding yourself. Bubble wrap is a very good insulator for electronic equipment as it absorbs the shocks when the package gets a knock in the postage system.
We also suggest that you make the packaging as tight as possible around the item. Use as much securing tape as possible (without making it impossible to open!) so that anyone wanting to steal from the post is deterred. Also you should write on the package that it is fragile, just to remind the person handling the post to be really careful with it when they handle it.
How to post securely
Even though a lot of mobile phone recycling companies offer freepost we suggest that you add protection to your package by sending it recorded or special delivery. Recorded delivery includes £41 of insurance should your package get lost or stolen from the post. Special delivery includes up to £500 for the same reasons. Special Delivery also has to signed for by a human when it arrives at its destination so you can be sure that your item will arrive safely!
