You Want to Sell Your Cell Phone

So you are thinking of selling your phone to an online buyback company and you are wondering who to use. Cell phone buyback companies are a relatively new industry. But as the short years have passed there has become a standardization of practice. I want to look at some of those standardizations and offer some hints.

We can say that there is a “standard” or “common practice” that has evolved regarding buyback companies and it has become somewhat evident if you take a close look at the Terms and Conditions, or Selling Agreement. If you were to lay them side by side they would look somewhat alike. This metamorphosing has become the standard that I mentioned earlier. All buyback companies have certain criteria or standards. You as someone who is considering selling your item really should read those Terms and Conditions. You should because when you submit your order, you are agreeing to them. Of all the companies out there, you need to narrow your choice based on a few standardizations. I want to examine some of the major standards and offer some advice to assist you in making a choice.

The first standard is that “all offers are conditional”. This standard has to be there. Being in the business, our Sell My Old Cell Phone has received cell phones in pieces and the seller wants the full $40.00 and is mad because they didn’t get it. It is never going to happen; no one will pay you $40.00 for a broken handset. It is important to note that just because you are offered $40.00 for a phone does not mean you are going to get it. The buyback company has a right to determine what they will buy and how much they are willing to pay. So if you have a “bad” experience with one company because they did not pay you $40.00 for a cell phone in three (or four) pieces, chances are very good that none of the others would have either. HINT: When reading the Terms, look for item specifics regarding condition. If it says something to the effect that “if it is not in good condition, then we reserve the right to adjust your payout” without ever giving any indication of what that might look like, then you might be barking up the wrong tree. A well written set of Terms and Conditions will tell you in no uncertain terms what to expect. So avoid those that are ambiguous; it leaves too much room in their favor.

The second industry standard is “You agree to these terms” by submitting your order. This is the case in all the ones I have read, including our own. This is a legal agreement made between two parties, you as the seller and us as the buyback company. I t is not prudent to just click “I accept” without reading what you have accepted! HINT: The more details offered in the agreement, the better understanding (and legal rope) you have to defend your rights. Terms should outline the responsibilities of both parties (seller and buyer). Terms that are scant at best or seem to be a stand-up routine should be avoided.

The third industry standard I noticed in reviewing the Terms and Conditions out there is the payment time frame. The majority claim to make payment in 30 days. A couple went beyond. 30 days is a good number. It takes time to test 100’s or 1000’s of phones and devices. HINT: Make sure it is clearly written in the Terms and Conditions first of all. One sight does not state a payout timeframe in their Terms; they place it under their goals. That would make me think twice. Any site offering payment in 2-5 days should raise a flag.

The fourth industry standard centers around “sending the device back to the owner”. No company will just send it back at their expense, especially when they paid to get it. I read one Terms and Conditions that stated they would send it back but never really defined who would pay for it; a clever omittance. HINT: Know who is responsible for getting your old device back if you don’t like their modified offer. Do not assume they will (out of their personal kindness) send it back to you free, especially when they had to pay to get it in the first place.

A fifth industry standard regards broken versus working, and cosmetics. Buyback companies want the device they buy to be completely functional. That is not an unreasonable request since they offer money for them. It i 1ff8 s important to not confuse working with cosmetics. Working mean just that, “Do all functions relative to this device work properly?” Cosmetics simply means, “What does it look like”. In almost all instances, the device being sold must be 100% functional or it will not be paid on and in most cases becomes the property of the buyback company. Most reductions are made based on cosmetics. Fully functional is expected but looks is questionable. HINT: Look for companies that are explicit with how they judge “looks”. Some companies, including ours, judges looks on a 4 tier system of use. That is good, because you can see what might be paid based on how your item looks. Again, avoid Terms that are cloudy regarding cosmetic conditions.

A sixth industry standard is free shipping. Almost all the companies I studied offer some form of free shipping. Some are more advanced than others meaning you may be reimbursed, or they will send you a box or envelope with postage on it already. Our company will email you a free USPS shipping label that you print off your computer and attached to a padded envelope or a small box and send off. HINT: The only real hint I can offer is to determine if you want a quicker delivery of your device to the buyback company; if so, opt for one that can email a shipping label right to your computer. Also, look for details regarding reimbursement policies should you have to pay for shipping.

A Seventh industry standard concerns “red dots”. NO ONE will pay cash for a phone that has a red dot, not matter how well it works. HINT: Look to see if your phone has a red dot. Also, don’t peel it off if it does because it is likely to not be paid on because the moisture indicator is missing.

I must say that in the course of our company’s existence, the quality of phones and other electronic devices sent in has dramatically improved, thanks to the improvement of the Terms and Conditions. Sell My Old Cell Phone strive to be clear, easy to read, very specific and fair in our approach to buying used products. A well written agreement should be important to you because it allows you to understand, in clear simple English, what to expect and how the process works; you know exactly what to expect and you can hold the company to task. Poor and/or short agreements tend to be unclear and ambiguous which leads to interpretation, usually in the favor of the one who wrote them.

The moral here is this: Buyback companies are here to stay and a sort of industry standard has evolved (and will continue to evolve). Selling your device to one of them is a safe thing to do, generally. One more hint, research them on the internet. READ the agreement that you agree to when you submit your order. Review all agreements and look for the ones that are well written in clear English, that depict the entire process; ones that leave nothing to the imagination. Also, take a good hard objective look at the device you are sending in and rate it. Chances are, if you match it with the right company, you will get what you expect.

Author: Alan L Johnson

Mr. Johnson works as Operations Manager at SellMyOldCellPhone.com, an online buyback company. Mr Johnson is in charge of all operations. Mr. Johnson has worked for http://www.SellMyOldCellPhone.com since its origination.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_L_Johnson

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