Do Pawn Shops Buy Phones?

A pawn shop is similar to a flea market or a consignment shop in the sense that you can never be sure exactly what items you’ll find there. If you’re looking for a bit of extra cash, you might be considering whether your local pawn shop buys phones. It’s at the pawn shop’s discretion whether they buy phones or not.

Let’s take a closer look at the process to sell a phone at a pawn shop.

Why do only some pawn shops take cell phones?

There are some items that have clear and obvious value. That’s why pawn shops are almost guaranteed to take items like precious metals, jewelry, gold and silver. Their value is unlikely to diminish much over time.

Cell phones are different. Remember that flip phone that you used to think was the latest technology? Now it’s close to worthless.

Ultimately, the pawn shop may or may not accept your phone whether you’re attempting to secure a loan with it or trying to sell it outright. A pawn shop may also be concerned that they’re receiving stolen phones.

With some phones, there are specific conditions to meet before you sell them. For example, a contract phone’s bill must be completely paid off before you sell it. Other pawn shops may accept smartphones but not old-school flip phones, as there isn’t as much demand for them.

How pawn shops buy phones

If you’ve found a place to sell your phone, there are a few things you should do ahead of time:

• Put all your important data in a secure backup location. Anything you want to save like photos and messages should be backed up;
• Encrypt the data on your phone so that it remains secure;
• Do a full factory reset on the phone to erase all of your personal information;
• Find out as much information as you can about the phone model you’re trying to cell, such as the specific version of the phone, its storage capacity, its carrier, etc.;
• Call the pawn shop ahead of time to ensure that they will accept the phone;
• Do your research. Find out online how much you should be willing to accept for your phone;
• Remember to bring a photo ID with you to the pawn shop to complete the transaction.

How to get the most for your phone

Let’s say you have a fairly recent smartphone that you’re looking to sell, and you’ve found a pawn shop that will accept it. To give yourself a better chance at receiving a good price for it, bundle the phone with as many accessories as you can. If you have an unlocked phone that will accept any carrier, this is valuable as well. Of course, the phone’s condition will affect how much you receive for it too.

Are you looking to sell a phone at a pawn shop? Sydmor’s Jewelry and Loan has been locally owned and operated since 1949. We’re a full-service pawn shop that buys and sells just about anything from firearms to electronics to tools, instruments and much more. Stop by today or contact us now to learn more.

Categorised in: Electronics

This post was written by Writer