All Mobile Matters • 6 min read

We’ve bought old phones since we opened our doors in 2009. The idea is simple: you upgraded to something new, and you want real cash for the old one without mailing it off to a stranger or feeding it into one of those kiosks at the mall that always seem to offer less than you expected. We want it too — but there are a few things that have to be true before we can make an offer, and a few small things you can do that’ll make that offer better.

Why We Buy Phones in the First Place

More than 150 million mobile devices get thrown away every year in the U.S. — something like 400,000 a day. That number bothers me. A phone that still works, or that just needs a small repair, doesn’t belong in a landfill, and it doesn’t need to sit in your junk drawer for the next three years either. Buying it back, reselling it, or recycling it responsibly if it has no resale value left is part of how we’ve operated since day one. If you’d rather buy a quality pre-owned device than sell one, our guide on buying pre-owned locally covers the other side of this same idea.

The Five Things That Have to Be True First

Before we can put a number on your device, we need to confirm a few things. This is standard across the industry, not just us — but here’s exactly what we’re checking and why:

  1. No outstanding balance with your carrier. If you’re still financing the device and owe money on it, we can’t resell it free and clear, so we can’t buy it. This is one of the most common reasons an offer falls through, especially with carrier financing deals that aren’t always as “free” as they sound.
  2. The serial number can’t be flagged as lost or stolen. Every device gets checked against the blacklist databases before we make an offer. This protects you as much as it protects us.
  3. All features and functions need to work. A phone with a minor issue can sometimes still qualify — a cracked screen or a battery that doesn’t hold a charge the way it used to — but it will affect what we can offer, since that’s a repair cost we’d be taking on.
  4. It can’t be logged into iCloud, Google, or any other account. Sign out and remove the device from your account entirely before you bring it in. A locked device is unsellable to us, full stop.
  5. It needs to be carrier unlocked. A locked device only works on one carrier’s network, which cuts our resale market down dramatically. Unlocking it first (most carriers will do this once a phone is paid off) keeps your offer as high as possible.

These five checks take about 15 minutes in-store. If everything lines up, we’ll make you a cash offer on the spot — no waiting for a check in the mail, no shipping label, no “we’ll email you in 5-7 business days.”

How to Get the Best Offer

A few small things on your end go a long way toward a better number:

  • Wipe the device back to the setup screen. A factory reset does two things — it protects your personal data, and it saves us the time of doing it ourselves, which we’d otherwise have to build into the offer.
  • Bring the original box and documentation if you still have it. Our buyers pay more for a device that comes with everything it shipped with. If you’ve never thrown out a phone box in your life, this is exactly why that habit pays off — we go into more detail in 5 Reasons to Save Your Packaging.
  • Include the charger if you can. Not a dealbreaker if you can’t find it, but it rounds out the package.

A Quick Note on Expectations

We’ll always give you an honest number, but it’s worth being realistic about what that number is. We’re taking on some risk with every device we buy, doing the work to resell it responsibly, and — like any business — we need the transaction to make sense on our end too. We’re not going to lowball you, but we’re also not going to pretend we’re a nonprofit. Fair, straightforward, and on the spot is the promise.

Ready to Sell?

Start with our quick online form — answer a few questions about your device and we’ll follow up with next steps. Or just walk into the store; a lot of our best buybacks happen because someone stopped in to ask a repair question and left with cash for the phone sitting in their bag.

Whether you’re in Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, or Tucson, we’d love to take that old phone off your hands. And as always, if you need help with a repair, accessories, or just some honest advice, don’t hesitate to reach out — we’re here seven days a week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need before I can sell my phone to a local repair shop?
The device needs to be free of any carrier financing balance, not flagged as lost or stolen, fully functional (or close to it), logged out of all accounts, and carrier unlocked. We check all five in about 15 minutes.

Can I sell a phone that’s still being financed through my carrier?
No. If there’s an outstanding balance owed to the carrier, we can’t legally resell the device, so we can’t make an offer until it’s paid off.

Will a cracked screen or bad battery stop me from selling my phone?
Not necessarily. Minor issues like a cracked screen or a weak battery can still qualify for an offer — it just gets factored into the price since it’s a cost we’ll need to cover before reselling it.

How do I get the most money for my old phone?
Factory reset it back to the setup screen, bring the original box and documentation if you have them, and include the charger if possible. All three make the device more attractive to our buyers.

How long does the phone buyback process take?
The initial checks take about 15 minutes in-store. If everything qualifies, we’ll make you a cash offer on the spot.

Scroll to Top