eBay reveals new phone trade-in service

(Image credit: eBay)

Selling your old smartphone online is about to get easier than ever thanks to a new service from eBay.

The online marketplace has launched eBay Instant Selling , which streamlines the sale process when listing mobile devices on the site, whilst also offering you money back on your old device.

The new service, which is currently open to US customers only, covers several of the most popular smartphones on the market today, including the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and iPhone X, with many more coming soon.

eBay Instant Selling

Under the new process, sellers will benefit from a quicker upload service when listing their device on eBay, and then receive an instant voucher that can be used towards the purchase of a replacement. 

eBay says it will offer a higher price than competitor sites, and also beat trade-in programs from the operators themselves.

The company claims that many providers typically offer around a 40 to 50 percent discount from the average market selling price, but it promises a higher return that could be as much as 40 percent more on average.

As part of the process, users will also receive a shipping label to send their old phone to eBay, with the selling process taking place through its partner Cexchange.

All devices sold through the service will be wiped, sanitised, tested and reboxed, and will include new accessories as part of the reselling process.

“Millions of Americans have unused phones in their homes and simply don’t realize how much their devices are worth, probably because trade-in values are typically so low,” said Alyssa Steele, vice president of hard goods at eBay. 

“With Instant Selling, people can find out exactly how much their phone is worth, and sell their phone within a matter of minutes to immediately help fund the holidays, or maybe something off their personal wish list.”

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.