Selling vs. Repairing Your Phone: Which Option is Right For You?
Many people consider phones an essential part of everyday life. We use them to consume social media, communicate with friends, and use them to manage daily aspects of our lives. However, even the best devices don’t last forever.
Whether it’s a cracked screen, decreased battery life, or slower performance, you’ll eventually face the question, ‘Should I repair or sell my phone?’. This guide breaks down the pros and cons of both options, including cost, convenience, environmental impact, and long-term value, so that you can make the best choice for your needs and budget. If you’re leaning toward a fresh start with a new device, selling may be the smarter move.
When Should I Repair My Phone?
If your phone has experienced issues but you’re not quite ready to part with it, here are some pros and cons of going down the repair route:
- Lower upfront cost: Ultimately, fixing a cracked screen or replacing a battery usually costs less than buying an entirely new device – but only if it’s a one-time issue.
- Familiarity: You may like how your current phone works, and don’t wish to move all of your information over to a new device.
- Fast turnaround: Whilst shopping around for a new device may take some time, repairs can often be done in just one day.
There are some clear benefits to repairing your phone, but here are some of the disadvantages:
- Costs adding up: You may not need just one repair for your phone, and if you’re constantly needing to repair it then it might not be worth the expense
- Limited improvement: Repairing hardware doesn’t upgrade the processor, camera, or software support.
- Uncertain lifespan: Fixing one issue doesn’t guarantee something else won’t go wrong soon after.
Repairs can be a smart way to extend the life of an older device by a year or two. However, it’s important to ensure that any repairs are done using genuine parts specific to your device. For instance, while using non-genuine Apple parts to replace an iPhone screen might seem like a budget-friendly option, it can significantly reduce the device’s resale value when you are ready to upgrade.
When Should I Sell My Phone?
If you’ve gone through the benefits of repairing your phone and are not entirely convinced, you may want to consider selling. Here are some reasons to sell your phone instead of repairing:
- Quick cash: Selling your phone, even if it’s broken, can give you cash to put towards a new model.
- Avoid surprise repair costs: Multiple repairs can add up quickly. Selling eliminates the unpredictability and frees you from ongoing expenses.
- Upgrade opportunity: Selling helps offset the cost of a new phone with better features and faster performance.
- Eco-Friendly Choice: Believe it or not, recycling your phone through a trusted service helps reduce e-waste too.
It’s important to be aware of some potential disadvantages of selling your phone, too:
- Lower value if damaged: Phones in poor condition may sell for less. However, at Mazuma, we still offer competitive prices even for broken phones.
- Part with your device: It’s normal to feel attached to your device, but remember: most data lives in the cloud these days, so your transition to a new phone can be seamless.
Repair vs. Sell: A Quick Comparison
To give you an idea of some scenarios where it’s better to sell or repair, check out our quick comparison guide:
- Cracked screen, but the phone is recent – Repair or Sell.
- Battery dies quickly, phone is less than 2 years old –
- Phone is more than 3 years old –
- Multiple issues (e.g. screen + battery) –
- You’re already planning to upgrade –
These are just a few examples to help you decide, and remember that if you’re unsure on how much your phone can sell for, simply locate your device on our website, including its condition and storage capacity, and we’ll give you a quote for what you could receive.
Why Sell with Mazuma?
If you’ve decided to sell over repair, then the next step is to find a trusted phone recycler. Here at Mazuma, we pride ourselves on our thousands of positive customer reviews that truly reflect how we deliver high-quality customer service, an easy-to-understand process, and reliable payments.
Not only this, but customers using our ‘sell my phone’ service benefit from guaranteed quotes, meaning that the price you see online is the price you’ll be paid, providing everything looks as it should when arriving to us. This goes for broken phones, too, as we’re able to offer fair prices even if your device has issues such as surface-level imperfections or performance problems.
We hope this guide has been useful in helping you choose between a phone trade in vs repair. If you wish to learn more about how it works when selling with us, or for more information about the devices we accept, simply get in touch with our team.