How to sell your Samsung phone to get the best price: Get more for your S20

Upgrading to the best Android phone is often an expensive endeavor, especially if you're buying the latest and greatest flagship that's just come out. Phone prices seem to go up every single year, meaning that the decision to go out and actually get that hot new phone doesn't come lightly.

There are some ways you can make a big purchase like this easier to approach, particularly if you sell your current phone so you have extra money for a new device.

Samsung makes some of the most popular smartphones on the planet, and today, we're going to assume you have one and are looking to upgrade it to a newer model. There are a couple of key ways to go about this, resulting in you making more money than you would with others.

Without further ado, here are a few tips on how to sell your Samsung Galaxy phone and get the best price for it!

How to trade-in your Galaxy phone with Samsung

Right off the bat, we want to talk about Samsung's trade-in program. Many phone makers and carriers allow you to trade-in your current phone when purchasing a new one, giving you an instant discount or rebate on the final price. Some of these programs are better than others, and Samsung's happens to be one of the very best.

You traditionally make more money when selling your phone to someone else instead of trading it in directly with the company that made it. Still, Samsung continuously offers impressive trade-in rates that often compete quite well with current aftermarket prices.

If you'd like to use Samsung's trade-in program for yourself, here's how it works:

1. Open the browser app on your phone.
2. Go to samsung.com.
3. Tap the menu icon at the top-right.
4. Tap the arrow next to Mobile.
5. Tap the down arrow next to Featured.Source: Android Central

1. Tap Galaxy S20 5G.
2. Tap Buy Now.
3. Tap Select a Brand.Source: Android Central

1. Tap Samsung.
2. Tap Select a Device.
3. Tap the device you want to trade-in.Source: Android Central

1. Tap Yes, I Agree if your phone meets the eligibility requirements.
2. Scroll down the page to review your selections.
3. Tap Add To Cart.Source: Android Central

In the example above, we're buying a new Galaxy S20 for just $499.99. It has a retail price of $999.99, but since we're trading in a Galaxy S10, we're saving $500. Even better, that discount is applied instantly and not given to you at a later date. When you go through the checkout process, your card is only charged $499.99.

Once the order is complete and your new phone is delivered to you, you'll have 15 days from that delivery date to ship your old phone to Samsung to complete the trade-in. Samsung provides you with a free shipping label, too, meaning you won't be out any money during this process.

To ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible, only use the trade-in program if your phone meets the eligibility requirements. This means that it needs to:

• Start up and work normally
• Be factory reset before you ship it
• The screen and camera don't have any cracks
• Not be blacklisted
• Be fully paid off and not part on an ongoing lease/monthly payments

Assuming your device meets those bullet points, you should be able to use the service without any hiccups!

The amount of money you get for your trade-in depends on the model you have, and for the most part, Samsung is extremely generous with what it pays out. Here are the current rates as of December 2020:

• Galaxy Note 10/10 Plus/10 5G — $315 to $425
• Galaxy S10/S10 Plus/S10 5G — $245 to $285
• Galaxy S10e — $225
• Galaxy Note 9 — $150
• Galaxy S9/S9 Plus — $125 to $150
• Galaxy Note 8 — $75
• Galaxy S8/S8 Plus — $75
• Galaxy S7/S7 Edge — $20-$30

How to sell your Galaxy phone via third-party sites

Thanks to its great value and super simple user experience, Samsung's trade-in program is what we recommend most people use if they're looking to make some extra cash off of their old Galaxy when upgrading to a new model. That said, if you have a Galaxy phone and are looking to buy a new handset from a different company, you'll want to consider a third-party selling website.

There are plenty of options out there for places to sell your used phone, and before you decide which one to use, it's important to understand all the ins and outs of how to sell or trade-in your Android phone to get the most money.

Direct selling

The first group of websites sees you selling your phone directly to another person. These sales can take some time and aren't guaranteed the way Samsung's trade-in program is, but you stand to earn the most amount of money with them. Swappa and eBay are among the most popular destinations for this, with Swappa getting the edge for being more user-friendly and having a distinct focus on mobile tech sales.

Selling on Swappa is dead simple. Fill out the information about your phone, indicate the condition it's in, your information as to where it'll ship from, and how much you're selling the phone for. Swappa is especially handy as sellers don't pay any fees to use the service. Instead, Swappa makes money by charging a small, flat-rate fee that the buyer pays when they purchase your phone.

For example, if you sell a Galaxy S20 with a list price of $420, you'll make $405 after the buyer pays a $15 fee. eBay has the edge of getting more visitors than Swappa does, but its 10% seller fee tends to eat up at your potential earnings a lot more. Simply put, we'd argue that Swappa is one of the best places to buy or sell a used phone.

Middleman selling

Listing your phone on something like Swappa or eBay and just waiting for someone to buy it is a good call, but in most cases, it's not the fastest way to get rid of your phone and make some money. If you're willing to sacrifice some cash in favor of a guaranteed payment, check out services like Gazelle and UpTrade.

In this case, you're selling your phone to the company, which then sells it back to people shopping for used phones on their website. They act as a sort of middleman, but unlike Swappa or eBay, you're guaranteed to make the sale and get some cash.

Gazelle is currently offering $203 for the baseline Galaxy S10, with UpTrade paying a much more generous $325. That's still not as much as you can get with Swappa or Samsung's trade-in program, but it's guaranteed cash that you can do whatever you'd like with. If you're looking to sell your S20 in preparation for the Galaxy S21, UpTrade will give you a hefty $410.

Lots of options to consider

As you can see, there are a lot of ways you can go about selling your Galaxy phone. As with all things, each path comes with a unique set of pros and cons.

If you're planning on getting a new Samsung Galaxy phone after selling your current one, it makes the most sense to use Samsung's trade-in system. It pays incredibly well, you get an instant discount on the purchase of your new phone, and you don't have to worry about waiting around for an interested buyer to come along.

Swappa is a solid choice if you'd rather sell your phone for a reasonable price and get cash over a product discount, but you should be prepared to wait a few days for the sale to complete. You won't get the most money for your phone with UpTrade, but it guarantees cash in your pocket within a matter of days.

Understand the options available to you, go with the one that fits your needs the best, and be on your way. Good luck!