Make money by selling your old mobile phone

You can sell your old phones that have been clogging your spare drawers through a new company that has launched this week called Zwipit. The multinational mobile buyback provider specialises in buying and selling used and new mobile devices and enables you to sell your old mobile devices for what it claims are competitive cash prices.
 
The company allows you to sell your old cell phone through the secure Zwipit.co.za website and it will arrange for courier company to collect your old phone at no additional cost. "The courier can reach any part of South Africa but rural areas may take a little longer to commute to," explained Nothando Moleketi, Zwipit South Africa's executive of marketing and operations.
 
How it works
 
The company categorises phones in three categories: 'as good as new', 'working' or 'broken'. 'As good as new' means that the phone looks pristine whereas 'working' phones will have the usual wear and tear markings it. Broken phones are accepted too but they may not be water damaged and have the capability to be switched on and off.
 
"If customers are uncertain about whether phones can be switched on or off we are able to test that," added Moleketi.
 
Once you have found your phone on the website you need to answer some simple questions such as whether the phone is water damaged and if it is stolen. Once you have selected the condition of the phone, the amount that the company is willing to give you for the phone will be displayed. Once the transaction has been accepted the cash will be deposited into your chosen bank account or credit card within a maximum of 10 working days.
 
Not all phones are accepted
 
Unfortunately not all phones will be snapped up by Zwipit. Vintage or retro phones, such as the Nokia 8210, that have recently become popular items and that fetch as much as R13,854 online are currently not being accepted by Zwipit.
 
Moleketi explained that the company has a list of over 1,000 phones that it will accept listed on its website and that sellers can search on the site to find out if their old phone will be accepted. "We will accept feature phones, smart phones and tablets," said Moleketi.
 
Zwipit is in the first phase of its launch which means that at this stage it is only buying phones to repurpose them. The company has not yet launched phase two where it plans to sell repurposed phones directly through retailers or through its e-commerce store directly to the public. "We are currently in discussions with a number of retailers," said Felix Martin-Aguilar, Zwipit South Africa's managing director.
 
What you could sell your phone for
 
Justmoney used the Zwipit tool to find out how much some phones could be sold for. Here's the results of five cell phones:
 

Cell phone type	Good as new	Working	Broken
Apple iPhone 5S 64Gb	R4,122.30	R2,184	R873.60
Blackberry 9720	R232.05	R218.40	R87.36
Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini G800	R1,774.50	R1,665.30	R666.12
Nokia Lumia 1320	R969.15	R914.55	R365.82
Sony Ericsson g700	R27.30	R27.30	R10.92

 
Table correct as at 26 November, 2014. For more information, visit: www.zwipit.co.za.