Trade-in: what actually moves the number
The short answer
Model and storage set the ballpark. Battery health and a cracked screen move it most after that, and both are repairs you can weigh up first. An account lock or a blocked IMEI is not a lower valuation; it is a phone nobody can sell.
The order things matter in
The second line is not a valuation factor so much as a gate. A phone that cannot be signed out of has no trade-in value at any grade, because there is nothing to sell.
- Model and storage capacity, which set the range before anything else is looked at
- Whether it can actually be sold: account signed out, IMEI clear, network unlocked
- Battery health, which moves the number more than most people expect
- The screen, where a crack costs more than the repair does on most models
- Cosmetic grade, which matters less than people expect for a phone destined for a case
- Colour and whether it is a carrier variant, which are small adjustments at the margin
The two repairs worth doing first
A cracked screen. On most models the repair costs less than the crack takes off the valuation, so having it done first leaves you ahead. Ask for both numbers and compare them; if the repair costs more than it adds, do not do it, and we will tell you which way it falls.
A tired battery, sometimes. A cell under 80 per cent visibly reduces what a phone is worth and a replacement is one of the cheaper repairs. This one is closer than the screen and depends on the model.
What is not worth doing first: cosmetic work on the frame, back glass on a phone going to trade rather than resale, and anything where you are effectively buying a repair to give it away.
Why credit beats cash
Because a phone that stays here is worth more to us than one that leaves as money. If you are trading toward another device we can offer more, and we would rather say that plainly than quote one number and let people find out.
That is the whole reason the two figures differ, and it is why we always show both. If cash is what you need, take the cash; the offer is still a real one.
It also means the arithmetic on a repair changes depending on which you are taking. A repair that is marginal against cash can be clearly worth it against credit.
Before you bring it in
- Back it upEverything you want to keep, checked rather than assumed. Once it is traded it is gone.
- Sign out of every accountThis is the one that stops trades at the counter. Sign out of the manufacturer account, then check the device shows no account at all.
- Factory reset it, after signing outIn that order. Resetting without signing out leaves the device account locked and worth nothing.
- Take the SIM and any memory cardObvious, and it happens weekly.
- Bring the charger and the box if you have themThey add a little, and they cost you nothing to bring.
- Know your battery health figureSo the number we give you is not a surprise.
What we will not do
Buy a device somebody cannot sign out of in front of us, or one whose IMEI comes back reported.
Quote a number before we have looked at the phone. A valuation given over the phone from a description is a number that changes at the counter, which is worse than no number.
Or grade a faulty phone as though it were working. If something is broken it is priced as broken and described as broken.
Common questions.
Usually yes. On most models the repair costs less than the crack takes off the valuation. Ask for both numbers and compare, and we will tell you honestly when it falls the other way.
Because a device that stays in the shop is worth more to us than one that leaves as money. Both offers are real and we show both, so you can take the cash if that is what you need.
Yes, more than most people expect. A cell under 80 per cent visibly reduces what a phone is worth, and replacing it is one of the cheaper repairs, so it is worth weighing up.
No. There is nothing to sell, because nobody can set the device up. Sign out first, then factory reset, in that order.
We will give you a range, not a number. A valuation depends on battery health, screen condition and whether the device is clear, and none of those can be established from a description.
Where this leads.
Something actually broken? Bring it in.
Free diagnostic, a firm price before any work, and a 360-day warranty on every completed repair.
Book a repair 24/7 · No fix, no fee · 360-day warranty · Free diagnostic