# Selling old cell phones? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438 "2012-02-10T18:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pablo\_O\_Malley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Pablo\_O\_Malley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablo_O_Malley)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/1 "2012-02-10T18:21:19Z")
:dubious::dubious::dubious:I have a bunch of old cell phones I’ve saved from the past 20 yrs…is there any place I can sell them and get anything? any stores or chains take 'em…i know there are places to donate them, but i m a cfb and want any cash i can get for em:dubious::dubious: ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/2 "2012-02-10T19:01:27Z")
1. Are they still working and do you have the chargers for them? Do they look halfway decent or are they broken, scratched etc.? 2. Do you have “2nd hand cell phone” stores in your area? If not, I’d try ebay, that’s what it (was) for. 3. For 20 year old, don’t expect too much because they probably don’t have a lot of the functions that people expect today (GPS, 3GM, camera, etc.) People who buy used cell phones in the first place are looking to get one cheap (or without a binding 24-month plan) and something simple that doesn’t cost much. People who want to spend money buy the latest Iphone instead. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/3 "2012-02-10T19:05:51Z")
What’s a “cfb” ? If you don’t have stores that buy them and you don’t want to do ebay, you could put up a notice near where people with little money and need of a cell phone hang out - immigrants or community students, who need to stay in contact but don’t want to spend a lot of money for the phone. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/4 "2012-02-10T19:10:58Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > What’s a “cfb” ? WAG: cheap effing bastidge ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/5 "2012-02-10T20:42:02Z")
I googled and found some place that bought them. They send a mailing label (postage paid), you ship 'em off, and eventually a check arrives in your mailbox. I think we averaged about $5/phone. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/6 "2012-02-10T21:49:45Z")
Unless the phones are only about 2-3 years old, they are pretty much worthless. I looked on one of those online sites to sell my less than 1 year old Motorola Razr and it told me it was worthless. I did sell a Samsung phone that I got when Alltel switched to AT&T to them for $26 though. So it’s pretty much a crap shoot. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/7 "2012-02-11T03:10:52Z")
You could donate them to a charity that will redistribute them as emergency phones…and then take the tax write-off. If you are in the USA and itemize your taxes. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-old-cell-phones/612438/8 "2012-02-11T07:19:46Z")
> [@Pablo\_O\_Malley](#): > > :dubious::dubious::dubious:I have a bunch of old cell phones I’ve saved from the past 20 yrs…is there any place I can sell them and get anything? any stores or chains take 'em…i know there are places to donate them, but i m a cfb and want any cash i can get for em:dubious::dubious: An original Motorola “brick” phone could be worth some money as a collectors item (I got $ 100.00 for mine a few years ago) the rest is probably just trash. Here is some info on collectible units. [http://www.retrobrick.com/](http://www.retrobrick.com/)