When it comes to resale market for smartphone, it is good to know the basic definition of what is considered a second hand phone.
Smartphone retailers define a phone to be second hand as long as it has been sold more than once. What this means is that you can claim that your product is BNIB (Brand new in box), unopened etc, but it will still be treated as a second hand unit. But this does not mean that a BNIB will not be able to fetch more than an used phone.
What buyers look for in 2nd hand phone is the cosmetic condition. If there are scratches all over the phone body, then it is only right that you expect buyers to question the overall condition of the phone. This is because a smooth and brand-new feel used phone will give a buyer the assurance that the phone is well taken care of and he or she is not likely to question your credibility. So, when selling your used phone, attach the phone condition by stating something like: Phone condition - 8/10. But do take note that there is no official scale and this rating is well subjective to the standards of different individuals.
We all know that Apple has a strict warranty policy. When you bring a faulty iphone that is still covered under the warranty period, Apply will not repair your spoilt phone but they will replace your phone with a new unit. Awesome, you may say. But do not think that Apple is stupid enough as to give you a brand new set. Many people believe that the replacement unit that you'll be getting is a refurbished unit. What refurbished unit means is they take in a spoilt iphone, repair it and it's labelled as refurbished.
Alternative to buying a second hand iPhone, Apple is also selling their refurbished products. Just go to the Apple online store. You can find the list of refurbished items that have been put up for sale under the special deals such as what you can find here. But you need to be in lots of luck to be able to find a refurbished iPhone. There are plenty of iMac and Macbook listed there, but the last time I checked, there was no iPhone in the list.
Another popular alternative in Singapore is the trade-in business model. While the term itself is quite obvious to some, it is a term that is not so well-understood by the general audience. So, what does the term trade-in exactly mean? The term itself may carry different meaning when used in different countries. In the context specific to Singapore, trade-in means that you are giving up an item that you already have to replace with something else. The replacement is usually something brand new. For example, you trade-in a 2-year old phone with the latest phone release. This implies that you give up your 2-year old phone with a new phone that could have been just released to the market. In this case, you are giving up your old phone because it could be obsolete in Singapore and does not support the latest technologies or services offered by the local telcos. For example, if you have an old Nokia phone that does not support 3G network. You will be missing out on many of the conveniences offered by services that require data communications to work.
In the case when you trade-in an old phone with a brand new phone, you normally have to top-up the difference between the trade-in value and the new phone value. iPhone is one exception. It is one of those rare devices where the price depreciation is relatively flat compared to its peers in the electronic industry. In some cases, you trade-in your current phone with another model because you either get sick of the phone that you are using or you can no longer tolerate the limitations of the phone.
One tips if you are looking to sell your phone is to not lose the box and its complete accessories. Nowadays, mobile phones such as iPhone 4s sold in singapore comes with standard charger and earpiece at the minimum. Do not lose these accessories as losing means that your phone will no longer be in its complete box set.
