Interested in making money by working in the electronics industry? If so, one of the best ways to achieve this goal is by flipping phones.
To flip phones, you need to buy phones and then resell these electronic devices to another party at a profit. While this might sound fairly simple, there are a lot of helpful things we want to teach you before you start flipping cell phones.
Think of this post as a type of mini phone flipping course. We'll cover all the basics that you need to start your own phone flipping business. We have a lot to cover, so let's get started!
Can I Actually Make Money Flipping Phones?
Yes! It's absolutely possible to start and run a profitable business flipping phones. For example, many of Trade-In Tech's members started out buying cell phones and flipping these phones for profit.
It's understandable to wonder how much money you can make through phone flipping. In most cases, the amount of profit you make depends largely on how many phones and what kinds of smartphones you can buy.
Here's a look at the main types of phones you'll run into and one to avoid at all costs.
New Phones
If you want to buy cell phones and have the most in-demand items, you'll want to look for new mobile phones. New mobile phones can command incredibly high prices from customers. However, you might also be spending a little more than normal to get your hands on such phones.
The good thing about going after these types of profitable phones is that you can set a higher selling price than if you were selling used mobile phones. That's because newer phones tend to carry a much higher market value than used ones.
Used Phones
If you either can't find them or don't have the money to spend on brand-new phones, don't worry! Many electronics wholesalers love buying and reselling old phones. For one, not everyone wants to buy a phone that costs upwards of several hundred dollars. Plus, many used phones (as long as they're fairly new) should have all the features your customers want.
Since the price of brand new smartphones doesn't appear to be lowering anytime soon, selling used phones helps your customers get good deals! With the prices of just about everything going up, selling these smartphones can get you a lot of business from people looking for cheap phones.
Broken Phones
As strange as it might seem, there's a lot of potential money to make by reselling broken phones. The first advantage of reselling broken phones is that most of them are dirt cheap. That's because the average consumer doesn't have a lot of use for a broken phone.
However, don't let that steer you away from buying a phone with a cracked screen, or even one that doesn't work at all! That's because, with the right knowledge or partners, you can easily turn these devices into refurbished phones.
Some phone flippers also learn a few common repairs and become both a refurbisher and reseller. Someone like this might, for instance, take on repairs for cracked screens, fixing a few dead pixels, and other more simple fixes. Of course, carrying out these two jobs at the same time might be more than you're ready to take on. Fortunately, there are many electronics refurbishers who can help you out.
Blacklisted Phones (Stay Away!)
Eventually, after spending enough time browsing listings, you might encounter the dreaded blacklisted phones. If this happens, we urge you to stay away from buying phones that have been blacklisted. But why? Let's get into the reasons why blacklisted phones are a no-go.
First, let's take a look at why a service provider or person might blacklist their phone. This can sometimes happen if a phone was reported lost. If you were to unknowingly buy this phone and try to resell it, you could be unknowingly selling someone's lost phone!
The next reason to avoid blacklisted phones is that they might be stolen property. Think about all of the personal information that's on your phone. Considering that, you'd probably not want a random person to get their hands on your mobile device. If someone stole your phone, you could block anyone else from getting access to its content by blacklisting this phone.
Finally, let's talk about what happens if your customer gets a blacklisted phone. This type of phone won't be like working phones listed elsewhere. Whether behind on payments, lost, or stolen, an officially blacklisted phone simply won't function. So, someone who buys a blacklisted phone spends their money on what is essentially now as useful as a paperweight.
We don't mention these types of phones to worry you or scare you away from becoming a phone flipper! Trade-In Tech just wants to make sure that you're not wasting your valuable time, money, or energy trying to buy a blacklisted phone.
What Kind of Phones Should I Start Flipping?
Before you officially begin buying phones, it's good to know what kinds of brands will be your company's best sellers. Fortunately, you don't have to spend hours or days combing through the internet for answers. Instead, check out this list below of the most popular phone brands on the market.
iPhones
If you want to make money online flipping phones, you'll definitely want to check out iPhones! Made by Apple, the iPhone remains one of the most popular smartphones in the world.
Of course, the one major drawback of buying these phones is that it's hard to find cheap iPhones. Not only are iPhones incredibly popular, but they're also extremely in demand. But don't let that discourage you from flipping these phones for profit.
You can find all sorts of iPhones for sale on many popular online marketplaces. Just make sure you know what these phones are worth to ensure you don't get ripped off. Remember, private sellers set their own prices. So, make sure you know how much the iPhones you want are worth and if there's room in a seller's price for you to make a profit.
Android Phones
Another popular brand to look out for is the Android phone. Because there are so many phone companies that use this software on their phones, we had to narrow down our list to a few companies. However, almost any phone from the brands below should bring in good money from your customers.
Samsung
One of the most popular brands that use the Android operating system is Samsung. In most cases, Samsung is Apple's main rival. Considering the popularity of Samsung smartphones, it should be easy to find phones with the Samsung label. One of this company's most popular smartphones is the Samsung Galaxy.
In many cases, year over year, Samsung and Apple remain rivals. If your customers aren't obsessed with Apple and its iPhones, offering Samsung smartphones can be a great way to gain many new customers.
Chances are, you don't need us to explain what Google is. But if you haven't heard of this company, it's one of the largest tech companies in the world. While you might know Google as a search engine, this company has also expanded what it offers into the world of electronics. Currently, the Google Pixel is the line this company uses to produce several phones under.
While Google's line of smartphones isn't quite as popular as those from Apple and Samsung, there are many tech fans who enjoy using this company's phones.
OnePlus
Not all of the world's most popular phones come from the United States. If you plan on buying or reselling electronics internationally, it's definitely worth checking out a company called OnePlus. Based out of China, OnePlus is the manufacturer of the popular OnePlus Pro lines of smartphones.
You might not find a lot of demand for this company's line of phones in the United States. However, many international customers love the features and power that phones from OnePlus have to offer.
Where Can I Buy Cell Phones?
To start making as much money as possible flipping phones, it's important to know where to look. Again, we're not going to make you spend countless hours searching for answers. When you're ready to start buying and selling phones online, make sure you check out the sources below.
Trade-In Tech
If you're looking for instant access to one of the most popular online electronics marketplaces, you've gotta check out Trade-In Tech. Started in 2012, Trade-In Tech quickly grew to become a large platform for companies to easily sell and buy all sorts of electronics.
But, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything that Trade-In Tech has to offer. With that in mind, here's a closer look at the many beneficial reasons to think about joining our platform.
Being Able to Buy and Sell Phones on the Same Platform
When people are trying to buy and sell electronics online, they don't typically want to spend a lot of wasted time hopping from platform to platform. Unfortunately, that's the reality for many people who have to spend time on separate platforms to buy or sell their phones. But you won't have that problem after you join Trade-In Tech.
Trade-In Tech is a platform for both buyers and sellers. If you want to really start a phone flipping business, having this kind of platform will save you a ton of time and energy. Plus, you have to manage fewer accounts - who doesn't love that?
A Great Platform for Wholesale Phone Flippers
As your flipping business continues growing, you'll likely find yourself wanting to get more phones than normal. This is otherwise known as being an electronics wholesaler. It's easy to see why being a wholesaler is such a popular line of work. Since these people tend to move electronics in bulk, they tend to sell phones faster than someone listing only one or two phones.
In addition to electronics wholesalers, Trade-In Tech is also home to electronics retailers, buyback vendors, and many other roles in this industry. Whether you want to list one electronic device or hundreds, Trade-In Tech can accommodate just about any listing request.
Not Having to Meet Strangers in Person to Sell or Buy Phones
Online shopping is certainly one of the most popular ways of buying just about anything. And it's easy to see why online shopping reigns supreme. For one, you don't have to go to a store. There's also no driving involved. You just place your order online and wait for it to arrive! And that's exactly what you get on Trade-In Tech.
There's certainly nothing wrong with buying and selling electronics in person. Many of our members either started out or continue to run their businesses through in-person transactions. But face-to-face transactions aren't for everyone, especially when someone is just getting started in the electronics industry.
You can buy electronics on Trade-In Tech from the privacy of your home or business. Best of all, you can do all of this from the comfort of your pajamas (we won't tell anyone!)
Creating Buyer's Requests
There's no denying that Trade-In Tech's online marketplace always has great electronics available for sale. With that said, there might be a rare time when you're unable to find the electronics you're looking for. If that's the case, you don't have to wait around for the right electronics to come along. Instead, you can use a powerful feature known as Trade-In Tech's buyer's request.
Creating a buyer's request is a feature that's available for all Trade-In Tech members. Within a few minutes, you can send out one of our buyer's requests that goes out to our large membership network. Whether you need an old phone, a new phone, or something in between, it's likely only one buyer's request away.
Having a Great Way to Connect With Other Business Leaders
Eventually, you will likely want to grow your company by connecting with other people and companies. Trade-In Tech is happy to let you know that this is absolutely possible after joining our platform. That's because Trade-In Tech is home to all sorts of people and companies in the electronics industry.
On Trade-In Tech, you can connect and potentially work with:
Resellers
Wholesalers
Retailers
Vendors
and much more!
No Transaction Fees
No matter what you do, it's hard to go through life without paying fees. They are almost everywhere you go. Fortunately, being a Trade-In Tech member gets even better. That's because Trade-In Tech is a firm believer in offering no listing fees. By doing this, each of our members (no matter whether they're buying or selling electronics) gets to keep more money from each sale. We just believe it's the way things should be.
It doesn't matter whether you're buying a single phone or a hundred of them, you'll never have to worry about those bothersome transaction fees on our platform. Without having to worry about that, you can keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket.
An Around the Clock Support Team
Something else that's understandably important to almost anyone before joining a new platform is knowing they'll have access to a support team. Trade-In Tech does one better and offers 24/7 support to all of our members. It doesn't matter what time it is, you can send a message to our support team and get a quick response.
By having access to this type of support, you never have to worry about waiting on a response to any of your questions or concerns. This isn't a feature that's so easy to find while you're searching for other electronics platforms.
Facebook Marketplace
You might also think about finding phones for sale by checking out Facebook Marketplace. On this platform, you can use the power of social media to help you buy or sell phones. The main drawback when you're trying to buy phones on Facebook Marketplace is that you'll have to meet people in person to complete your transactions. Unfortunately, you can't buy mobile phones (or anything else for that matter) online through Facebook Marketplace.
We also recommend setting up a dedicated Facebook page for your business. If someone is looking up the phones you're selling, it's helpful if they see that you're doing this as part of a business. Bonus points for having your company's Facebook page with lots of pictures and engaging posts.
eBay and Other Auction Websites
If you need another online way to find electronics for sale online, it might also be worth checking out eBay. This website has helped buyers and sellers list their goods online for decades. If you're unfamiliar with eBay, this website allows people to both buy and sell items online. And one of this website's most popular categories involves electronics.
Joining eBay is free and easy, which is a good and bad thing. For one, it's easy for you to get started with an account on this website. However, the drawback of it being so simple to join eBay is that people like scammers can also easily join this platform. That's one of the main reasons why eBay so often deals with the problem of people listing counterfeit goods for sale.
Fortunately, you should be able to find some phones for sale on eBay. With that said, you'll want to make sure that you're keeping a close eye on anyone you're thinking about buying phones from. Fortunately, eBay makes this goal easy to achieve through its member rating information. The higher a member's number, the more feedback they've received.
Look Locally (Garage Sales, Yard Sales, etc)
Sometimes, it pays to look for phones in the city where you live. While you and many others might prefer to do business online, not everyone's selling their old phones on eBay or Facebook. This is how many people get started flipping phones.
Chances are, you can find at least a few phones for sale at local thrift stores, flea markets, pawn shops, and even garage or yard sales. It all depends on how big of a city you live in. Naturally, you'd tend to sell a lot of brand new phones faster in a big city than you would in an incredibly small town.
If you're looking for things locally, prepare yourself to spend some time searching around. But this strategy can also help you unearth potentially amazing deals on phones. However, this method of finding phones probably won't be ideal for someone who prefers to do things online.
Avoid Big Box Stores
As you look for phones to make extra cash from, you might feel tempted to see what your local "big box" retailer has in stock. Unfortunately, don't expect to find much in the way of deals. Sure, these stores are likely to have the best phones on their shelves. However, there's a reason that these stores have become so well-known—they know how to make money.
One way that these large companies make money is to buy low and sell high. Since these stores sell their phones at retail costs, it's very unlikely that you'll walk out of these places with amazing deals on a new cell phone.
Now, let's talk about selling phones to big box stores. This is another situation where you're probably best to avoid these businesses. That's because most of them prefer to give store credit for any traded-in devices. It's entirely up to you who you choose to work with. However, most phone flippers would prefer cash instead of credit. So, because of that, most of them avoid big box stores.
As you can see, phone flipping can be a great potential way to make serious money. We hope you enjoyed this phone flipping course and that it helps you start or continue working for a successful business. If you'd like to learn more about buying and selling electronics, you've come to the right place. Make sure to visit the Trade-In Tech blog for more tips, strategies, and anything else you need to make money in the electronics industry.