What Happens if Your Device is Revalued?

If you are looking to sell your iPhone or iPad, and are worried the price might get knocked down once you’ve sent it off. This blog will provide a quick insight into what happens and the reasons behind it.

The price you are given upon completion of your trade in booking is based on the details of the smartphone or tablet you have provided (model, capacity, network, condition etc). However, please note, this is just a quote. The price offered is a guide price and is subject to change. This can be for a multitude of reasons such as the device has been received beyond the 14-day guarantee or the device does not meet the criteria of the condition chosen.

If your device does not meet the criteria of the condition chosen or the device details you have entered are incorrect, the price will be subject to a revaluation to meet this requirement – this is what we call a revised offer.

Example –  You have chosen “good” as the condition and we have offered £80 for your handset, however there is a crack in the screen and various internal functions are not responding, we will need to revalue the device to the “faulty” price of £30.

Devices that have been revalued are placed into Quarantine and from here we await your response. Upon completion of the testing process, you will receive a text message and email from us stating “there is a problem with your device” with a brief reason as to why your device has been revalued and a revised price is offered. Also in the email, you are given the option to either “accept” or “reject” the revised offer by clicking the link at the bottom of the email. If accepted – the device is added to stock, your trade-in is completed with the revalued price and your payment is processed later that same day via your chosen payment method.

If rejected – You are of no obligation to accept the revised offer. If you are not happy with the new price you can choose to reject this. The device will then be returned back to the address provided free of charge via Royal Mail 1st Class post that same day.

Five of the Most Common Reasons Devices are Revalued

1. Wrong Condition – As used in the previous example, it is common for devices to be booked-in as the wrong condition. We find quite often that devices have been booked in as “good” when they really should be booked in as “faulty”. Please make sure you double check the grading criteria, which can be found in the “condition” section when creating your booking. Please double check for any cracks that may be on the screen and rear glass. Some cracks can be very difficult to see. To counteract this, place your device under a lamp and rotate the front and rear. The cracks should glisten when viewed from all angles, as opposed to deep scratches which will not glisten.  

• Wrong Model, Capacity, Network – Similar to the previous point, it is common for device information to be listed incorrectly. When creating your booking, it is very important you make sure the details you have entered are accurate. The model and capacity of your handset can be found in the “settings” page under “General” and “About”. The network can be found by inserting SIM cards in the SIM tray.

• Grey Spots on Rear Camera – This revaluation is extremely common amongst iPhone X handsets and above. We have found a common defect amongst iPhone rear cameras where grey spots of varied intensities can be seen when facing anything with a white background. This is caused by dust getting caught in between the camera and camera lens. This cannot be fixed, resulting in the camera needing to be replaced and unfortunately, with the higher-grade iPhone handsets such as iPhone 11 and 12 onwards, this does mean a considerable amount needs to be deducted from the price quoted.

• Battery Service – When a battery’s health has depleted below 80%, the device will show “Service” in the settings menu. If your device shows this, the battery will need to be replaced. Unfortunately, iPhone XR and above will display a “Non-Genuine Apple Product” notification when the battery is replaced which means you may find a price deduction of £30 – £100 depending on the model of your handset.

• Front Microphone Background Static / Earpiece Playback Quiet – Dirt can get caught inside the holes of the earpiece mesh which can cause the front microphone playback to have background static or cause the earpiece to be quiet and distorted during a phone call. If this is the case, we will need to replace the mesh resulting in a slight revaluation, depending on the device model. To prevent this, you can use a small brush to clean the mesh and remove any dirt that may be blocking the microphone and earpiece.