After decades, some models can be sold profitably if they are kept in good condition.
Many users keep old mobile phones at home, which can be sold dearly to connoisseurs. Researchers from the British company Protect Your Bubble told which models can be most profitable to sell in the modern market, reports the Daily Mail.
The list is headed by Motorola DynaTAC 8000X and it is not surprising, because it became the very first mobile phone in the world. Now its average price on eBay is 1776 pounds ($1965). It is noteworthy that in 1985 it was sold almost twice as expensive – £ 3,000, and not everyone could afford such a miracle of technology.
The second most expensive retro mobile phone was the HTC Touch Diamond2, which came out in 2009, a year after Apple’s second-generation iPhone 3G, and was positioned as a “personal digital assistant” based on Windows. In 2022, such a gadget was sold for 542.90 pounds ($600), although 13 years ago it cost about $145. It was the first touch device with a simple TouchFLO 3D interface, which became an alternative to Apple gadgets.
The top three is closed by the first iPhone model, which is also called iPhone 2G. As the researchers found, in the UK, its average price is 542 pounds, or almost $600. The second generation of Apple smartphones is also valued by collectors – on average, they offer $ 333 for it.
It is worth mentioning that a recently unpacked iPhone 1 was sold at auction for $40,000. As the organizers assured, the device has never been used and was stored in its original factory packaging, including a sealed film.
Other expensive old phones:
- Motorola RAZR2 — $341
- Motorola Microtac 9800X — $264,79
- Nokia 7280 (lipstick phone) — $200
The above models of mobile phones are the most expensive individually, but are in little demand. For example, Motorola DynaTAC 8000X sold only 12 times in a year. As for mass sales, Nokia 6630 turned out to be the most popular: from May 2021 to May 2022, 1614 units were sold on eBay. The Nokia 6310i of 2002 was the second most sold (1444 units), but the first in terms of profitability – it brought the owners a total of 68,517 pounds or $75,832.
Protect Your Bubble director James Brown noted that many people are willing to pay a large amount for old phones. Against the backdrop of rising prices, it’s time for owners to think about selling unnecessary gadgets now or in the future, when current models become obsolete.
“Remember, the better the condition, the better the price will be. Take care of the gadget by placing it in a case or box, clean it regularly and update the software,” James Brown advised.
Studies have shown that in total the British store about 527 million devices, and mobile phones are the most among them. Ofcom analysts have found that 45% of British households have two mobile phones, and a giffgaff study found that almost 30 million people still use older models.
Meanwhile, global smartphone sales are falling throughout 2022. In the third quarter, analysts recorded the strongest drop in the last 9 years.
