Gazelle Review: What You Need to Know Before Selling Your Phone

I never know what to do with my old phone.

Selling it seems like a hassle, but I don’t want to donate it and not get anything in return. In the end, I tend to hold onto my old phone for months until I finally throw it away. It seems like a waste, right?

But now, thanks to services like Gazelle, people can sell their old phones and tablets without much effort. No longer do we have to spend time taking pictures, creating sales listings, talking to prospective buyers, and planning meet-ups. Gazelle streamlines and simplifies the process of selling your old technology.

What Is Gazelle?

Gazelle is a site that buys and sells discounted and gently-used electronics including iPhones, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel devices. Users can trade in their old technology for money or search for deals on new-to-them phones and tablets.

Although Gazelle buys tablets and smartphones from many brands, those are the only two items it buys. You can’t sell your laptop (unless it’s a MacBook) or Kindle to Gazelle.

Is Gazelle Legit?

Gazelle is a legitimate site that pays for your used technology. It inspects each phone and tablet before it goes live on the site and runs the devices through a security check to ensure they haven’t been stolen, so as a buyer, you can trust that the phone you purchase will be legit.

However, Gazelle reviews appear to be mixed. The company has received several complaints from users and currently holds a 2.6-star rating on Trustpilot.

Although sellers receive an immediate price quote, some report experiencing a bait-and-switch strategy. These sellers say that they described their device, got a quote, and sent it in. Although they say to have described the device correctly, Gazelle claimed it had more scratches or other imperfections and offered a lower rate once it received the device.

Related: Top 10 Places to Sell Your Phone for the Most Cash

Gazelle Review: How Does It Work?

Gazelle breaks down the selling and buying process into a few easy steps.

Selling with Gazelle

To sell your phone with Gazelle, you’ll first need to provide the brand, model, color, storage limits, and overall condition.

Using that information, Gazelle will give you a price estimate, valid for 30 days, along with a prepaid shipping label. If you accept the offer and send your phone to Gazelle, it’ll check and verify that the device is as described.

If it all matches, you’ll receive payment via Amazon gift card, PayPal, or by check.

However, if you send in your phone and it revises your quote, your options are to accept the new offer or have it mailed back to you. There is no fee to have your phone sent back.

This can be a frustrating process because you can’t be sure you’ll get the quoted price at the outset. However, you take on the same risk with similar apps. Your best option is to be as honest and thorough as possible. It doesn’t help you to lie or omit certain details about the device you’re trading in.

If you don’t want to take this risk, you can try selling your phone yourself through a site like eBay or in-person with Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

Before sending your phone to Gazelle, make sure you erase all personal information from it. The best way to do this is to reset your phone to factory settings. This will delete all your passwords, pictures, files, and any other personal or identifying information.

Once you reset your phone, you won’t be able to undo it, so make sure you’ve backed up all your data. 

Related: 7 Ways to Sell Your Electronics for Cash Before they End Up in a Landfill

Getting paid with Gazelle 

Once you send in your phone or iPad to Gazelle for review, it’ll need three to five days to inspect the phone and decide on a final price. It can then take an additional 2 to 10 days for you to get paid.

You’ll get paid via Amazon gift card, check, or PayPal. If you choose to get paid via PayPal or Amazon gift card, it should be issued within two days. If you choose a check, it can take 7 to 10 days to receive it.

Remember, the quote it gives you is only good for 30 days so once you receive it, you’ll need to send in your device as quickly as possible to start the payment process. 

Buying from Gazelle

Buying from Gazelle is simple. First, you’ll click under the “Buy” button at the front page which shows you a listing of devices it has for sale.

You can also search for a specific model and brand or choose to look at what options there are in your price range. After you put in your search criteria, you’ll see the full listings of purchasing options, along with which carrier the phone is connected to.

Because Gazelle reviews and verifies all its phones to make sure they’re both as described by the seller and not stolen, you can feel comfortable choosing a model. If you want to return a device, you can do so within 30 days. Gazelle will give you a prepaid shipping label, but it’ll charge a $15 restocking fee.

Review of Other Gazelle Features

In addition to providing an easy-to-use selling platform, Gazelle also offers: 

• Loyalty program. Gazelle Rewards is its rewards and loyalty program that gives you one point for every dollar your device is worth. You can redeem those points for extra money the next time you sell or trade in a device. You can also earn extra points by connecting with Gazelle on social media, visiting the website every day, and you get 100 points just for registering with the program. 

• Enterprise trade-in. This feature allows business owners to sell their devices to Gazelle in bulk. The process is the same as its standard program: business owners provide information including the make, model, and quantity of the devices (minimum of 10) they want to sell and Gazelle gives a quote for the devices. If the quote is accepted, it ships you a box to use to send it your devices. Upon receipt and inspection, you get paid. 

• Gazelle for Good. The charitable arm of Gazelle provides fundraising, technology grants, iPad donations, and other community service projects to local communities. 

Alternatives to Gazelle

If you don’t want to use Gazelle to sell your old phone or tablet, there are other options.

Buyback Boss

Buyback Boss is an easy-to-use site for selling your old smartphones, tablets, and other technology. To sell with it, you need to provide a few details about your item and it gives you an instant quote that’s good for 14 days. If you accept the company’s offer, it’ll email you a prepaid shipping label for you to use to send the device. 

It also offer a highest-price guarantee so if you find a higher quote on a different site, Buyback Boss promises to honor it. 

Once it receives and inspects your device, you can choose to get paid via physical check, PayPal, or make a donation to Lighthouse for Hope, a 501(c)(3) benefitting children with pediatric cancer and their families.

Decluttr

Decluttr is an app and website where you can sell your phone, iPad, and other electronics. You can download the app or enter the information on the website.

Like Gazelle, you’ll get a quote for the device, print out a prepaid shipping label, and then send it in. Decluttr can also change the price if the phone is in a worse condition than you described.

ecoATM

EcoATM is Gazelle’s network of kiosks you can use to trade in smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players. You can find them in places like malls, grocery stores, and Walmart. It accepts phones, tablets, and MP3 players. 

This is the easiest way to get paid because you’re likely to have an ecoATM near you. There’s no worrying about shipping and packing the phone. All you need to do is bring the device to the kiosk, plug it in so the kiosk can evaluate it, and get a quote. If you accept the price, you’ll get paid in cash on the spot. 

Best Buy Trade-In

If you have a cell phone or other electronic device, you can take it to Best Buy and trade it in for a Best Buy gift card.

Unlike Gazelle, you can sell it in person to a Best Buy store if you don’t want to mail your phone. You can only get paid with a Best Buy gift card, so this isn’t a good option if you need actual cash.

This is an easy option if you have a Best Buy near you, and don’t want to worry about packing up a phone to ship.

Gazelle Review Summary

Buyers who shop for smartphones or iPads on Gazelle seem to have a more positive experience than those who sell their devices. That’s because the site is very particular and has high standards for the items it accepts. You may think your phone is perfect, but Gazelle might still find something wrong with it.

However, it’s free to send in the device and have it inspected. If you end up getting a lower quote, you can have it sent back to you for free.

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