Selling your old phone or laptop without getting ripped off

People ask us all the time what to do with an old phone or laptop. Here's the honest answer we'd give a friend.

Is it worth selling?

• Look up recently SOLD listings for the same model (not asking prices) to see what it really goes for
• Compare with trade-in offers from your carrier or the manufacturer: sometimes they beat a private sale once you count the hassle
• Very old or broken devices are often worth more as a trade-in credit, or recycled, than as a sale

Before you hand it over

1. Back up your photos, contacts and files, and check the backup worked
2. Sign out of your accounts: on an iPhone, turn off Find My and sign out of your Apple Account; on Android, remove your Google account
3. Then erase it: "Erase All Content and Settings" on an iPhone, a factory reset on Android, "Reset this PC" with the drive cleaned on Windows
4. Remove the SIM card and any memory card

If you skip signing out, the buyer may be stuck with a locked device and you'll get an angry message.

Scams to watch for

• Buyers who want to pay more than the price and have you send back the difference
• Payment "confirmations" by e-mail instead of money actually in your account
• Requests to ship before you're paid, or to use a shipping label they send
• Local sales: meet somewhere public in daylight, and take cash or an instant payment you can see arrive before you hand it over

Not worth selling?

We wipe drives properly, physically destroy the ones that can't be wiped, and take the rest to a local recycler instead of the landfill. And if you're not sure what to do with it, ask us. We'll tell you what we'd do.

More tips

• How to spot a scam e-mail in 30 seconds
• Is your backup actually working?
• Wi-Fi keeps dropping? Try this first
• What to do if your e-mail or an account gets hacked
• All tips