Why fix your phone when you can buy or trade-in?

Overview

We are a  5 star phone repair store and receive daily calls on repairs.  We also sell gently used phones as well.  In general our profit margin on repair is larger than selling phones, yet we continue to recommend for certain phones to avoid repairing 90% of the time (Read here to see when you should fix your phone).  Contrary to what most people think there is an economic and practical benefit to buying a gently used device rather than repairing.  Read on to see how this works.

Why fixing a phone is sometimes just not worth it!

Similar to investing money fixing a 20 year old car, fixing an old phone is often a bad investment.  Here are scenarios where it may not be worth it to fix your phone:

• You already have insurance for the device
  When you purchased your phone you may have already bought insurance or in the case of Apple, a warranty plan like AppleCare.  These plans often carry a deductible but will allow you to either fix or replace your device for a small fee.
• Certain models where the parts are expensive
  In the case of certain phones where parts are hard to come by or where a part is very expensive it may be cheaper to buy one than to fix one.  Samsung screens are notoriously expensive due to the curved AMOLED which makes screen replacement often more costly than buying the phone itself.
• Key Component is Damaged
  Certain types of damage cannot be repaired.  A damaged motherboard or screen is typical.   For instance the motherboard for an iPhone is too expensive to be replaced and it would be better to buy a new one.

• Locked Phone with Outstanding Payments
  If you have a phone with payments remaining on it and an expensive repair is in the works, it may not be worth investing in fixing a phone that you don’t technically own outright.  Spending $200 to fix a device that has $100 owing is possibly not worth it.

• Outdated Phones
  We don’t recommend fixing very old phones since older devices often don’t run the latest software.  For instance fixing an iPhone 5 doesn’t allow you to run the latest version of iOS 12.  Since most apps are constantly updated to operate on the latest operating systems, fixing a very old phone simply isn’t worth it.  For Apple we recommend you check out this site to see if your phone can run the latest iOS 12.

What Phones can we give you a Trade-in Credit On

At GalaxyCPR we can give you credit for the purchase of a gently used phone in stock.  Qualifying phones meet these criteria:

1. Clean Devices –  Devices that are ‘clean’ refer to devices that have no pending payments to the carrier or have not been reported as lost or stolen.a. To check if your device is clean identify the device’s IMEI number.  You can find an IMEI for an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy   You can also do it using a shortcode.b. Next thing to do is to check if your phone is on the IMEI blacklist which tells you if the phone has been reported as stolen.  Here’s another blacklist site that we use and another great blacklist site from the CTIATo find out if the phone has any outstanding payments call your carrier.
2. No activation lock – Sign out of your ID on your phone to avoid activation issues for the future ownerMake sure you remove your Google or iCloud lock (see section below for more details).
   • • If you own an iPhone you must make you have signed out of your iCloud.  You can check out this great site that tells you activation lock status in real-time for Apple Devices
     • If you own an Android make sure you sign out of your Google Account.
3. We prefer phones without carrier locks
   Check with your carrier if your phone is unlocked or locked.  We can give you credit for both types though phones that are unlocked are worth more.ATT| Verizon | Sprint | Tmobile
   Note that many phones CAN be unlocked if they have fulfilled basic requirements with the carrier.   For example prepaid phones can often be unlocked for no charge if it is done 1 year after initial activation as long as the bill is paid.  Check with your carrier on the eligibility requirements to unlock your phone.  As an example for ATT you can check here for unlocking eligibility.  For Verizon phones are generally not locked though you should check here.  Tmobile’s policy is here and Sprint’s is here.  Check with your carrier to see what’s possible.

Why not buy New?

New devices are simply overpriced.  Similar to buying a brand new car, once it it taken off the lot the value has decreased by 30%!  We sell gently used 1 generation old devices that have the depreciation taken out.  In the rush to take advantage of consumers that want the latest and greatest, manufacturers and retailers push these new devices to you in order to maximize their profit and increase your burden.  Here are the main reasons why we do not sell new phones and will never do so:

1. Phone innovation has reached a point where new releases are no longer ‘innovative’ but just incremental improvements over existing features.  Manufacturers will tout a camera improvement, speaker volume increases or longer battery life.  However for the massive premium .  Unless you are a professional photographer, the premium you place for the camera improvements are simply an unnecessary expense.
2. Retailers will often push to you their insurance and financing plans where they make most of their profits.  These plans are designed to get you locked into the carrier, the warranty or insurance plan so you can continue to pay them monthly for a long time.  Often these insurance plans require a hefty deductible, long wait times and other gimmicks that make the hassle of it unbearable for most consumers.  Our gently used devices come with warranties that are far more accommodating to a typical consumer’s requirements.
3. New devices are often buggy and have not been tested thoroughly.  You’ve heard the stories of Apple battery issues and iOS incompatibility issues.  These always occur on the newest devices since they haven’t been tested yet.  Why bother with first-gen issues?

We sell mostly prior generation devices that have already have the issues worked out.  Most importantly these devices are thoroughly inspected, often have new batteries and warrantied.  You can check out our inventory here.

Choose your Phone to Purchase

We sell only gently used phones that come with a standard 30 day warranty that is extendable to 3 years.  Unlike private sellers, all devices we sell are guaranteed to work on the carrier you want and are unlocked.

• Our inventory is available real-time here at our e-commerce site here.  At this site you can simply purchase a device.
• If you just want to sell your device and not trade it in check out CellValuer.com which buys back your device.  We are a partner of CellValuer and can accept drop offs at our store.
• If you want to trade in a device for an iPhone, this site will help you.

What we do prior to Delivery

We understand you don’t have unlimited time to check your phone.  This is why we offer a 30 day warranty on the device.  We check each phone prior to shipping:

1. We check the LCD, body and exterior to ensure it is in the condition that is claimed in the listing.
2. Do a battery health check. For an iPhone you can check here for iOS 11.3 and up.  Battery replacement is inevitable with any phone as they have a limited lifespan.
3. Perform a Diagnostic to make sure it is functional.  For Android you can use an App like these to check for issues.  If you have a Samsung you can use a special code to access the diagnostic.  For iPhones you can check here.  We perform this diagnostic prior to shipping and communicate transparently the condition.

Why buy from Galaxy CPR?

Naturally we encourage buyers to purchase from us because:

• We are a Physical Shop where you  know we are not going to disappear overnite.
  GalaxyCPR only sells gently used phones from tier 1 wholesalers who check devices properly.  Any defects that we know of are disclosed transparently to the buyer.  Most used phones are not perfect (may have blemishes etc.) but they offer great value, often at up to 75% less than MSRP.
• Guaranteed to Work!
  GalaxyCPR will ensure your carrier works on your phone or we will refund you in full with no restocking fee.  No more worries about carrier, IMEI and iCloud/Google locks!
• Device come with Warranty!
  GalaxyCPR is a licensed Las Vegas business that has 5 star Google Reviews.  All devices are warrantied for 30 days and can be extended to up to 3 years.  Although all sales of gently used devices are final we provide exchanges within 30 days.
• Able to Perform Servicing
  We have phone repair facilities and can do maintenance on any phone.

Contact GalaxyCPR.com  by text or phone for assistance in purchasing a warrantied gently used device today.  You may visit our store or purchase via our online store at CellDiscount.Store .  If you require a repair visit our online price estimator for repairs