Bottom line: eBay's Instant Selling program is a viable alternative to traditional trade-in programs as it offers instant gratification and respectable values, but only if you're alright with receiving a voucher that can only be used for future eBay purchases.
eBay on Monday launched a hassle-free way for consumers to offload their old smartphone. It's called eBay Instant Selling and the entire process takes just a matter of minutes.
Instant Selling currently accepts a range of newer devices including Samsung Galaxy S7 to S9+ handsets as well as iPhone 6S through iPhone X devices from AT&T and Verizon (and unlocked devices). Support for Sprint, T-Mobile, Google Pixel and select LG phones will be added in November, we're told.
To see how much your device is worth, head over to eBay's new landing page. You'll be asked to select your handset model, carrier, capacity, color and condition before being presented with an offer. You'll also need to upload photos of the device before accepting an offer.
If you accept an offer for your device, you'll receive an instant voucher that can be used to purchase other items on eBay.
eBay offered a similar service, dubbed Instant Sale, years ago but discontinued it in 2013 in order to develop more simplified and personalized selling experiences. These days, however, the smartphone industry is far more lucrative. eBay believes it can grab a slice of the market by appealing to those seeking instant gratification although limiting its payouts to vouchers that can only be used to buy other things on eBay will certainly limit its reach, even if the program does offer a higher return than competing trade-in offers.