Buying a phone with a trade-in offer? Don’t ship, go to the store instead

A few weeks ago, I saw some chatter on my social feeds about the pros and cons of shopping online at a store. This was due to a customer whose purchase was rejected by T-Mobile and reported to be broken, even though they made sure it was in working order before shipping it. The matter has since been resolved and original post deletedit got me thinking about the pros and cons of shopping online at a store.

These days, I usually only recommend going to a physical store if you need urgent help (like an emergency phone replacement).

Not only can you find cheaper accessories at third-party stores, but your carrier’s online experience is usually faster and less risky. You avoid giving your account information to an unfamiliar store representative, which can sometimes lead to this employee error or, rarely, fraud. Plus, you don’t have to worry about packages getting lost in the mail or misplaced by AT&T after delivery.

However, trading is a bit more complicated. There is a lot of evidence that trading devices on the Internet can sometimes lead to problems. A quick look at Reddit or other social networks reveals a long list of complaints about trading problems. lost packets errors with that online system resulting in missed creditsand the list goes on.

The good news is that while T-Mobile has declined in some areas in recent years, its Uncarrier T-Force team remains a major bright spot. If you run into problems, bringing them to T-Force often solves them without too many hoops. This is mostly true for AT&T and Verizon as well, although your experience may be different.

Whether resolved or not, these types of issues can cost you time and money. While the odds of things going wrong aren’t as high as angry Redditors would have you believe, if you prefer to buy a phone online and are interested in a trade-in offer, it’s a good idea to minimize your risk. There are several steps you can take or consider that can reduce your risk:

Before sending your old phone, take a short video and pictures of it. This is good for general proof if you end up having to escalate your issue with T-Mobile or the carrier used for the device.

Ask for in-store pickup. Every major carrier offers this as an option, and it’s a great way to ensure you don’t run into problems. A representative will personally check your phone, and while errors can still occur in the process, it’s rare. Just remember that there are only online promotions that require your phone to be shipped to you.

Consider reselling the device instead. I often tell people to sell their phone to a carrier on eBay, Swappa, or some other similar provider. Simply put, you’ll often get more, even if it takes a little more work.

For many new flagships, you’ll earn enough that you can pick up a new model for fairly cheap (think a few hundred or less)—allowing you to skip the payment plans that lock you into the big carriers. 24-36 months.

There are exceptions where shopping will turn out to be better value, so it’s always important to do your homework. For example, sometimes you’ll see offers that accept damaged trade-ins, while you won’t get much for a damaged phone through direct sales. It’s also not a bad idea to check out trade-in offers from retailers like Best Buy, Apple, and others, which sometimes honor promotions you’ll receive directly from your carrier.

Activate before you get home. If possible, it’s not a bad idea to get out to your car or wait in the lobby and pull out the phone. A quick visual check isn’t a bad idea, but the main thing you want to do is make sure you can activate your device even if you don’t have a full install with all your Android/iOS apps and options at the time. This comes from personal experience as Verizon sent my wife a phone a few years ago that could not be activated and we had to take it back to the store to have it replaced.

Have you experienced any problems with trading, either in person or online? Have any tips to share or thoughts to add? Hit me up in the comments.