Okay Geek Farm
Swappa - Buy and Sell Gently Used Android Devices
Jason Tsay
Most smartphone users buy their device with a two year contract and move on with their lives but if you’re really into phones, you’ll find yourself buying and selling a lot of devices online. The problem is, buying something like a phone online is really really risky. On eBay, you could easily pick up a phone that was stolen or has some sort irreparable damage the buyer is unwilling to talk about. I recently came across a site called “Swappa” and I was blown away.
What is Swappa?
Launched in December 2010, Swappa is a “simple marketplace for buying and selling gently used Android devices.”
What makes it better than eBay?
As we mentioned in the introduction, the history of the device you are buying on eBay is not totally transparent. Some users will post images and a full description while others leave you with the site’s stock image and very little to know about the phone. Some sellers list devices at extremely low costs with the image of a terribly damaged phone. You are simply left to wonder “Where the heck has this phone been?” With Swappa, you are promised that “the phone is fully functional and ready to activate.” You won’t get any “junk phones” because devices with bad ESNs, cracked screens, or water damage won’t be allowed onto this marketplace.
How Does Swappa Make Money?
For each devices sold, the site charges a $10 fee - a $5 Sale Fee and a $5 CyanogenMod donation. We love to see that this well known ROM-maker is being recognized and supported by Android geeks who use the site. As for pricing on the devices themselves, that is decided by the seller. Since most of the sellers are pretty knowledgable, the prices are pretty fair.
How Can I Trust Sellers on Swappa?
First of all, the devices are bound to be of a certain quality and definitely not stolen. Secondly, Swappa uses PayPal for all payments so even if you do get scammed, you’re not going through some unknown organization who will steal your credit card info. And honestly, Swappa is still a pretty small site so most of the sellers on there are pretty decent. In fact, some of the sellers are xda forum developers who simply need some cash to continue working on cool stuff for the community.
Overall, we’d really recommend Swappa to those trying to get rid of old Android devices and not wanting to go through eBay’s whole process, as well as those trying to get a new Android device to play with off contract. In short, Swappa is like a facilitated Craigslist just for Android geeks. Why not try it out?
