Mobile phones from some of the world's largest technology companies offer low prices to Australian mobile phone users in exchange for new ones. (photo by the Daily Telegraph)
According to the Daily Telegraph, some of the world's largest technology companies offer Australian users a low price, at least 15 percent of the market price for second-hand handsets, in exchange for old handsets.
According to a survey conducted by Australian News Corp, in companies such as Apple and Samsung, the price of old phones is usually less than half the average price of second-hand phones in exchange for new ones. Some mobile phone operators offer prices at similar levels or even lower.
Australia was said to have sold more than 1 million second-hand phones last year alone, so Australians were underpaid by millions of Australian dollars.
Fadasi (Foad Fadaghi), managing director of analytics firm Telsyte, said the rapid development of mobile phones by tech companies in exchange for new projects made it easier for users, but also made them pay a high price. The prices these companies offer for old phones in exchange for new ones are no better than the price users sell second-hand phones on their own.
More than 1.1 million hands and refurbished handsets were bought and sold last year, according to Telsyte's latest smartphone and wearable Market Research, (Smartphone and Wearable Devices Market Study), Fadasi said. As a result of ongoing software updates, some three-year-old handsets are still able to maintain their value.
For some savvy consumers, they are more willing to sell second-hand phones directly, which makes more sense.
Many consumers believe it is better to sell old handsets in exchange for money when upgrading their phones than to pay for the new phones in full.
But the amount of money that technology companies can get for selling old phones in exchange for new projects is very small.
For example, a two-and-a-half-year-old Samsung smartphone can only get a price of less than half its market value at Apple or an Australian phone operator. HTC 10 second-hand phones can only get 15% of the market price at Samsung. Google Pixel in Australia (Telstra) can only get an average price of 29%.
Last year, Aussie sold two hundred and thirteen thousand nine hundred and ninety nine second-hand phones on the platform, including popular models such as the iPhone 6, 6S and Samsung Galaxy S7, a eBay spokesman said. She cautioned that smartphone prices are moving so fast that potential sellers may miss a good opportunity to sell if they leave their old phones in drawers or cabinets for a long time.