Marketplace comparisons

Where to sell your phone in Ireland: buyback services compared

Money or voucher, payout time, shipping and revised offers: the phone buyback services available in Ireland, compared on what they actually state.

6 min readUpdated on October 8, 2026

Services compared (excluding NomoPhone): 5
Pay in money (transfer, PayPal or cash): 2/5
Voucher or discount only: 3/5
State a free return if you refuse a revised offer: 2/2
Fastest payout stated: Within 3 business days after you accept the offerSwappie

Buyback services compared

Facts read on each service’s official pages. “Not stated” means we could not find the information there. Checked on 8 October 2026.

Service	Payment	Payout time (as stated)	Sending your device	If you refuse a revised offer	Broken devices
Apple Trade InManufacturer trade-in	Discount on a new purchase, voucher or gift card1	Within 5 business days after inspection2	Free prepaid label3	Free return4	Not accepted5
CeXBuy-back shop	Voucher or gift card, cash in store, bank transfer6	Within 7 days after receipt7	Free shipping8	Not stated	Accepted9
Harvey NormanRetailer trade-in	Voucher or gift card10	Immediate11	In store12	Not stated	Accepted13
NomoPhoneOnline buyback · publisher of this guide	Bank transfer14	Within 24 business hours after inspection14	Free prepaid label15	Free return16	Accepted17
Samsung Trade-inManufacturer trade-in	Discount on a new purchase — only with a new purchase18	Immediate18	Free prepaid label19	Not stated	Accepted20
SwappieOnline buyback	Bank transfer, PayPal21	Within 3 business days after you accept the offer22	Free prepaid label23	Free return24	Accepted25

How we compared

This page lists the services a consumer in Ireland can realistically use to sell a used smartphone: online buyback sites, retailers’ trade-in programmes, manufacturers and mobile operators. For each one, we read the official pages — buyback page, help centre, terms and conditions — on 8 October 2026, and kept only what is written there. When a service does not state something, the table says so instead of guessing.

NomoPhone, which publishes this guide, is one of the services in the table; its facts come from its own terms of buyback. We do not compare prices: they change every day and depend on the exact model, storage and condition. Get a quote from two or three services before deciding.

Spotted an error or a change? Write to contact@nomophone.fr and we will correct the table.

Money or voucher: the first thing to check

Some services pay you in money — by bank transfer, PayPal or cash in store. Others pay with a voucher, a gift card or a discount that can only be spent with them. A voucher is sometimes worth a little more, but it ties you to one retailer and may expire. If you do not plan to buy there soon, money is usually the better deal, even when the amount looks lower.

Trade-in programmes that require you to buy a new device at the same time are marked “only with a new purchase”: they are a discount, not a sale.

The revised offer: read this before you send

Every buyback service inspects the device when it arrives. If the condition differs from what you declared — a scratch you did not mention, a part that is not original, a fault you had not noticed — the service can propose a new price. What matters then is what happens if you say no: some services send the device back free of charge, others charge for the return, and some do not say.

The column “If you refuse a revised offer” shows what each service states. Describe the condition honestly and take photos before you pack the phone: it is the simplest way to avoid a dispute.

Before you sell: a five-minute checklist

Back up your photos, messages and two-factor authentication apps.
Sign out of iCloud (Find My) or of your Google or Samsung account: a locked phone cannot be bought.
Remove your SIM and memory cards, and delete your eSIM if you no longer need it.
Reset the phone to its factory settings.
Note the IMEI (dial *#06#) and take a few photos of the condition.

Selling privately instead?

Selling to another person usually brings a higher price, but it takes time — photos, listing, questions, meeting buyers or shipping — and exposes you to payment scams. A buyback service pays less, but it gives you a price in advance and handles the rest.

The most used classified platforms in Ireland include DoneDeal, Adverts.ie, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted.

Sources

Each fact links to the page where we read it. Prices are not compared: they change every day and depend on the model and its condition.

1Apple Trade In — Get credit towards a purchase or trade in for an Apple Gift Card. — apple.com/ie/shop/trade-in
2Apple Trade In — Once your device has been received and assessed, you will receive an Apple Store Gift Card equal to the amount of the trade-in value via e-mail within 3-5 business days. — ie-appletradein.likewize.com
3Apple Trade In — You can have a free return kit sent to you and Likewize will arrange a pre-paid shipping service for the device. — ie-appletradein.likewize.com
4Apple Trade In — should you elect to reject the revised offer based on the condition of the device, the device will be returned to you, free of charge — ie-appletradein.likewize.com
5Apple Trade In — My device is broken. Can I trade it in? [...] Not through this UK site. — ie-appletradein.likewize.com
6CeX — When selling items to any CeX store you can be paid by the following methods: CeX Voucher Cash Most stores can also offer payment via Bank Transfer. — ie.support.webuy.com/support/solutions/articles/800009440…
7CeX — Once we receive your goods we will get to work immediately, and we will endeavour to test and process payments within a week. — ie.support.webuy.com/support/solutions/articles/800009440…
8CeX — You have the option of sending them for free using An Post’s ReturnMyShopping.ie Service — ie.support.webuy.com/support/solutions/articles/800009442…
9CeX — F Non-working - (Applicable for Phones only). Product must be intact and not crushed, bent, or snapped. — ie.support.webuy.com/support/solutions/articles/800009442…
10Harvey Norman — Upon acceptance of a trade-in evaluation, a Harvey Norman trade credit is issued, for use in the trading store. — harveynorman.ie/pages/trade-in-service
11Harvey Norman — Once you accept the trade-in value, simply sign the terms, hand over your device, and receive your credit straight away. — harveynorman.ie/pages/trade-in-service
12Harvey Norman — Available in-store through our Lovetech team, you can trade in your device and put its value towards a new purchase. — harveynorman.ie/pages/trade-in-service
13Harvey Norman — Device powers on and charges as normal. Device is not physically damaged (wear and tear is acceptable). [...] The Min Credit is offered when any number of the checks are not met. — harveynorman.ie/pages/trade-in-service
14NomoPhone — NomoPhone terms of buyback, art. 7.1 — nomophone.com/en/cgr
15NomoPhone — NomoPhone terms of buyback, art. 5.3 — nomophone.com/en/cgr
16NomoPhone — NomoPhone terms of buyback, art. 6.4, 8.1 — nomophone.com/en/cgr
17NomoPhone — NomoPhone terms of buyback, art. 3.5 — nomophone.com/en/cgr
18Samsung Trade-in — Your trade in discount is immediately applied to your new device at checkout. — samsung.com/ie/trade-in
19Samsung Trade-in — Post your device using the freepost package you received. — samsung.com/ie/trade-in
20Samsung Trade-in — Cracked or damaged device? Samsung accepts devices in various conditions. — samsung.com/ie/trade-in
21Swappie — You’ll receive your payment via the method you selected when filling in the sales form: Bank transfer (IBAN) [...] PayPal — help.swappie.com/en-gb/article/after-sending-my-phone
22Swappie — Once you accept, we send the payment in 1-3 business days. — swappie.com/ie/sell
23Swappie — You will get an initial price estimate and a printable DHL Express shipping label that you must use to send your phone to us. We pay the shipping fee. — swappie.com/ie/sell
24Swappie — Reject the offer, in which case your device will be returned to you free of charge. — help.swappie.com/en-gb/article/after-sending-my-phone
25Swappie — Swappie buys: [...] Both functional and broken iPhones — help.swappie.com/en-gb/article/getting-a-price-starting-t…

Frequently asked questions

Which services pay in money in Ireland?

In our table, the services stating a payment by bank transfer, PayPal or cash are: CeX, NomoPhone, Swappie. Check the conditions on each website before sending your device.

What happens if the buyer lowers the price after inspection?

The service sends you a revised offer that you can accept or refuse. Services stating a free return if you refuse: Apple Trade In, NomoPhone, Swappie. For the others, read the terms before sending: the return may be charged, or the terms may not say.

Is it safe to send my phone by post?

With an established service, yes, as long as you use the label or method it provides and keep the tracking number. Never send a phone that is still linked to your iCloud or Google account, and keep photos of its condition.

When were these facts checked?

On 8 October 2026, on the official pages listed in the Sources section. Conditions change: always confirm on the service’s website before you sell.

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