Buyback pricing calculator
The closest thing to a calculator that actually reflects what you should pay for a used phone is the model-specific price page. This is the framework: how to combine live wholesale data with the condition-and-carrier discounts that drive your real buy price.
Pick your model — live pricing pages
For each device family, we publish the live pricing matrix (storage × condition × carrier) refreshed weekly:
- iPhone: iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 15
- Samsung: Galaxy S24 (and full lineup on /price/samsung)
- Google Pixel: Pixel 8 (and full lineup on /price/pixel)
- iPad and MacBook: iPad, MacBook
The buy-price formula
For any used phone, your fair buy price is built from three factors:
- Resale market value — what a Grade A unlocked unit sells for on BackMarket / Gazelle / eBay Refurbished today. The model price page is the source.
- Your payout ratio — typically 65–72% of resale market value for direct-from-public buyback. This is your margin lever.
- Condition + carrier adjustments — discounts off the base buy price for known issues.
Condition and carrier discount table
| Adjustment | Discount |
|---|---|
| Grade B (light cosmetic wear) | − 10–15% |
| Grade C (visible scratches / dents) | − 25–35% |
| Battery 80–85% | − 10% |
| Battery <80% | − 20% or replace |
| Carrier-locked (DPP confirmed paid) | − 10% |
| Carrier-locked (DPP not confirmed) | − 25% or pass |
| Cracked screen (reparable) | − part cost − $20 |
| Cracked rear glass | − $40 |
| Knox tripped (Galaxy only) | − 15% (drops a grade tier) |
| Aftermarket parts (screen / battery) | − 10% |
Worked example: iPhone 13 128 GB, Grade B, 88% battery, unlocked
- Resale market: $237 average (per live pricing).
- Payout ratio: 70% → $166 base buy.
- Grade B: − 12% → $146.
- Battery 88%: no penalty (above 85% threshold).
- Unlocked: no penalty.
- Fair buy: ~$145.
Worked example: Galaxy S23 256 GB, Grade A, 92% battery, T-Mobile locked
- Resale market: $310 average.
- Payout ratio: 70% → $217 base buy.
- Grade A: no penalty.
- Battery 92%: no penalty.
- T-Mobile locked, DPP confirmed paid: − 10% → $195.
- Fair buy: ~$195.
Why we don't ship a "calculator widget"
Hard-coded calculators get stale. Wholesale prices move 10–15% in a quarter; carrier-lock discounts shift; new models shift comparables. The right approach is to use the live pricing page for the specific model, then apply the discount table above. That stays accurate as the data refreshes.
If you're running a buyback business and need a real-time calculator wired to live wholesale data, that's exactly what platforms like WerOrg ship — sellers pick their device, condition, and carrier, and the price they see is computed from the same data on the pages above.