Frequently Asked Questions

Most payouts go out the same business day we receive and verify your device (typically within 24 hours of arrival; weekends and after-hours arrivals process on the next business day). Cash App and Zelle land within minutes of being sent. Bitcoin (BTC) sends on-chain within ~30 minutes. Local Austin pickups get cash on the spot after a quick ~15-minute inspection.

We send you a revised offer with photos and a written explanation. You can accept the new offer, or have the device shipped back to you free of charge. No surprise deductions.

Yes — provided your device matches the condition tier you selected (Sealed, Excellent, Good, Fair, Broken), isn't activation-locked (iCloud/Find My, Google FRP, or a Samsung Knox Guard / finance lock — also called KG-lock), and isn't reported lost or stolen. Carrier-locked is fine — we buy locked phones, and the quote just reflects your carrier/lock status. Phones still on an installment plan are eligible too — we buy them at a reduced rate, as long as the account is current and the IMEI is clean. Read the condition tier descriptions on the quote page carefully.

14 days. Your quoted price is locked for 14 days from the quote — to keep it, drop off (or meet us locally) within that window and have the device match the model, storage, condition, lock, and financing status you selected. Past 14 days we re-quote at current market — sometimes higher, sometimes lower.

Yes — as long as we haven't sent payment yet. Reply to your confirmation email (or email support@topcashcellular.com) with your offer number + the new method. Once Cash App / Zelle / BTC has fired, it's irreversible from our end, but we'll work with you on next steps if you catch it after.

Enter the code on the quote page before adding to cart. Active codes apply a percentage bonus on top of your quote. Codes can be combined with promotions.

Yes. We email a pre-paid FedEx label as soon as you submit. You drop the box off at any FedEx location.

1. Submit your trade-in on our site and pick "Ship It." 2. Within seconds we email you a prepaid FedEx label (PDF) along with packing instructions. 3. Pack it in a sturdy box with padding on all sides so the device can't shift or rattle — phones can go in a well-padded mailer, but laptops and tablets must ship in a real box, never a loose mailer. 4. Tape the label flat on top, barcode visible. 5. Drop at any FedEx location or self-service drop box — no appointment, no waiting. 6. FedEx scans it, we get a tracking ping, and you can watch it on our /track page or in FedEx's app.

Two ways. (1) Use the FedEx tracking number we email you at fedex.com/track. (2) Visit our /track page, enter your phone or email, and see the live status of every device you've sent us — from \"label minted\" to \"received\" to \"paid.\" No password, identity is the contact info itself.

Two options. (1) FedEx Office: forward the label email to your phone, show the QR code at any FedEx Office counter, and they'll print + ship it free. (2) Reply to the label email asking for a paper label — we'll USPS one to you within a day. Most customers use FedEx Office because it's faster.

Our prepaid FedEx label includes $100 of base shipping coverage — that's what we cover if a package is lost or damaged in transit. We do not cover the full device value. If your device is worth more and you want it fully protected, you're responsible for declaring and paying for the additional insurance at the FedEx counter when you drop it off. By choosing to ship, you agree to the $100 coverage limit. Want to skip carrier-shipping risk entirely? Pick a local Austin meetup instead — paid on the spot.

Yes. If you reject the final offer for any reason, we ship the device back to you at our cost — no questions asked.

The prepaid label runs on our shipping account, so if your box comes in heavier than the label estimated, FedEx bills us — never you. Just make sure the package contains the device you quoted.

Phones (iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel), tablets (iPad, Galaxy Tab), MacBooks + PC laptops (HP, Lenovo, Dell, ASUS, Acer, Alienware), game consoles (PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch), smartwatches (Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, Garmin), drones (DJI), VR headsets (Meta Quest, Valve Index, Apple Vision Pro), and Mac desktops (iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio). If you have something unusual and don't see it on the picker, hit "Other" — we'll give you a manual quote within an hour.

Yes — most of them. Pick the 'Broken' tier when getting your quote. Some catastrophic damage (severe water, motherboard failure with no power) may be priced as parts.

We can still buy devices that aren't fully paid off — but the offer may be lower. Carriers can blacklist a device for unpaid balance, which makes it unsellable on the secondary market. We adjust the offer to account for that risk. Stolen or fraud-reported devices are different — those we do not buy.

Pull it before you ship. We discard SIMs at the wipe stage regardless, so leaving yours in just means you're losing a piece of plastic that's still tied to your number. Same goes for SD cards on Androids.

Only if you picked Sealed condition — that requires the original box + all unopened accessories. For Excellent / Good / Fair / Broken, just send the device. Power cable is optional but appreciated for laptops + consoles (we'll knock the offer down a little if missing on those specifically).

iPhone: Settings → General → About → look for "Model Name" (e.g. "iPhone 16 Pro Max"). Android: Settings → About phone → Model number. MacBook: Apple menu → About This Mac. Most laptops have a sticker on the bottom. Game consoles: model is printed on the back near the serial. If you're not sure, pick the closest match in our picker and our intake team will adjust the offer if it turns out to be a different SKU.

An unlocked phone works on any carrier (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, prepaid). A carrier-locked phone only works with the carrier that originally sold it. Unlocked phones resell at a premium — we pay $50-300 more for unlocked depending on model. Most phones bought outright (paid in full) are unlocked. Phones bought on carrier installment plans are usually locked until paid off. Check by inserting a different carrier's SIM — if it works, you're unlocked.

To keep every sale clean, we don't buy: lost or stolen devices, fraud-reported devices, devices tied to an active theft claim, iCloud/Find My–locked or Google FRP–locked devices, Samsung Knox Guard / finance-locked (KG-locked) devices, blacklisted IMEIs, or any device you can't confirm you legally own. Carrier-locked (SIM-locked) phones are fine — those we do buy. We check each IMEI/serial against blacklist and lost/stolen databases before paying.

Quick checklist before your meetup or shipment: 1. Back up your device. 2. Sign out of iCloud / Find My, Google / FRP, and any Samsung account — this is required, we can't buy a locked device. 3. Remove your screen passcode. 4. Take out your SIM and any SD card. 5. Charge to at least 20% so we can power it on and inspect. 6. Only bring the original box if you're claiming Sealed / Like-new. You don't need to wipe it yourself — we run a NIST 800-88–aligned wipe — but signing out of your accounts is the one step only you can do.

Every device gets a full factory wipe before resale or recycling, following NIST 800-88 data-sanitization guidelines. You can also wipe the device yourself before shipping — recommended.

Check spam / promotions first (Gmail loves to filter us). If still missing, email support@topcashcellular.com with the name + device you submitted and we'll resend within an hour. You can also use our /track page to confirm the lead landed — it shows every submission tied to your phone or email.

We'll send you photos + the specific issue we found. You have three options: (1) Accept the revised offer. (2) Submit a counter-offer — tell us what you think it's worth and we'll either agree or explain why we can't. (3) Request a free return — we ship the device back at our cost. No hard feelings, no restocking fee.

You must be 18 or older. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian to complete the trade.

Yes — visit our bulk trade-in page for a dedicated quote and pickup option.

We meet at a safe public spot in the Austin area and inspect the device together, right in front of you — 10–15 minutes. You sign out of any iCloud / Google / Samsung lock on the spot if you haven't already, we agree on the final number, and you're paid before you leave (cash, Cash App, or Zelle). You get a receipt by email or text showing the device, serial/IMEI, final price, payout method, and time. No shipping, no waiting.