Every place that buys or sells used phones sorts them into condition grades. Mint, Good, Fair, sometimes Excellent or Like New. What nobody tells you is that the price gap between those grades is completely different depending on where you sell.
On some sites a scratched phone sells for almost the same as a clean one. On others it gets you 40% less. If you know which is which, you can make a lot more on the same phone.
What the grades usually mean
Every site words it a little differently, but here's the general idea:
- Mint: Looks basically new. No scratches you can see at arm's length. Works perfectly.
- Good: Normal light wear. Some fine scratches or scuffs on the screen or frame. Works perfectly.
- Fair: Obvious wear. Deeper scratches, dings on the corners, maybe some marks on the screen when it's off. Still works perfectly.
A cracked screen, cracked back or anything that doesn't work isn't Fair. That's damaged or broken, which is a separate and much lower price everywhere.
How I measured the gaps
Andover tracks prices for the same phone in different conditions across the marketplaces and more than a dozen buyback companies. For each one, I compared the Mint price and the Fair price to the Good price for the exact same model and storage, unlocked, then took the median across every model they price.
Fair: where you sell matters a lot
Source: Andover Analytics daily prices and buyback offers, fall 2026.
On Swappa, a Fair phone lists for about 99% of the Good price. Basically the same. People shopping on Swappa are mostly regular buyers looking for a deal, and a few scratches don't bother them much.
On Back Market, Fair runs about 93% of Good. Refurbishers clean these phones up before they sell them, so the gap is small there too.
Buyback companies are all over the place. BuyBackWorld and Gazelle barely discount Fair at all. But several others pay only 60% of their Good offer for a Fair phone, and a couple pay even less.
So if your phone has real wear on it, here's what that means:
- Sell it yourself, where Fair costs you almost nothing.
- If you trade it in, pick the buyer carefully. The difference between a buyer that pays 96% for Fair and one that pays 60% is huge.
I go through the broader trade-in math in Trade-in vs selling yourself.
Mint: buybacks pay up
Source: Andover Analytics daily prices and buyback offers, fall 2026.
The Mint side is the opposite story.
On Swappa, Mint phones list for about 12% more than Good. On Back Market, about 6% more.
Some buyback companies pay a lot more for Mint, over 30% more than their Good price. That makes sense from their side. A Mint phone can go straight back out for sale without any work, so they'll pay for it.
So if your phone really is flawless, buyback offers get a lot more competitive. It's worth getting a few quotes before you list it yourself.
The grading trap
Here's where people get burned. Every buyback company inspects your phone when it arrives. If you said Mint and they decide it's Good, they'll send you a lower offer. And if their Good offer is way below their Mint offer, that re-quote can be a big drop.
My advice is to grade one step lower than you think if you're on the fence. A pleasant surprise is a lot better than a re-quote.
On marketplaces, honest grading costs you almost nothing (remember, Fair on Swappa is 99% of Good), and it saves you from returns and disputes.
What about New?
Sealed, never activated phones are their own thing. For iPhones, a New phone sold for about 18% more than a Good one on the marketplaces, around $114 more at the median. For Samsung it was only about 6% more. If you have a sealed phone you're never going to open, keep it sealed.
Quick tips for getting a better grade
- Clean it. Seriously. A phone that's been wiped down and had the ports cleaned looks a grade better in photos.
- Take the case off and look at it in good light before you pick a grade. Cases hide a lot.
- Screen protector scratches don't count. Peel it off and see what's underneath. Often the screen is perfect.
- Check the battery health in settings. It's not part of the cosmetic grade, but buyers look at it right next to the grade.
Common questions
How much does a Fair phone sell for compared to Good?
On Swappa, about 99% of the Good price. On Back Market, about 93%. At buyback companies it ranges from about the same to as little as 44%, depending on the company.
Is it worth paying more for a Mint phone?
If you're buying to use it, usually not. A Good phone has a few fine scratches and costs about 6% to 12% less on the major marketplaces. If you're buying to resell, Mint can pay off because some buyback companies pay over 30% more for it.
What happens if a buyback company grades my phone lower?
They send you a new, lower offer. You can usually accept it or have the phone sent back. Grading honestly up front is the best way to avoid it.
Does a cracked screen count as Fair?
No. Cracked screens and backs are graded as damaged or broken, which sells for much less than Fair.
You can compare prices across conditions for your exact phone on our free price pages.