A cracked back panel costs less than you think

Why it costs less than a cracked screen

Price books split the phone into sections with separate caps. The screen section carries the largest cap because a display is the most expensive part to replace. The body section — back panel, frame, buttons — carries a much smaller one, typically 15–20% of the ceiling for everything in it combined.

So a shattered back and a shattered front are not comparable events. One is a cosmetic problem inside a small cap; the other is the most expensive repair on the phone.

What does matter on the back

• Camera glass. Graded separately as a fault on many tables, because a cracked lens cover degrades photos.
• Loose or lifting panel. Suggests the phone has been opened, and it compromises water resistance.
• Sharp edges. A safety issue for handling; declare it so it is packed properly.
• Bent frame underneath. That is a body fault at the top of the ladder, not cosmetic.

Should you replace it?

Almost never. On modern phones the back glass is bonded to the frame, so replacement means heat, adhesive removal and often a new frame assembly — a four-figure job on mid-range phones and worse on flagships. The deduction it removes is smaller than that in nearly every case.

A well-fitted case hides it for as long as you keep using the phone, and the buyer will price the panel either way.

How to declare it

Answer the panel condition question at the level that matches: minor scratches, heavy scratches or dents, or panel cracked and broken. If the camera glass is also cracked, that is usually a separate question — answer both.

Then check the quote. On most phones the difference between a clean back and a cracked one is smaller than a single month of depreciation.

What to do about it before the pickup

You are not repairing it, but there are three things worth doing.

1. Photograph it clearly, including any sharp edges, and declare it in the quote at the level that matches.
2. Tape nothing. Adhesive over a crack reads as concealment and slows the inspection.
3. If glass is actively flaking, put the phone in a plastic bag for the handover — it protects the rider and the other handsets in transit.

Then check whether the crack is confined to the panel. Press gently along the frame edges: if the back flexes or lifts, the phone has been opened before or the adhesive has failed, and that is a different grade — declare it too.