What does 'good condition' mean when selling a phone?

Typically: fully working, with fine scratches visible head-on and visible scuffs on the body, but no cracks, dents or faults. Different buyers draw the line differently, which is why structured grading is fairer.

How do I check for screen burn-in?

Display a plain white image at full brightness and look for a faint ghost of the navigation bar, status icons or keyboard. It is graded as discolouration.

Should I mention small faults when getting a quote?

Yes. A declared fault is a known deduction; an undeclared one becomes a price revision at pickup, which almost always costs more.

Do scratches under a screen protector count?

Only the glass itself is graded. A protector that took the damage has done its job — remove it before inspecting so you grade what the buyer will see.

How do I grade a phone I am thinking of buying?

Ask the seller to grade it first, then run the same checks yourself: screen on white and black, frame by touch, all cameras and speakers, parts history in settings, and the IMEI on CEIR.

Condition & repair

Phone condition grading, explained honestly

Most disputes at pickup come from one word: 'good'. Here is what it actually means to the person paying.

By the sellyourphone.in teamUpdated 19 Jun 20265 min read

Illustration of a phone being graded across condition categories

Two grading systems, very different outcomes

Coarse grading puts your phone into one of three or four buckets. It is fast, and it rounds against you: a phone with one hairline scratch and a phone with a dozen both land in "good".

Structured grading asks separately about the glass, the panel underneath it, the back, the frame, each function and the accessories. It takes a minute longer and pays a well-kept phone properly, because there is somewhere for "nearly perfect" to land.

How to grade your own phone

Take the case off and clean the phone with a dry cloth.
In daylight, tilt the screen against the light — scratches only appear at an angle.
Display a plain white image at full brightness: look for dead spots, lines and colour casts.
Display a plain black image: look for backlight bleed and burn-in ghosts.
Run the fingers of one hand along the frame to find dents you cannot see.
Test both cameras, both speakers, the mic, every button, the fingerprint sensor and charging.

What each grade normally means

Grade	Screen	Body	Function
Like new	No marks at any angle	No marks	Everything works, battery >90%
Excellent	Hairlines visible only at an angle	Light marks on edges	Everything works, battery >85%
Good	Fine scratches visible head-on	Visible scuffs, no dents	Everything works
Fair	Deep scratches, no crack	Dents or heavy scuffs	Minor fault possible
Damaged	Crack, chip, dead pixels or lines	Cracked panel, bent frame	One or more faults

Why declaring beats hoping

Inspectors find things. That is the job, and it takes about four minutes. A fault you declared is a deduction you agreed to in advance; a fault they find is a renegotiation on your doorstep with your phone already in someone's hand.

The second costs more even when the arithmetic is identical, because you are deciding under pressure. Answer the questions as if the phone were already in front of a stranger — because shortly it will be.

Grading a phone you are buying

The same checks work in reverse, with two additions that only matter to a buyer.

Ask the seller to grade it first, in their own words, before you look. What they volunteer tells you how the rest of the inspection will go.
Run the standard checks — screen on white and black, frame by touch, every camera, speaker, button and port.
Check the parts history: on iPhone in Settings › General › About, on Samsung through Members diagnostics, elsewhere by eye.
Verify the IMEI on CEIR before money moves.
Confirm the phone is signed out and boots to a clean setup screen.

A seller who has graded honestly will pass all five without discomfort. One who has not usually fails at step three, and that is the moment to reprice rather than walk away — a phone with a third-party panel is still worth buying at the right number.

Frequently asked questions

What does 'good condition' mean when selling a phone?: Typically: fully working, with fine scratches visible head-on and visible scuffs on the body, but no cracks, dents or faults. Different buyers draw the line differently, which is why structured grading is fairer.
How do I check for screen burn-in?: Display a plain white image at full brightness and look for a faint ghost of the navigation bar, status icons or keyboard. It is graded as discolouration.
Should I mention small faults when getting a quote?: Yes. A declared fault is a known deduction; an undeclared one becomes a price revision at pickup, which almost always costs more.
Do scratches under a screen protector count?: Only the glass itself is graded. A protector that took the damage has done its job — remove it before inspecting so you grade what the buyer will see.
How do I grade a phone I am thinking of buying?: Ask the seller to grade it first, then run the same checks yourself: screen on white and black, frame by touch, all cameras and speakers, parts history in settings, and the IMEI on CEIR.