Lombard-based site sells, buys used phones

Lost your cell phone and want one quick and for less money? Or just looking for a no-strings deal?

Lombard-based Greencells (www.usedcellphoneshop.com) offers up to 75 percent off used phones.

The company also started offering free shipping, free 30-day money-back guarantee, free one-year warranty with no monthly fees or deductible, and a money-back trade-in or trade-up offer.

"We tell people that these phones look like your new one in about three months," said company co-president Brian Moore, a Schaumburg resident.

The company was started by Moore and Jay Hines, who were college friends. They later worked as engineers at AT&T in Hoffman Estates and then went into consulting. In 2005, they decided to start their own company that bought and sold used mobile handsets.

Since then, Moore said they have sold up to 200 phones per day. They also offer various service packages with major providers. But Greencells will buy used phones only from consumers who have already bought a phone from their Web site.

"Everyone has that drawer full of phones," said Moore. "Now, they can sell them, if they've done business with us before."

Greencells will pay anywhere from $10 up to $100 for a used mobile phone or smartphone. The devices are examined, fixed and refreshed, if necessary, for resale. They can often sell for about half of the original price, so their used phones range from $29.99 to about $300.

Consumers who want no-strings service often turn to such companies as Greencells, Moore said.

"We also get people who have lost a phone and need one quickly," he said.

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•Contact Anna Marie Kukec at akukec@dailyherald.com.