Published Last updated Written and reviewed by the Resale Intelligence team
On this page
Start from the price the item actually sells for (not the asking price), then subtract repairs, fees, the cost of capital tied up over time, a risk reserve and the profit you want. What is left is your maximum buy price.
How do you price a used phone you are buying? (6 steps)
Find what the same model in similar condition actually sold for, adjust for this device's condition, then deduct repairs, fees, the cost of time, a risk reserve and the profit you want, in the order below.
- Find the actual selling price — Use the prices your store actually sold at for the same model and spec in similar condition. Online asking prices are often about 5–10% higher than what items actually sell for.
- Adjust for condition — Grade, battery, complete accessories, and whether it is a Thai official unit or an import all affect the resale price.
- Subtract the repairs needed — Screen, battery, back cover, labor. Estimate them before you buy, not after.
- Subtract fees — Credit card, marketplace, shipping.
- Subtract the cost of time — Money tied up in a unit has a cost. The slower it sells, the more it costs.
- Subtract the profit you want and a risk reserve
A phone sells for 20,000 baht. What is the most you should pay?
If the phone actually sells for 20,000 baht, needs a 900-baht battery and should sell within 10 days, pay no more than 16,400 baht with the system's default settings. The table below shows each deduction line by line.
| Actual selling price | 20,000 |
| Battery replacement | − 900 |
| Cost of time (10 days) | − 100 |
| Risk reserve 3% | − 600 |
| Minimum profit 10% | − 2,000 |
| Maximum buy price | 16,400 |
|---|
In the system, the condition-adjusted selling price is called Expected Sell, the cost of time is the Holding cost, the money set aside for problems is the Risk reserve, and the maximum buy price that remains is Safe Buy.
What makes buy prices go wrong?
Most mistakes come from using listed prices instead of prices that actually sold, forgetting small repairs that together eat the profit, and buying a model you already hold plenty of at the usual price.
The app works through these steps automatically as Safe Buy — see the full formula in Methodology