Before you sellFor sellers6 min read

What to bring when you sell a used phone

The phone, its box and bill, one photo ID and your own phone for the OTP. Plus how to mask your Aadhaar, and what to do without a bill or for a family phone.

In short

Bring the phone, its box and bill if you have them, one photo ID, and a phone with your SIM in it for the one-time code.
If a shop wants a copy or a photo of your Aadhaar, give it a masked Aadhaar that shows only the last 4 digits.
You can usually sell without a bill, but if the phone belongs to someone else, they should sell it themselves.

01What to bring

Selling at a shop takes a few minutes if you have everything with you. Three things are essential. The rest helps the price and makes the shop more confident about the phone.

Essential

The phone, charged, so the shop can switch it on and test it.
One government photo ID: Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, voter ID or passport.
A phone with your own SIM in it, to receive the one-time code (OTP) that confirms your number.

Helps the price

The original box. Its label shows the IMEI, often as a barcode the shop can scan.
The bill or invoice, ideally with the IMEI and the purchase date on it.
The original charger and cable, if the phone came with them. Many recent phones were sold without a charger, so nobody expects one for those.
Warranty papers, if the phone is still under warranty.

02Why shops ask for your ID

A shop that buys a used phone needs to know who sold it. Police and district authorities in several parts of India have told second-hand phone dealers to check the seller's ID and keep a register of the phones they buy. A shop that asks for nothing is cutting corners, not doing you a favour.

The record protects you too. It shows the date the phone left your hands, the shop that bought it and the phone's IMEI. If the phone is ever misused after the sale, you can show that it was no longer yours.

What a shop usually writes down

Your name and mobile number
The type of ID you showed, and its number or the last part of it
The phone's make, model and IMEI
The price and how you were paid
The date of the sale

03Keep your Aadhaar number private

You do not need to hand over a full copy of your Aadhaar to sell a phone. UIDAI, which issues Aadhaar, offers a masked Aadhaar. It is the same document with the first 8 digits replaced by xxxx-xxxx, so only the last 4 digits can be read.

How to download a masked Aadhaar

01
Open the official portal
Go to myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, UIDAI's self-service site. Avoid look-alike websites and apps.
02
Log in with OTP
Enter your Aadhaar number and the captcha. A one-time code is sent to the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar.
03
Pick the masked option
Open the option to download your Aadhaar, choose masked Aadhaar, and download the PDF.
04
Check it at home
The PDF is password protected, so open it once before you leave. Keep it on your phone, or print a copy if the shop wants one.

Would you rather not use Aadhaar at all? A PAN card, driving licence, voter ID or passport can be used instead.

04Selling without a bill

Bills get lost. You can usually still sell, but expect a few more questions and possibly a lower offer, because the shop has less proof of where the phone came from.

What helps instead

The original box, with an IMEI that matches the phone. Dial *#06# to compare.
An online invoice. If you bought the phone from a shopping site, you can usually download the invoice again from your order history.
An order confirmation email or SMS from the store or the brand.
Service centre receipts that show the phone's IMEI.

05Family phones and phones in another name

Phones are often bought by one person and used by another. The bill might be in a parent's name, or the phone might have been a gift. What matters is whether the phone is yours to sell.

The bill is in my father's name, but the phone is mine. Can I sell it?

Often, yes. Bring the bill anyway. If the shop is not comfortable, the simplest fix is for the person named on the bill to come with you, or to sell it themselves with their own ID and phone number.

Can I sell a relative's phone for them?

It is better if they sell it themselves. At shops that keep proper records, including Recashy partner shops, the seller confirms that the phone is theirs. Do not make that promise for someone else's phone.

What about a phone bought on EMI?

If it was bought on a loan or a hire-purchase plan that is not fully paid, it may not be yours to sell yet. Close the loan first, or check with the lender.

And a phone from work?

If your employer paid for it, ask them first. They may want it back, or may need to release it to you formally.

06At a Recashy partner shop

Shops that use Recashy follow the same steps for every phone they buy. The shop checks the phone in front of you and agrees a price. It confirms your mobile number with a one-time code sent to your own phone, and records the IMEI, which it can scan off the box barcode. You are paid the same day in cash, by UPI or by bank transfer, or the amount is adjusted against a new phone.

Only the last 4 digits of your ID number are saved, plus a one-way fingerprint that lets the system recognise a repeat seller. The full number is never saved.
Photos are optional: the phone, you holding it, your ID and the original bill. If the shop photographs your ID, show a masked Aadhaar or cover the first 8 digits, so the picture does not carry the full number either.
You confirm that the phone is yours, and that it is not stolen or under a hire-purchase agreement.
The filed record gets a number like RC-000123 and is locked. Keep that number.