When a bibliophile tries to sell her old Blackberry!

I always believe in having a clutter-free home. Therefore, before every Diwali, I try to get rid of all those things that are no longer serving me. I donate a few things to the needy and sell other useless stuff.

Now, before smartphones made us crazy and dependent on them, I had a number of phones with QWERTY keypad. I especially loved my Blackberry during that time, but after I got my first smartphone, I realized my Blackberry no longer served me. So, I decided to sell my old Blackberry with QWERTY keypad before Diwali. I think the year was 2014.

At first, I told my younger cousins that I am ready to sell my Blackberry and if they would be interested in buying it. I was initially hopeful as they were really eying my phone, but their responses were extremely discouraging.

Cousin 1: Please Di. This is my birthday month. Gift it to me.

Me: I am trying to sell this.

Cousin 2: I will give you all my Harry Potter books in return of the phone.

Me: Um..that sounds good. But you only have the first 3 books. Are you trying to fool me?

Cousin 3: I don’t need this phone. Dad will gift me a smartphone if I score 80% in my board exams.

Me: Such a demanding kid you are!

The conversation with my cousins went nowhere. I understood that I have to think of something better to sell off my Blackberry.

I knew it would be useless trying to sell it to my friends as all of them had smartphones. I decided to list it on sites from where I can sell it. As my Blackberry was in a good condition, I quoted 3000 INR and listed it on the selling websites. I waited for sellers to contact me, but even after 10 days, I got no reply.

So, I reduced the price to 2500 INR and then waited. Finally, a seller messaged me and told me he is interested in buying my Blackberry at 1200 INR. His negotiation infuriated me. I was not at all ready to sell my Blackberry at such a low price of 1200 INR.

Finally, I thought to take help from my friends. One of my friends wanted to buy it for her sister. I was relieved and told her I am ready to sell it at 2500 INR.

“I have a better idea.” She said.

“What?” I was curious.

“You are a crazy bookworm and I am a book hoarder. Why don’t you take 10 of your favorite books from my library in return of this phone?” She said with a twinkle in her eyes.

I was speechless at her proposal. The fact that even after trying so hard, I cannot make any money selling off my old phone pinched my heart.

“It’s actually a perfect give and take offer. I need your old phone for my sister. And you want many of the books that I have in my library. Think about it.” She continued, looking at my crestfallen face.

She guided me to her library. As I looked at her enviable collection of books, my heart leaped with joy. I selected 10 books that I always wanted to own- books by my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho, Nicholas Sparks, Jhumpa Lahiri and Dan Brown.

I gave her my Blackberry and finally returned home with the 10 books and a toothy grin.

After that incident, my father tells me that I am a disaster in selling off my old gadgets. Well, he is right, but he cannot say that to me anymore! Why? Because, now I have Cashify, where selling used mobile, tablet and iPhone is so easy and completely hassle-free.

So, if you can also recollect one such failed attempt at selling off your old phones, you should immediately check out Cashify. For the lovely readers of my blog, I am sharing a Coupon Code (CLEANCASH). If you use this coupon code when you are selling your gadgets, you will get an additional 250 INR on the sale of your gadgets.

So, what are you waiting for? #CleanUpCashOut this Diwali!