U.S. Consumers Spend More Than $11 Billion Every Year On Mobile Phone Upgrades

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 18, 2013

With a number of new mobile devices launching just in time for Christmas, research from SellCell.com has today revealed the extent of how obsessed Americans really are with their mobile phones, as a staggering $11,551,598,844 is spent every year in the United States on mobile phone upgrades. This equates to $3,966 per person over the course of the lifetime.

The SellCell.com research reveals that nearly one in four of U.S. adults (23 percent) upgrade their mobile phone at least once a year, and spend an average of $77 per upgrade. In order to get their hands on new devices, people are willing to pay $110.50 to terminate their contracts if they are not currently eligible for a phone upgrade. Despite this, almost three quarters of Americans (74 percent) have said that they are not interested in taking out plans that do enable them to upgrade their handset without breaking their contract (Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile) because four percent do not understand how these new phone plans work, and eight percent have not heard of the new plans at all.

“We’re a nation of mobile phone lovers – obsessed with getting a shiny new device whenever brands like Apple and Samsung put something new onto the market,” said Craig Timmins, Head of Marketing for SellCell.com. “But while it’s great to have the latest gadget, make sure you don’t get stung with high fees if you need to break your contract. There are plans which enable you to upgrade your phone whenever you want, and recycling your old phone will give you some extra cash to put towards the new device. While the average handset now pulls a trade in value of $104, if you trade in newer devices you could get up to $472.”

Consumers interested in selling back their old device can visit SellCell.com for a real-time comparison of over 15 trade-in sites and offers for their gadgets and devices, including tablets and smartphones.

About SellCell.com:
SellCell.com is the USA’s no. 1 mobile phone and tablet trade-in price comparison site. The site compares prices from all the top phone and tablet buyers in the USA to help users get the most money when selling their old mobile or tablet device. Sellcell.com offers its customers a Best Price Guarantee; should the customer discover a higher price anywhere else, Sellcell.com will refund double the difference.

Notes to editors:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from One Poll. Total sample size was 2000, polling 1000 adults in the UK and 1000 adults in the USA. Fieldwork was undertaken from October 22-25, 2013. The figures are representative of adults aged 18+.

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