Selling Your Phone Online vs a Kiosk: What’s the Difference?

Sept 2, 2025

4 min read

When it’s time to sell your old iPhone, you face a common choice: sell online through a marketplace or trade-in program, or sell it instantly at a kiosk. Both options have advantages, but they come with very different experiences in terms of speed, security, and payout. At Vendy, we’ve seen firsthand how frustrating selling online can be — and why kiosks is the preferred option in many markets. Let’s break it down.

Selling Online – The Pros and Cons

Pros of selling online:

Potentially high offers (at least on paper).
Wide choice of platforms, from marketplaces to buyback services.
Ability to easily compare different buyers.

Cons of selling online:

Uncertainty in price: Many trade-in services adjust the offer after inspection. What looked like 3,000 SEK can suddenly become 1,800 SEK.
Long waits: Payment often takes days or weeks after shipping.
Shipping risks: Phones can get damaged or lost in transit.
Effort required: Packing, shipping, and following up takes time.
Trust issues: Private sales can be risky with scams or payment delays.

For many sellers, what seemed like the best deal online turns into a slower, less predictable process.

Selling at a Kiosk – Fast and Transparent

Pros of kiosk selling:

Instant valuation: Get an exact price upfront.
Immediate payout: At Vent kiosks, the average payout is around 2,500 SEK, paid directly via Swish within minutes.
No shipping needed: Just walk up, place your phone in the kiosk, and you’re done.
Secure process: Your phone is data-wiped safely before being recycled or refurbished.
No haggling or hidden costs: The price you see is the price you get.

Cons of kiosk selling:

If you live outside larger cities, you might have to travel further to sell your phone, in order to reach the nearest kiosk.
The kiosk offer may look slightly lower than some online quotes. However, unlike online sales, the kiosk price is guaranteed — no unexpected deductions after inspection.

What’s Your Time Worth?

Think about it: if you spend hours listing, shipping, waiting, and following up online, you spend extra time for the same money than if you had sold instantly at a kiosk.

At an average payout of 2,500 SEK, selling at a kiosk can feel like earning a generous hourly wage — with zero hassle.

The Bigger Picture – Why Kiosks Matter

Selling through kiosks isn’t just about convenience. It also helps fuel the circular economy:

Phones are refurbished and reused instead of sitting in drawers.
Fewer devices end up as e-waste, the fastest-growing waste stream in Europe.
Sweden reduces dependency on importing refurbished devices from outside the EU.

FAQ

Q: Is it better to sell my iPhone online or at a kiosk?

A: Online can sometimes seem pay more but often includes delays and risks. Kiosks give you instant, secure Swish payouts with no hassle.

Q: How much can I get for my phone at a kiosk?

A: The average payout at Vent kiosks is around 2,500 SEK, depending on model and condition.

Q: Is selling at a kiosk safe?

A: Yes, phones need to be data erased and reset before you sell, and the payment is instant via Swish.

Conclusion

If you value speed, security, and simplicity, selling your phone at a kiosk is hard to beat. While online sales might sometimes promise higher returns, kiosks give you certainty: the price you see is the price you get — instantly.

Call-to-action: Got an iPhone lying around? Sell it today at a Vendy kiosk and get paid instantly via Swish.