I am thinking of trading in my current Galaxy Watch 4 Classic for the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, so I can get cell phone service on my watch (and the phone can be powered off and I can still make and receive urgent calls). I have a smartphone addiction where I struggle with excessive screen time or texting friends too much. My idea of upgrading to the Galaxy Watch 8 is a strategy where I can turn my Galaxy phone off when I am ready to drive home from work or wherever I am coming from, so that I can take time away from my phone when I get home and be more productive. Spectrum Mobile does not support cell service on my current Watch 4, but they do on the 8.

I found out I can get $200 off by doing a trade in with Samsung, but I am not sure I want to do it because it seems like a hassle. At first, Best Buy (in the U.S.) told me I can do “in store pickup” so that I can pick up the new watch at Best Buy. However when I was selecting the watch on Samsung's website, it said that in store pickup is unavailable for my location. Next, I called Samsung and they told me they have a restriction on being able to redirect a package to a holding location. I wanted to use FedEx delivery manager or UPS My Choice to redirect an incoming package to a holding location like a Walgreens or a FedEx or UPS hub, so that I do not have to take time off work to be at home to sign for the package, but can pickup the package after work. On the phone, Samsung told me that they have a restriction on being able to do this, which I think is unreasonable. However in my research online, I read that it may be possible if I am at work and there is one failed delivery attempt (because it requires my signature) to use the information on the door tag to call UPS or FedEx and tell them to hold the package at the holding location. However I don't know for sure this will work and I wonder if I will have to end up taking vacation time to be at home to sign for the package. Do any of you know if it is possible to pick up the package at a holding location after the first failed delivery attempt?

Have any of you had to deal with a Samsung trade in where Samsung ships you a device to your address, and you have to ship them back the old device? I am getting frustrated with how complicated this is to figure out – it's the first time I have ever considered doing something like this. I think I may want to attempt doing the trade in, because if I can figure it out, in the future I will be more willing to trade in my Samsung Galaxy phone when I feel I want to replace my phone with a new phone.

However, the idea of just donating my old watch to the thrift store and just purchasing a new Galaxy Watch 8 at Best Buy seems kind of attractive right now. If I donated my current watch to the thrift store, I could include the value of the watch in my calculation of how much money I donated this year, so that if I want to donate a certain percent of my income, this amount for donating the watch would be included in my calculation, resulting in me having to give less actual money. However, I am wondering with this scenario, is there more of a value in donating money to the persecuted church, the hungry, disaster relief, or even my own church rather than the St. Vincent De Paul thrift store? I might have to research exactly what I am supporting if I donate to the thrift store, but because it would be much easier than the trade in, the idea seems kind of attractive to me now.

I could also sell the old watch on Facebook Marketplace or something, but one of my friends told me he faced a hassle when trying to sell a device on eBay. The person who bought the device tried to claim the device was defective, possibly asking for their money back, but at the same time they were reselling the device online. My friend caught this. Because I don't know if I want to face any drama dealing with people who may want to buy my device, it seems easier to donate the old device.

Also, I watched a YouTube video where someone shared that they had a problem with their trade in, where Samsung reduced the value of their trade in credit. I think the YouTube video may have shared that Samsung claimed there was a crack in the phone they sent Samsung, but the phone the person sent Samsung did not have a crack. The YouTuber recommended selling the old device online as a better alternative than the Samsung trade in.