How to Sell Your Old iPhone For a New iPhone
The iPhone – the most awaited phone of the year is here once again. But, saving up the cash for the new iPhone can be tough with such high prices. To get the new iPhone, selling off your old iPhone is a great way to get started.
Although resell prices are always dropping, Apple’s iPhones still sell for a premium vs other phone brands in the market. So, we’ve compiled a list of the best ways to sell your old iPhone online.
Before you sell…
To ensure you get the best value for your old iPhone there are a few steps you need to complete before putting your phone up for sale or start a trade in.
Back up your data
It is important that you take care of your data: images, documents, and videos and make sure you store them safely before selling your iPhone.
All iPhones have their iCloud backup turned on by default. However, you must thoroughly check that all your data has been uploaded to your iCloud account. Also, you need to check your remaining cloud storage space and ensure you have enough space before manually uploading your entire phone’s data to iCloud.
As a precautionary measure it’s recommended to head over to your Phone Settings ➡ tap on your Profile/Name ➡ tap on iCloud ➡ tap on “Back up now”. Make sure all necessary files are selected before the back up.
Sign out of your iCloud account
To remove any factory reset protections you’ll want to remove your iCloud account from your device. To do this go into the settings of your iPhone and click on your name at the top of the settings. You can then scroll down and click on sign out. Enter in you iCloud password to sign out. If you don’t have your phone or if the screen is damaged, you can also sign out remotely.
Perform a factory reset
Ensure that you’ve taken the necessary back up steps before fully wiping your iPhone. Once you’ve rechecked all your files and they are correctly stored in the cloud, make your way to Settings ➡ Find ‘General’ ➡ Tap on ‘Reset’ ➡ Tap on ‘Erase All Contact and Settings’. You may be asked to enter your Apple ID and or password to completely erase all data.
Best Places to sell your old iPhone online
eBay
eBay is one of the largest online marketplaces in the world. Electronics is one of eBay’s largest categories. It’s a great place to list and sell your old iPhone and get a really good price for it. As long as you already have an eBay seller account it should be easy to take pictures, make a description, add all the iPhone’s specs and then list it for sale. Just remember to take eBay selling fees into account. These tend to be around 10%. You’ll also want to note that shipping will cost you around $10 – $20. If you don’t already have an account and don’t plan on selling things regularly, eBay may not be worth the set up time for a one time sale.
Sell your phone sites
There are a few online companies that buy phones for cash. Some trusted sites are SmartphonesPLUS and EcoATM. They will even buy older phones and broken ones too. Since these types of companies specialize in buying electronics from consumers and businesses, they can likely get you a pretty good offer for your old iPhone. These companies will many times waive selling fees, shipping cost, and provide instant online quotes. If you are looking for a quick and easy option to get cash for your old iPhone, then try one of these sites.
Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace
Craigslist has been around for years and has helped people buy and sell things locally by creating an online listing. Facebook Marketplace is very similar to Craigslist although you’ll have to use your personal Facebook account. These platforms can make it easy for anyone to sell their iPhone, however, its important to watch out for scammers and time wasters on these platforms. After creating a listing on one of these platforms will likely get a lot of messages that go nowhere. When you do meet up with someone to complete the sale make sure you do this in a safe place to complete the transaction, like your local police station.
Apple’s iPhone Trade-in
Only opt for Apple’s trade-in option if you’re out of all other options. Their trade in program usually only allow for store credit on select devices.
Check the Value of Accessories or Donate
There are some accessories that still hold value. Usually electronic accessories like AirPods, Apple Pencils, and Apple Magic Keyboards will hold value for resale. If you are trying to sell your old accessories with your phone, like charging cables, cases, screen protectors, and earphone connectors, they are usually not worth much. Most of these accessories lose their value after they’ve been used. Do a bit of research to see if they are still worth anything before throwing them away. And its always a good idea to try to donate them to a place like Goodwill or your local thrift store before trashing them.
Should I trade-in my iPhone instead?
When deciding whether to trade-in or sell keep in mind that iPhone trade-ins have different values depending on where you go. There are a couple of factors here at play like location, buyer type, and your device’s condition and specs. Most trade-in programs through pawn shops or carriers will give you store credit or credits towards upcoming bills. This essentially locks you in with that company by forcing you to continue buying through them to use your credit.
The Verdict
All in all, if you are looking for an easy experience and want cash then a reseller or certified online trade in company, like SmartphonesPLUS, is going to be your best bet over credit based trade-ins. If you are okay with credit based trade ins, then you can try your local pawn shop or carrier store, however they may only allow you to use your credit towards select devices or services.
We’d love to know your experience of selling your iPhone and hear your story first-hand and also what you’d like to hear from us next. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
