In case you have n’t hear , there ’s anew iPhone coming at Apple ’s September eventand that mean two things : You want a new iPhone and you demand to deal your honest-to-god one . If you grease one’s palms your iPhone in a flash every year or two , you could usually recoup a good amount of the new cost by selling your erstwhile model every time you upgrade to a novel one .
Even if you ’re in theiPhone Upgrade Program , you might have an old iPhone languishing in a drawer somewhere unused . Here ’s what you need to sleep with about selling or trading in your old iPhone for top dollar .
How to get an old iPhone ready for sale
Apple has a list ofwhat to do before you deal , give away , or trade in your old iPhonewhich is worth a flavour , and we also coverHow to wipe and reset an iPhone . We advocate that you should ascertain those guides out , but here ’s our own advice for make certain you get the most value for a used iPhone :
Take good care of it
This probably goes without saying , but your iPhone ’s precondition plays a huge part in its value . So keep it in a fount , use a screen guardian , and broadly speaking attempt to keep it in neat shape . If your phone indicate some wear and snag , you ’ll still be able to sell it , you ’ll just get a minuscule less . Also , hold onto the original box and include the charger ( if it come with one ) and cable also helps squeeze a little more value out of your sales agreement .
Save your data
Before you get free of your old iPhone , make indisputable all the data is backed up and ready to transfer to your raw one . A backup to iCloud or the Finder ( or iTunes if you are on a PC ) is the most convenient way tosync all the data point to your unexampled iPhone , and another option is to synchronise directly from the old to the novel iPhone . But because an iPhone backup is pretty self - comprise , you may also need to separately make indisputable your photos are synchronize to Google Photos , iCloud Photos , or anothercloud storage answer .
Michael Simon / IDG
Unpair your Apple Watch
If you have an Apple Watch , you should make certain it ’s endorse up so you may unpair it from your old iPhone and sync it with your new one . you could do this in the Watch app on the earphone .
IDG
Sign out of your Apple account
Sign out of your iCloud and Music accounts , too . This is acrucial footmark : If you erase your phone without sign out first , it will still have Activation Lock enabled and the buyer wo n’t be able to set it up !
You should be move when you erase it ( see below ) but in case you ’re not , here ’s how to ratify out :
Reset your iPhone
Once you ’re sure your iPhone is all backed up and ready to be fully erased , head to the preferences app and tapGeneral > Transfer or Reset(in earlier iOS versions the option saysReset ) . The nuclear alternative here isErase All Content and configurations ; if you ’re sell or giving away your telephone , this is what you want to do .
You may be prompted to turn off feel My iPhone and sign out of iCloud if you have n’t already — otherwise iOS ’s Activation Lock will preclude the phone ’s next owner from activating it . Confirm that you require to erase all the datum , and your phone will be securely wiped and restored to manufacturing plant preferences . It ’ll go through an update and you ’ll be meet with a “ Hello ” screen just like you were when you first set it up . Turn it off and say goodbye .
We cover this in more point here : How to readjust an iPhone . If you have any trouble you may findHow to put an iPhone into retrieval way and return to manufactory settingsuseful . Note that you need to be connected to Wi - Fi or Cellular before you could pass over the iPhone .
How to sell your iPhone online
The next stride is deciding where you are going to sell your iPhone . You should bulge your research at third - party buyback sites . You ’ll get an approximation of what your phone in its current stipulation is deserving , and then can either take that offer or seek to directly sell your phone to another person yourself on Craigslist or eBay . You might desire to note you ’re sell your telephone on social media like Twitter , Facebook , or Instagram first , to see if a friend or associate wants it — you’ll find advantageously dealing with someone you know .
Buyback sites almost never give you as much money as a lineal sales event to another person would , but they ’re much safe and easier . Sometimes the tussle of a direct sales event to another person is n’t worth a little extra money , and you just want to quickly , easily , and safely get a fairish price for your old phone . That ’s where these site come in . There are lots of buyback sites , but these are some of the large and most extremely recommended :
BackMarket
BackMarketbuys and sells used iPhones and other products . you’re able to get up to $ 1,017 for an iPhone 14 Pro Max 1 TB unbolted in good circumstance , for example . A prepaid shipping recording label is provided so you’re able to transport your iPhone off to them within 21 days of your quote . The inverted comma is dependent on the iPhone match the verbal description you have give .
If you are in theU.K. BackMarketwill also offer you money for your used iPhone . In this case , an iPhone 14 Pro Max 1 TB unlocked in good term could get you £ 634 .
Compare and Recycle
This is a U.K. base swop - in service that evaluate the dissimilar recyclers to declare oneself you the best price on offer if you trade - in your iPhone . A searchCompare and Recyclesuggested an iPhone 14 Pro Max could be worth £ 741 with Meelie .
liken and Recycleis coming to the U.S. soon accord to their website .
Decluttr
Decluttris unsubdivided and fast and tells you upfront how much your iPhone is worth , then permit you operate in that cost for up to 28 days . If you want to deal you just publish out your free label and overlook it off with UPS . Once they get it and inspect it to check that it ’s in the circumstance you tell , they pay you via PayPal or direct deposit the following day . If the condition is not as described , DeCluttr will make a new offer . If that offer is n’t acceptable , they will regress the phone free of electric charge .
Decluttr buys and sell lots of stuff , including tablets , laptops , wearables , and more . So you could get rid of peck of sure-enough gear this way .
In the U.K. Decluttr is known asMusic Magpie , and they will also buy used equipment from you . Here our iPhone 14 Pro Max 1 TB unlocked could make us £ 680 .
Gazelle
Gazellebuys and sell preowned smartphones , tablets , laptop , and other gadgets . They ’ll give you an on-line quotation for your detail , and then send you a box to ship it to them for free . you could receive defrayal as a bridle , via PayPal , or in the form of an Amazon gift card .
The offer is good for 30 days , and Gazelle will make you a new offer if the item is in worse experimental condition than you line . If you determine not to take the newfangled offer , they ’ll send your convenience back , but you pay for the return cargo ships .
Swappa
Swappaworks a little differently than most other buyback sites . It ’s actually a marketplace where you sell directly to other client — Swappa just verifies the listings , handles the payments ( using PayPal ) , and organizes the shipping to slim fraud . Swappa collects its fees from the purchaser ’s death , but the price the buyer actually sees has that fee as well as shipping let in . The seller pays for shipping , and you ’re on your own to package the item securely , too .
Swappa lean a Mary Leontyne Price chain of mountains for what has sold recently on its site . You ’ll sometimes be able to get more from a sale on Swappa , but selling directly to other the great unwashed , even with Swappa ’s protections in station , always seize a little more risk .
Also understand : Where to buy a 2d - hand or freshen up iPhonefor more option where you might be able to sell it .
In the U.K. you could also sell your iPhone at places likeCeX , Envirofone , andWe Buy Any Phone .
Trade in your iPhone for store credit
Another commodious approach is to turn in your old iPhone to the Apple Store , Amazon , Best Buy , or Walmart , where they ’ll give you a natural endowment carte . You might not get quite as much , but these store also take phones in worse condition than your typical vendee would expect . The big - loge store , for representative , will give you a diminished gift card for an iPhone with a broken CRT screen , while an Apple store will generally just recycle it for you . Sometimes these stores have preorder or launching - day mess as well , so keep your eye opened for that .
Apple
TheApple store’sonline quote service is mere , tight , and broadly speaking volunteer pretty proficient cost for your used Apple gear . The downside is that you could only get an Apple gift card or credit toward the leverage of a new Apple product .
We explainHow Apple trade in works and saves you moneyseparately .
Jason Cross / IDG
Amazon
Amazon Trade - Inlets you sell sure mathematical product directly to Amazon in exchange for an Amazon gift card . It ’s a very simple mental process , though it can take a couple of weeks before your item gets to Amazon and is inspect , so do n’t carry a credit in your Amazon account immediately . The price are often a little lower than other redemption website , and you only get Amazon credit , but it ’s very easy and dependable .
Best Buy
Best Buyoffers pretty good prices on trade - inch , and you may take your iPhone to a Best Buy fix to drop it off , which might be more convenient than send it .
Walmart
Walmartcontracts with CExchange to let you deal in smartphones , tablets , video games , and wearables for a Walmart natural endowment card . You get a postpaid FedEx Ground shipping recording label , but you have to compact the item yourself . Then you get an eGift Card to spend at Walmart .
In the U.K. stores likeArgos , CurrysandJohn Lewiswill allow you to trade in in an old iPhone .
Sell your iPhone back to your carrier
Not to be outmatch , your carrier will have trade - ins too . If you cringe at your sound beak each calendar month , unloading former machine to your carrier might be beguiling , since you could apply the reference for unexampled devices or to pay up your pecker . During the first duad months of an iPhone ’s vent , there may be special trade - in offers , so keep an oculus out for that .
AT&T
ForAT&T ’s craft - in program , you’re able to bring your twist to an AT&T Store to get instant credit , or get a quote online and receive a kit to send your gadget in for free . Then you ’ll get a promotional card in the mail you’re able to utilize to credit your bill or buy new stuff .
Verizon
Verizon let you trade in in deviceswith a prepaid transportation box . credit rating can be applied to your throwaway , or you could prefer for a gift card to use for newfangled devices .
T-Mobile
T - Mobile ’s trade - in programis geared at citizenry who desire a new earpiece . Once you get a cite toll ( for a phone in unspoiled status ) , you ’re accept to the fund page to grass for a new machine . you may also send your earpiece or contribute it to a T - Mobile fund .
In the U.K.Carphone Warehousewill allow you to trade in in an previous iPhone , as willEEandVodafone . However , U.K. based serviceCompare and Recyclewarns that iPhone possessor can lose out on £ 100s if they trade in with their phone connection . They claim that iPhone 13 owner “ peril losing out on as much as £ 148 by pick out to trade their iPhone 13 model with either EE , Three , Vodafone or O2 . ”
Sell your phone directly to someone else
