Selling your old iPhone is a great way to make a little extra cash, while giving your device a fresh start in a new home. Whether you want to sell your iPhone and upgrade to a newer model or if you have old an old device just gathering dust, the choices on where to sell your iPhone can be overwhelming. To help make the selling process easier on you, we’ve put together a quick list of the best options for selling your iPhone — whether online and in person — plus recent pricing info so you know exactly which method gets you the most money for your old phone.
Where to sell your iPhone
1. Swappa
Swappa is a safe user-to-user marketplace for buying and selling all sorts of tech like iPhones, MacBooks, cameras and more. Swappa is different from other marketplaces in that all devices must be fully functional and each listing is reviewed by a team of tech experts to make sure it’s up to par. Sellers don’t pay any fees and are paid as soon as the item is purchased.
Swappa is the best place to sell your iPhone if it is still functional and if you want to make the most money.
2. Decluttr
Decluttr is a site where you can sell phones that are working or that are broken. To start, go to ‘Sell My iPhone’ tab, then you can get a quote for your phone in a couple of minutes by entering information about the phone and the condition it’s in. After you ship the phone to Decluttr, they assess it and if it meets the same condition you described it in, you get paid.
Decluttr is a good place to sell your iPhone if it’s not working and you are okay waiting a few days to get paid.
3. Apple
Apple’s trade-in program is another way to sell your phone – either online or in person. After answering a few quick questions about the condition of the your phone, Apple will give you a quote for what they’ll pay you for. Note that the only way to get paid is by getting an Apple gift card.
Apple is a good place to sell your iPhone if you frequently visit Apple stores and if you don’t mind being paid in a gift card.
4. Best Buy
Best Buy’s trade-in program is also available both online and in stores. Similar to Apple’s program, after you answer a few questions about the condition of your phone, Best Buy will present you with an offer. Phones with broken screens and major damage are not accepted at Best Buy’s trade-in program, however they will recycle broken phones.
Best Buy is a good place to sell your old iPhone is you want to upgrade to a new iPhone at a Best Buy store.
5. Gazelle
Gazelle is a site where you can sell your iPhone by answering a few questions about the condition of your device and getting a quote from Gazelle. Once you accept their offer, you ship your phone to Gazelle where they inspect it against the information you provided. If everything looks good, you get paid. If it doesn’t match your description, you get a new offer or they can return your device for free.
Gazelle is a good place to sell your iPhone if it is broken and if you’re okay getting less money for it.
How much your iPhone is worth
Before you decide to sell your iPhone, it’s important to know where you’ll get the most money for it. Selling your iPhone to a buyback company is different than trading it in for an Apple gift card or selling it to another individual online. These differences in business models means that you will get paid different prices for your iPhone. To help break down how much money you can get for your iPhone, we researched recent prices and offers from the five companies listed above.
*Information on pricing sources is below
As seen in the data above, Swappa is the best way to get the most money for your old iPhone, no matter which model or storage configuration. This is because the Swappa marketplace allows you to deal directly with buyers. With no middleman getting in the way, you always get top dollar for your old devices. That means more money in your wallet and more money to upgrade to something new.
When to sell your iPhone
Whether you have an iPhone 6, 7, 8 or any other model, the best time to sell your old iPhone is now. Over time, the value of your iPhone depreciates so you’ll get a better value for it by selling it sooner rather than later. It’s also better to sell your device before a new iPhone is released. This is because Apple typically discounts the price of older models by around $100, almost instantly dropping the value of used models in the process.
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*Storage sizes:
- iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus based on 16 GB
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus based on 32 GB
- iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X based on 64 GB
*Swappa prices based on unlocked phones in ‘Good Condition’ that were recently sold as of 3/28
*Decluttr prices based on unlocked phones in ‘Good Condition’ on 3/28
*Apple values based on results from 3/28/19:
- Question: Is your iPhone in ‘Good Condition’? Answer: Yes
*Best Buy values based on results from 3/28/19:
- Question: Does your device have any screen damage, cracks or LCD bruising? Answer: No
- Question: What is the condition of the item? Answer: Good
- Question: Are the lock/master reset code cleared? For the Apple iPhone, the Find My iPhone Activation lock has been disabled by clicking on the Erase All Content and settings and entering the Apple ID. Answer: Yes
- iPhone X, 8 Plus, 8, 7 Plus, 7 device values on Verizon. Others are based on unlocked values.
*Gazelle prices based on unlocked phones that power on, the screen fully lights up, there are scratches barely visible, with no cracks – found on 3/28
