If your phone is linked to any Bluetooth devices, make sure to go in and unpair it. Because there are so many different avenues, you don’t have to worry if your phone will be accepted somewhere. For starters, I looked for a TrustPilot "TrustScore" rating of at least 4.5 stars based on at least 500 user reviews. Once you’ve chosen the model, you need to decide what kind of condition it’s in. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Are you wondering where to sell handsets but don’t want to pay hidden fees? There are traditional trade-in options like those offered by Apple and Best Buy (see the next section), and then there are buy/sell marketplaces like those listed below. Again, answer truthfully so they don’t change your payout amount when they receive the phone. Fees. We have checked all the recyclers on our website and they are 100 percent trustworthy. If you skip these, you could risk opening yourself up to huge privacy issues and other problems. To price your device, search for your model on eBay and check the "sold" listings. Sell your old iPhone to help cover the costs of your new iPhone. Nowadays, these cell phone manufacturers are releasing smartphone after smartphone and in reality, the technology isn’t really that much better than the previous models. Craigslist is another popular place to sell devices because it’s free to use, you can potentially get paid in cash today, and it takes a few minutes to post an item for sale. You can also allow buyers to send you their best offers if you’re in the mood to haggle. You can still sell your phone without the original packaging. But selling on eBay can get a little complicated. Better yet, it’ll provide you with an opportunity to help save the planet by offering to send your old phone to a recycling partner. Facebook Marketplace is a free place to try to sell your phone. It's not worth it to repair a cracked phone screen before you sell, but if your screen is only slightly damaged -- a small hairline crack in the corner, for example -- you may want to sell it on your own instead of trading it in. Taking professional-looking photos of the merchandise and writing relevant descriptions will help you find potential buyers in a short amount of time. If you accept payment through PayPal, it charges a fee of 2.9% (4% if sold internationally) of the final value. Selling accessories like a charger and phone case can help you increase your asking price. Here, for example, you can see what an unlocked iPhone X might net you and what your options are. Nowadays, there are many sites where you can sell your old phones. I also looked for speed and simplicity in obtaining a sample quote. Want to know much you can sell your phone for? In fact, we're so confident that if you find a higher price anywhere else, we'll pay you double the difference!! Out with the old, in with the new -- iPhone, that is. Drop test: Which is the toughest case for the iPhone X. All rights reserved. (You may have to click a few times to change the carrier and the phone's condition.) Amazon’s Trade-In program is one of the most popular trade-in services available. Note that the quotes listed here are what I received at the time of this writing; your mileage may vary. First, know that eBay always takes the buyer’s side. You can also take the phone into a local Best Buy store. Old phones can be worth a huge amount! But you can still get a good price for your used phone, even if it’s not the latest iPhone. Apple's iPhone trade-in program offers an easy way to better afford a new iPhone, as phone trades net you Apple Store credit. You will then get to choose from the best trade-in prices and services inclusive in the deal from all leading recyclers in the US. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. If you do all that you can and your cell phone still doesn’t sell, you can always recycle it or donate to a program like Verizon’s Hopeline, which helps domestic violence victims and survivors. There are lots of trade-in/buyback companies who will buy your cell phone. That’s why you have to be honest. Decluttr is one of the easiest ways to sell your phone online. Go through the phone and see if there’s any data you need to back up, like photos, files, and videos. It’s important to be sure exactly what it is because Decluttr will pay more for certain models. We know how to recycle old cell phones. If it doesn’t, it will give you less money or send the device back to you. Upon receipt, it’ll inspect it and if it passes, you can choose to receive your payment via check, PayPal, or make a charitable donation to Lighthouse for Hope. Instead of trading in your phone for peanuts, Swappa lets you sell directly to buyers and receive the highest value for your old tech. Once it’s approved, Amazon will send you a gift card for the equivalent amount. Of course, it all depends on the original retail price of the phone and its age and condition now, popular brands like Apple and Samsung Android devices can still put upwards of $500 in your pocket. So the next logical step is to try to sell your old phone. With PayPal handling online transactions, Swappa is a great way to get cash for your phone — not store credit. The recyclers we work with pay cash quickly for the phones they buy. Once you’ve restored the phone’s settings, assembled the accessories, and created a solid listing, you can try to sell it online. Figuring out where to sell your old phone is difficult because there are so many different services. Although it's not entirely without risk -- if the old iPhone isn't in the condition you said it was, for example, you may not get the full value quoted by the buyer -- it does minimize the time and hassle, especially compared with trying to sell it yourself on, say, eBay or Craigslist. Throwing it away seems like a waste, and you may not want to donate something you paid hundreds of dollars for. When selling your phone on eBay, you can put it up for auction or pick a Buy It Now price. You’ll have to answer a few questions about your item before receiving a quote. You don’t want to sell your phone for less than you think it’s worth. This guide outlines the best practices for selling your iPhone for the highest profit. In most cases, they will send you a fully paid shipping envelope to make this as easy as possible. How much you get depends on the phone, how popular the model is, how new it is, and the condition it’s in. All you need to do is visit the trade-in page, answer a few questions, and the site will offer you a trade-in estimate for an Apple gift card or instant credit at the Apple Store. It shows you the payment methods, price-lock duration (that's how long you have before you need to send the phone in) and price based on condition of the old device. Shipping is easy with free kits or labels. Buyers will trust you more if you provide an accurate and detailed description. Resetting the phone to factory settings means deleting any shared or saved information like passwords, photos, and more. If purchase or signup is made through our Partners’ links, we receive compensation for the referral. You’ll receive specific instructions on how to ship your item to the Amazon offices. Apple’s trade-in program only applies to Apple products. One major disadvantage with letgo, compared to eBay and Gazelle, is that it’s designed for private transactions. The quote comes with a 14-day price lock and a price-matching guarantee, so if you get a higher offer from another site, it promises to honor it. Our number one goal at DollarSprout is to help readers improve their financial lives, and we regularly partner with companies that share that same vision. At the time of writing this article, these are the ballpark going rates for various used (unlocked) iPhones on eBay: If there's a downside to selling your iPhone on eBay, it's the potential risk of buyer's remorse. However, you may not get as much money as you want for your phone because it’s difficult to verify the condition and worth of a mobile device. Verify that your information is backed up before deleting it. Your old phone is losing value by the day. Related: How to Get Free Phones (or Free Phone Service). Typically, if you opt to value and trade-in your handset in-store, an ATM kiosk machine or through a carrier you’ll be getting paid much less than the smartphones worth (and often only get vouchers or credit rather than cash). For example: It sure does! The content on DollarSprout includes links to our advertising partners. Do this a few days before your new phone comes and you can avoid price drops and be ready to ship it free and pocket your bucks! Here’s how we make money. Walmart’s trade-in program is similar to Amazon’s. I'll give an honorable mention to Swappa, which has a sky-high TrustPilot score (4.9) but isn't really a buyback service.