Upgrading to a new iPhone? Congratulations! But what about your old iPhone? Don’t let it age in a drawer when it can pocket you cash! After all, iPhones are known to provide higher resale value than any other smartphone. But where to sell your old iPhone at the best value without any hassle?
Don’t worry; this article has you covered! I have listed three types of places where you can sell your old iPhone at a good price. Let’s explore them.
- 7 Best buyback services to sell your iPhone
- 4 Best places to trade in iPhone
- Sell your iPhone on a Marketplace
7 Best buyback services to sell your iPhone
If you want to sell your iPhone without hassle, a buyback service should be your go-to choice. However, it comes with its share of risks. The price may fluctuate based on your iPhone’s condition. In terms of time and effort, it is a better option than marketplaces.
When curating the below list, I have ensured to include websites with a good rating on Trustpilot. I’ve added websites with ratings higher than 4.5 stars out of 5 and a minimum of 500 reviews. The highest-rated website is on top of the list, followed by its close competitors.
Reason? If someone takes the time to review a website, it’s either because they had exceptionally good or bad service.
I’ve used iPhone 11, 128GB storage, carrier unlocked and in good condition as a subject, for this comparison. Let’s get going!
1. Gazelle
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: 3-5 business days
- TrustPilot rating: 3.8
Gazelle is the pioneer of reCommerce and trade-in services to buy and sell used iPhones. It provides straightforward selling choices. You will get free shipping and delivery with quick quotes for your used iPhone. Also, to provide the best quote, Gazelle professionals examine your phone with standard inspection and certification.
The best part is Gazelle does not provide store credit when you sell an item, instead, they pay cash. You can opt for Paypal, an Amazon gift card, or a cheque to receive payment. After verifying the model and condition, the payment is completed in 3-5 business days. If you want instant cash, use PayPal payment and receive payment on the same day.
I liked its honesty in price policy which ensures if your item is in better condition than you anticipated when it arrives, they will raise your initial offer. You may get the offer refunded without risk if they need to decrease it. Also, your data won’t fall into the wrong hands since they wipe all personally identifiable information before the inspection.
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: $222
2. SmartphonesPLUS – Competitive prices for iPhone
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: 3-5 business days
- TrustPilot rating: 4.3
Based in Iowa, SmartphonesPLUS is a perfect destination to buy, sell, and repair your smartphones and other gadgets. With SmartphonesPLUS, you don’t have to worry about quality or price because the platform takes pride in offering quality products at competitive prices. Just hop on to their website, sell your old smartphone and buy a brand new one at best market price.
Moreover, with SmartphonesPLUS you can save some extra bucks by buying a refurbished iPhone. Notedly, the platform performs rigorous diagnostic testing before including a device in their ecosystem. In addition, SmartphonesPLUS promises to fetch you the best prices on your sold iPhones that you won’t find anywhere in the market.
Further, SmartphonesPLUS specializes in offering top-notch repairing services to customers. Whether you have a crack on your iPhone, dropped it in water, or facing battery issues-SmartphonesPLUS will fix it all for you at minimum price. Apart from all this, you can find an exclusive collection of iPhone accessories, including chargers, cases, and headphones as well. A one-stop solution, indeed!
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: Up to $232.00
3. Buyback Boss
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: Up to 7 business days
- TrustPilot rating: 4.7
Buyback Boss does justice to its naming scheme. It is a smooth experience selling your iPhone and provides one of the highest resale values. You get free shipping, instant quote, and transfer payments in up to 7 business days (in many cases, same day) through PayPal or check. Sadly, it doesn’t accept any other payment method.
The company accepts broken and non-functional phones. There’s also a 14-day price lock guarantee which means that if the product is sent within those 14 days, you’ll receive the quoted price. Besides, if you have multiple old devices like iPhones, tablets, laptops, etc., that you want to get rid of, you can bundle them all together to get a higher payout.
Moreover, if you don’t include accessories, i.e., the original box or any other accessory that came along, it won’t affect the price of your device. However, I recommend including accessories if you don’t use them as they recycle them.
At any point, if you decide against selling your device, you can request a return for free. The only problem is that the included accessories won’t be shipped back after shipping.
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: $316
4. Gadget Gone – Also accepts a dead iPhone
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: Up to 2 business days
- TrustPilot rating: 4.7
Gadget Gone exclusively accepted old iPhones when it started. Now, it has expanded to other smart devices like Mac, smartphones, tablets, and beyond. However, it remains one of the best sites to sell your iPhone, offering above-average prices, better than other popular sites like Gazelle and Swappa.
The user experience of Gadget Gone is intuitive, and its website is well designed. Like the previous website, you can get a quote for your device in under 30 seconds. Moreover, you can even sell a dead phone here. So every iPhone is worth a penny in here!
Like BuyBack Boss, you get a free shipping label for your product, but you need to arrange a packaging box for the device. Moreover, you receive the payout within up to 2 days after Gadget Gone receives the product through a mailed check, an Amazon e-gift card, or PayPal.
However, if the verification doesn’t match your stated terms, you will receive a re-quote, and you can choose to go ahead or ask for a return. The only problem you might is their limited customer support.
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: $310
5. Decluttr – Offers the best value for broken iPhones
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: 1 business day
- TrustPilot rating: 4.5
While the website is named Decluttr, the user interface is certainly cluttered. However, once you navigate every step and reach the quote page, you have to select the condition of your device from three options: Good, Poor, or Faulty, which is sufficient for many.
Decluttr delivers a straightforward and intuitive process to generate the device’s quote quickly and allows you to do so without even signing up. Moreover, you get a 28-day lock-in period, twice more than BuyBack boss, giving you enough time to find an upgrade. Pretty impressive!
Similar to Gadget Gone, you get the shipping label via email. Pack the box, stick the shipping label, and take it to the nearest store. Once it reaches the Decluttr warehouse, you’ll receive the payment by the next business day via PayPal or a direct deposit.
Moreover, Decluttr is BBB accredited, meaning that the business meets accreditation standards, adding to its well-established reputation. Apart from an iPhone, you can also sell laptops, other smart devices, CDs, DVDs, and even books. And there’s also a mobile app that you can access the platform on!
It also pays the highest for broken phones of all the other websites on this list.
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: $316
6. ItsWorthMore – Faster processing option
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: Up to 5 business day
- TrustPilot rating: 4.6
ItsWorthMore is another website with a great user experience and fast and reliable quotes. Like other websites on the list, you have to select your iPhone model, enter its existing condition, and voila, you get the quote! It also offers free shipping.
However, it can take anywhere between 3-5 days to evaluate the iPhone, after which you will receive the payment via check, PayPal, or Zelle if everything matches your description. Further, you have the option to speed up the evaluation process if you’re in a hurry!
The only problem is that this website does not do justice to its name as it provides the lowest rates compared to others.
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: $275
7. Back Market: Intuitive and straightforward
- Shipping: Free
- Quote: Instant
- Payment processing: Up to 2 business days
- TrustPilot rating: 4.5
Founded in 2014, Back Market is a France-based company that aims at providing high-quality yet affordable items. It also accepts old mobile devices, laptops, and more from resellers!
Like others on the list, selling your old iPhone to Back Market is straightforward. You need to select your iPhone model, answer a few questions, and parcel it to their address. You get a prepaid shipping label and must ship the product within 15 days.
Further, the merchant will examine your product and transfer the money or share the counteroffer. Besides, if you decide to r4eject the counteroffer or change your mind, they will send back the product for free.
Moreover, you don’t need to send the accessories you receive with your original device. It also accepts non-functioning or damaged devices, but the price will be low.
You get an instant quote, an intuitive interface, and a reliable brand! However, the quote I received for my iPhone 11 is less than others on this list. So, I recommend researching before deciding!
Quote for factory unlocked iPhone 11, 128GB: $280
4 Best places to trade in iPhone
If you plan to upgrade to a new iPhone, carriers come with offers every time a new iPhone launches. You can upgrade them for great deals. I have also added other places you can trade in your iPhones for credit.
1. Apple – Get Apple Store credit
If you want to trade in your old iPhone for a new one, this is the most convenient option. As Apple credits the amount to the new device. However, it’s not the best option money-wise!
As of writing this, the trade-in value for iPhone 11 was up to $300. Apple offers higher value only for pristine or newer devices.
In short, your device goes back to where it came from, i.e., Apple. If you avail of this through Apple’s online store, you will need to mail back the device, delivered with your new iPhone. The biggest benefit of this is that you can copy all your data to your new device, reset it, and send it back to Apple.
However, the device’s storage does not fetch any extra value for you. So you should definitely shop around, especially if you have the higher storage variant.
But if you are someone who buys a new iPhone every year, you’d benefit from Apple’s iPhone upgrade program. You pay an EMI (more like a lease) every month perpetually in exchange for a new iPhone after 12 months. This is much more cost-efficient than buying an unlocked iPhone!
2. Best Buy: Get Best Buy gift card
Best Buy is another store you can trade-in your old iPhone at. However, like Apple, the value doesn’t change for different storage variants. Further, the Best Buy trade-in program doesn’t accept unlocked iPhone trades for some reason. They only accept those from one of the Big Four carriers.
You can also check Best Buy’s price for your old iPhone on their website. Once you’ve done that, take it to a physical store or mail it to them to get an e-gift card, similar to Apple’s trade-in. I would recommend this only if you are a fan of Best Buy.
Quote for iPhone 11, 128GB, Black (Yeah, they even asked for the color): $245
3. Walmart – Get Walmart ecard
Walmart is another physical store you can trade-in your iPhone at. You need to enter all the details and will get a quote.
You will also get a free shipping label, which you can ship from FedEx Ground. Once the product is evaluated, you will get an instant Walmart ecard, similar to what Apple and Best Buy are offering. However, I felt they offered a lower price than other trade-in services.
However, do check how it turns out for your device!
Quote for iPhone 11, 128GB: $216
4. Carrier deals: Worth a shot
Carriers have good trade-in offers too. Especially when a new device is launched, you can get a new iPhone for as low as $0. Yeah, totally free! Nothing comes free, though.
If you are looking to change your carrier, trading your older phone can benefit you. However, the prices are lower than compared to others on this list.
Visit now: Verizon | AT&T | T-Mobile
Sell your iPhone on a Marketplace
Eliminating intermediaries in most situations will fetch you a higher profit. The same rule applies to selling used phones. You can list your old iPhone on a marketplace and directly communicate with the buyer. Here’s a list of some marketplace recommendations from me.
The drawbacks are a longer waiting time to sell a device and scammers.
1. Swappa
Swappa is a well-renowned marketplace for providing good prices without any interference from middlemen. Moreover, sellers do not have to pay any fees; that’s usually the case when selling to the company that further sells to buyers for profit.
However, if you plan to sell it, you need to make an account and then list the item. Moreover, you will have to bear the shipping and packaging costs, which makes sense considering that Swappa is not charging sellers anything. Further, the shipping must be done within 2 business days of receiving the payment.
Moreover, you must have a PayPal account to accept payment from Swappa.
2. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a good place to sell your old iPhone, especially if you have a Facebook profile. This means you don’t have to create any specific account for it. You can get good deals here as some buyers will usually overlook issues like minor cracks, dents, etc.
It is a pretty great place as the platform has an established user base. Moreover, registration is free; you can add up to 10 photos of the item and even run an ad campaign to reach the potential buyer if you’re in a hurry.
Further, you can also use the built-in messaging system to answer queries from leads and discuss the middle way to complete the transaction.
3. eBay
eBay is one of the most popular marketplaces to sell and buy used products and has a broad userbase. Good service comes at a price! eBay offers purchase protection, and sellers can also list items for auction and get a higher price as a seller.
Like the previously listed marketplaces, you are responsible for the shipping as well as return shipping cost if the buyer changes his/her mind.
However, you need to pay a 10% fee on the final price the product sells for. This makes the whole transaction safer.
Beware! There are plenty of negative reviews, and you need to be aware that the website has all kinds of audiences. If you’re busy and don’t have much time, you must steer clear of eBay.
4. Craigslist
Want to sell your device the old way where you meet people, hand over the device, and get paid in cash? Craigslist is the place for you! However, it is a bit riskier.
List your device, meet the buyer, and sell it for a good price. Ensure you meet the buyer in a public place to avoid getting robbed (it is a possibility).
Ensure that you clear your terms and iPhone’s condition beforehand to avoid any hassles during the meeting.
That’s it!
Your old iPhone keeps losing value with every passing day you keep it in the drawer. If you want to upgrade, now is the right time. However, ensure to follow these steps before selling your old iPhone to prevent data theft.
Let us know if this article helped you sell your iPhone. If you know of any other websites that you had a better experience with, let us know in the comments below to help other readers.
You might want to refer:
- Things you should do before selling your old iPhone
- 10 Best ways to reuse your old iPhone
- Signs that you need to replace your iPhone
- Recycle Your Old Tech With Apple’s Recycling Program
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