Your old iPhone is cracked, has a horrible battery life, and is practically junk to you. So before you trash it, you’re wondering. Could it possibly be worth some money?
Absolutely. A lot of factors determine the worth of your old iPhone, and in this article, I’ll break them all down. Plus places you can sell your old iPhone for actual cash, not some store credit.
How Much Is Your Old iPhone Worth?
Every iPhone has a starting value. However, the final offer you receive can greatly be influenced by several factors. The main ones are:
Model of the iPhone
What specific iPhone do you own? Every year, Apple launches a new model with different variants. An iPhone 13 128GB and an iPhone 13 Pro Max 256GB are not worth the same amount just because both phones were released in the same year.
To confirm the specific model of your iPhone, please go to Settings > General > About. There. You’ll see details about your iPhone, including the model name and the storage capacity which is needed to confirm your phone’s value.
Condition of the iPhone
Is your phone cracked? What about the back glass? What is your phone’s battery capacity? And does the Face ID work properly? This is very important to confirm accurately. It’s not enough for the iPhone to be working; you must know the condition of your iPhone. (This does not mean cracked iPhones or iPhones with degraded battery life cannot be sold. The offer will just differ based on the exact condition of your iPhone).
Carrier lock status
A locked iPhone drastically reduces the pool of available buyers. So, confirm your carrier lock status and settle all outstanding bills before prepping your iPhone for sale. Or else, it’s at risk of affecting your offer value.
Where to sell your old iPhone for cash
You have three main options. Each one trades off between how much you get, how fast you get it, and how much work you put in.
Private sale
This is when you sell the iPhone directly to another person. Usually, these sales happen on marketplace sites like Swappa, Facebook Marketplace, and eBay. You bear the risk. You list your phone at a certain price, then interested buyers contact you and negotiate with you.
A private sale has the highest ceiling of the three. But your asking price is rarely what lands in your account. Buyers will haggle, platforms like eBay take a cut of the final sale, and payment processing fees and taxes take a bit more.
It also takes work. You'll need to take clear photos, write an honest listing, answer buyer questions, and either ship the phone or meet a stranger in person. Scams are common too: fake payment screenshots, overpayment tricks, and buyers who claim the phone arrived damaged to get a refund. If you go this route, meet in a public place and never ship before payment clears.
Local kiosks (Like ecoATM)
If you want cash today, a kiosk is the fastest option. ecoATM machines sit in malls and grocery stores across the U.S. You place your iPhone inside, the machine scans it and checks its condition, and it gives you an offer on the spot. Accept, and you walk away with cash. Decline, and you take your phone back.
You'll need a valid government-issued ID, and the kiosk takes your photo to verify your identity. This helps keep stolen phones out of the system.
The trade-off is price
A kiosk can't inspect your phone the way a technician can, and the machine, the location, and the risk all cost money. That usually shows up in lower offers. In this comparison, ecoATM offered $93 for a Galaxy S22 Ultra that SellMyCellPhone paid $187 for. Convenience has a cost, and here it was about half the phone's value.
Online buyback companies
With companies like SellMyCellPhone.com, you can sell your iPhone without leaving your house.
Online buyback companies buy your phone for cash, then refurbish, resell, or recycle it. You can think of them as the middlemen. But for you, it means a direct cash payout with no haggling and no meeting strangers.
You enter your model, storage, carrier, and condition to get a quote online. Then you ship the phone using a free prepaid label. Once it arrives, it's inspected to confirm it matches the condition you listed, and you get paid.
Because they buy in volume and don't carry kiosk overhead, buyback sites tend to pay more. In a side-by-side comparison against major buyback platforms, SellMyCellPhone paid 30% more on average.
How to sell your iPhone for cash
Selling your old iPhone to SellMyCellPhone.com is a seamless and straightforward process, here’s how:
- Go to SellMyCellPhone.com
- Search for your iPhone model. (You can check this in settings.)
- Select the carrier, storage, condition, and whether it is paid off.
- Review the offer and check out.
- Pack & ship your phone securely, keep your tracking ID, and ship.
- Once your phone is received, it is inspected to match the condition you listed. After which, you receive payment within 24 hours via the option you selected at check out.
The bottom line
That old iPhone in your drawer is still worth something, even with a cracked screen or a tired battery. Its value comes down to the model, storage, condition, and lock status, and it drops as newer models release, so selling sooner usually pays more.
A private sale can bring in the most money, but it costs you time, fees, and some risk. A kiosk like ecoATM pays cash the same day, but usually for less. An online buyback company like SellMyCellPhone.com sits in the middle: a better payout than a kiosk, without the haggling and scam risk of a private sale.
Whichever route you choose, back up your data, turn off Find My, and erase your iPhone before it leaves your hands.
FAQs on where and how to sell your old iPhone
Do old iPhones still have value?
Yes. Even old cracked iPhones can all be sold. The condition of the iPhone just affects its offer price, but it doesn’t make the phone unsellable. If you’ve abandoned your old iPhone in a drawer, it might be time to pull it out and trade it in for some cash.
Does anyone buy iPhones with cracked screens?
Yes, SellMyCellPhone.com will buy your phone even with the cracked screen so you have nothing to worry about.
However, if your phone has been reported lost/stolen, will not power on or has serious water damage. That is a different thing.
Is it better to bell or use Apple Trade In?
Do you intend to buy another iPhone? Or are you selling for cash that may be used elsewhere? This is the more important question. Trading in your old iPhone only qualifies you for credit. This credit can then be used towards a new Apple product. However if you don’t want your money locked inside the Apple Store, then selling to SellMyCellPhone.com is the better option.
Can I sell an iPhone that is not paid off?
Your situation may vary. Always make sure to accurately tell the buyback company the status of your phone. It affects the final quote you may get. However, iCloud and Find My still have to be off.