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Where to sell your iPhone: The Complete Guide to iPhone Trade-ins, Resellers, and Marketplaces in the US

Are you thinking about selling your old iPhone? With a variety of services available across the United States, there’s more than a few ways to sell your iPhone for some extra cash.

We searched the web to find all of the top resellers, trade-ins and marketplaces you could use to sell your iPhone, gathering them into this complete guide. We’ll look at the pros and cons of each service, and compare the different offers you might get for your used iPhone.

In anticipation of the iPhone 7 coming later this year, we decided to look at what you might be able to get right now for an iPhone 6s.


iPhone 6s 16GB Space Grey (Unlocked or AT&T model)

Retail Value: $649

All quotes and estimations provided in US Dollars and sourced in May 2016.


Sell your iPhone: Trade-ins & Resellers

Trade-in and reseller options will typically buy your iPhone, offering you cash for your device once its condition is fully assessed by the company. In this case, you don’t have to worry about finding a buyer for your iPhone – these companies act as the direct buyer of the device.

Trade-in options usually offer quick payment on a store gift card, encouraging you to bring in your iPhone for some money back to upgrade to a newer model. On the other hand, resellers are looking to buy and refurbish your iPhone to sell again online. They handle both sides of the business by buying and selling used devices for consumers.

Orchard: up to $450 USD

Reseller: Orchard directly pays for your used iPhone to resell online. We offer three selling times: one day, two weeks or three weeks. The longer you are able to wait, the more money we can offer you.

Payment: PayPal, Amazon Gift Card or cheque

How it works: Simply install our Orchard app onto your iPhone which quickly tests, prices and registers an iPhone for sale. We will immediately send you a full pre-paid shipping kit. Once your selling time ends, or if your phone sells even sooner, you’ll receive your funds on PayPal, cheque or an Amazon Gift Card.

Pros

Cons

Itemcycle: up to $395 USD

Reseller: Itemcycle directly pays for your used iPhone to resell online. They purchase nearly any Apple device from iPhones to MacBook Pros. After some refurbishments, Itemcycle sells these devices on their eBay store to make a profit.

Payment: PayPal or cheque

How it works: Select your model to get an instant quote from Itemcycle. They provide a pre-paid shipping label for the phone and once it has been verified you are instantly paid via PayPal or cheque.

Pros

Cons

uSell: up to $351 USD

Trade-In: uSell directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in online. They will then handle finding a buyer to sell your phone.

Payment: PayPal or cheque

How it works: Get an instant quote from uSell to start. They will send you a pre-paid shipping kit for the phone and within a few days you’ll get paid via PayPal or cheque.

Pros

Cons

Apple Renew: up to $350* USD

Trade-In: Apple directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in and recycle for parts. They’ll get money from the materials and then potentially make more on the activation of a new iPhone.

Payment: Apple Store Gift Card

How it works: The Apple Renew program will pay you to recycle your iPhone. Just select your model and Apple will send you a pre-paid shipping kit to mail the iPhone in. After the estimate is verified, you’ll receive your payment. You can also bring your iPhone into your local Apple Store.

Pros

Cons

Sell Cell: up to $350 USD

Trade-In: Sell Cell connects you with various iPhone recycling companies across the United States.

Payment: PayPal or cheque

How it works: Using the Sell Cell service, you can check all the available offers for your device at various phone recycling companies across the United States. Once you pick an offer, you’re redirected to that buyer’s website to complete entering your information.

Pros

Cons

NextWorth: up to $342 USD

Trade-In: NextWorth directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in online. They are not in the business of reselling used iPhones, at least not online. Through partnerships with local stores they also offer in-person trade-ins.

Payment: PayPal or cheque

How it works: Get a quote from NextWorth based on the condition of your iPhone, print off the UPS shipping label to send it in and within about a week you’ll receive payment on PayPal or cheque.

Pros

Cons

Gazelle: up to $340 USD

Reseller: Gazelle directly pays for your used iPhone to resell online. They then refurbish and sell these used electronics on the same website.

Payment: PayPal, Amazon Gift Card or cheque

How it works: Get an offer from Gazelle based on the condition of your phone. You’ll receive a shipping box to send it back and then get paid with an Amazon Gift Card, PayPal or cheque.

Pros

Cons

GameStop & Best Buy: up to $340 USD

Trade-In: GameStop and Best Buy directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in at their stores. The focus is on giving customers incentive to upgrade their old devices with payment on a gift card.

Payment: GameStop or Best Buy Gift Card

How it works: Both of these electronics and gaming stores offer trade-ins for gift cards. Simply bring them into your closest location to get them traded for a GameStop or Best Buy Gift Card. You also can get a quote online based on the condition of your device.

Pros

Cons

Amazon: up to $300* USD

Trade-In: Amazon directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in online. The focus is on giving customers incentive to get rid of their old devices with payment on a gift card.

Payment: Amazon Gift Card

How it works: Using Amazon’s Trade-In categories, search for a listing that matches your device. As long as it is in “at least acceptable condition” the phone will be taken. You can print a pre-paid shipping label and you’ll receive an Amazon Gift Card as payment.

Pros

Cons


Sell your iPhone: Marketplace options

The marketplace options can show you an estimated value for your iPhone and let you handle the listing to find a buyer. Marketplaces often have higher selling prices for iPhones, but you’ll have to weed through the scammers to find a legitimate offer. It can be a messy business, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort you might end up with more money for your device.

Prices listed below are only estimations dependent on a buyer.

eBay: about $280 – $550* USD

Marketplace: We all know what eBay is great for, allowing you to buy and sell just about anything online. They make their money through the various upgrades available for postings.

Payment: PayPal

How it works: Create your own post on eBay, add images, set your price and wait for a potential buyer to bid on your iPhone. Once it sells, you’ll ship it to the buyer and wait for the funds to be released over PayPal.

Pros

Cons

Craigslist: about $450 – $550* USD

Marketplace: Craigslist is essentially an online classifieds section, allowing you to buy and sell just about anything. They actually make most of their money through job postings in major US cities.

Payment: Cash

How it works: Create your own post on Craigslist, add images, set your price and wait for a potential buyer to email you. Once they cax,n agree on a price, you’ll usually have to meet up to make the exchange.

Pros

Cons

Swappa: about $500* USD

Marketplace: Swappa is an online marketplace specifically designed for buying and selling smartphones. They make their money through buyers’ fees, while seller postings remain free.

Payment: PayPal

How it works: Swappa’s user-to-user marketplace lets you list your iPhone for sale. Other users can then purchase your phone, and the money is processed directly through PayPal.

Pros

Cons

Glyde: about $363* USD

Marketplace: Glyde is another online marketplace specifically designed for buying and selling electronics. They make their money through various fees included in the process.

Payment: e-Transfer, Bitcoin or cheque

How it works: Glyde is another marketplace to sell your used iPhone. Specify the condition of your device and set a price to create your listing. You’ll receive a pre-paid shipping box to send in your used iPhone. Money can be accepted via an e-Transfer to your bank, cheque or even Bitcoin (if that’s still a thing).

Pros

Cons


The easiest experience + the most money = Orchard

Not to toot our own horn, but compared to all the trade-in and resale options out there, Orchard offers the most convenient way to sell your iPhone for the most money.

We certainly can’t compete with the high value of marketplaces, meaning a DIY sale will always be more lucrative. But marketplaces come with their fair share of problems and that’s why we think the convenience of Orchard pays for the difference in price.

Compared to the other trade-in and reseller options out there, Orchard offers up to $450 for a used iPhone 6s 16GB, that’s about 15% more than next leading trade-in or reseller!

So the next time you’re wondering where to sell your iPhone, weigh the pros of trade-ins and resellers against the cons of marketplaces. If you’re looking for the easiest option to sell your old iPhone, download the Orchard app and get some extra cash the simple way.

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