How to sell or trade your old iPhone

If you have an iPhone that you own outright, you may be able to sell your existing handset or trading it in to offset the cost of a newer phone. There are a number of ways to do this, with varying degrees of difficulty and reward as a result. We've made the research process easier by giving you an indication of how much you can get for different iPhone models.

For the purposes of comparison, we aim to display as many relevant iPhone models as we can. However, vendors, dealers and resellers don't necessarily accept every model of iPhone. We're also assuming that your phone is in essentially pristine condition and that there are no performance problems with these handsets. If you're looking at selling a significantly older handset or one in poor condition, you're going to be looking at lower figures than these.

All prices quoted below are as sourced from vendor websites on 11 September 2019 and should be taken as indicative only as prices will change over time.

Option 1: Apple trade-in

Typical prices: "Up to" $810

Apple offers its own phone trade-in service for iPhone owners and for owners of Android handsets looking to switch.

It's actually run by a third-party company, but can be accessed only through Apple retail stores. You get paid in Apple Store credit, which means you can use your iPhone trade-in money for other Apple products. This does mean you're not getting cold, hard cash for your device.

You're also not going to be getting much for your device. Apple specifically prices via individual IMEI numbers, which makes direct comparison difficult, but there's a huge red flag before this: Apple only accepts trade-ins for some iPhone models, with older handsets only eligible for recycling rather than trading. Recycling your handset is free but gets you nothing, whereas trading in an eligible iPhone will get you "up to" $810 in Apple Store credit. You're not likely to get anywhere near this maximum with anything less than a pristine top-of-the-line model, however.

While Apple's deal offers a lot of convenience, it's about the worst value in terms of making the most out of your iPhone investment.

Option 2: Telco trade-up

Typical prices:

It's only relatively recently that the telcos have become involved in the smartphone trade-in system, which is slightly different from the "new phone each year" deals that they also offer. Those are worth considering if you're happy to re-contract for a further 24-month period, but what we're concerned with is shifting your old phone entirely.

The way these schemes work is that you're compensated for your handset with a credit on your carrier bill, to be used at your discretion, but typically against a new mobile plan anyway.

All three of the major carriers have trade-in schemes. Vodafone is far and away the most generous in terms of trade-in value, as you can see in the table above.

Trading your iPhone into one of the big three telcos might get you a quick result, but you pay the price in terms of flexibility because credit with a telco is not the same thing as actual cash and you're going to get a lower value for your iPhone overall.

Alternatively, if you're coming to the end of your contract you could consider taking advantage of Optus and Telstra's new phone trade-up deals. These involve re-contracting for an additional 24 months but let you swap your current handset for a new one at relatively low cost.

Just keep in mind that you're giving up all handset repayments you've made on your current handset. For a newer iPhone, that means at least half the value you'd have to pay to own the phone outright is gone and you're on the hook for another 24-month period.

You can find out about Telstra's New Phone Feeling here and Optus's New Phone Trade Up here.

Option 3: Second-hand dealer or pawnbroker

Typical prices (as quoted by CEX):

Another option to consider when selling an iPhone is to use a second-hand dealer or pawnbroker to get quick cash for your device. Here, you're somewhat at the mercy of what you may be able to haggle from a particular dealer, although if you've got an iPhone in decent condition and of recent vintage, it's at least likely to be interested since your phone would be rather easy to sell. You're likely to get more if you're happy to take store credit than cold hard cash, and you're paying something of a price for the convenience.

Prices can vary quite a lot, but we've used UK-based CEX (which also has a small store presence in Australia) for some indicative pricing because the company quotes directly online what it will pay for a range of items, including mobile phones.

In terms of convenience, EB Games also accepts iOS devices including iPhones for trade-in, but it has no online presence to check what you'll get for your device so you'd still need to head to a store for a quote. Be aware when dealing with a second-hand dealer that you will need to have identification documents on hand to prove who you are when selling.

Option 4: Online phone reseller

There's a strong business in online phone sales and that kind of competition can work to your benefit in terms of the prices you can get for an existing iPhone handset.

The risk here is that you have to send your device to the merchant who will then assess it and let you know what it's willing to pay, which could of course be a contested matter if you feel that your phone is in better condition than it does. Here's the indicative pricing from a range of companies that specialise in online phone reselling:

Quoted sums are for phones in 'Good' condition as sourced from each website's quote form on 11 September 2019.

What's interesting here is the very wide variance in what you might get for a device at the time of writing. Some merchants are more concerned with condition than others when it comes to payout time, so if you do have a scratched device, you may get more from one than another.

It's also worth making sure you're happy with how it plans to pay you. Some merchants use specific electronic methods and others mail out cheques.

Option 5: Online auction sites

Typical prices:

It should come as little surprise that you can maximise your iPhone earnings if you're willing to do most of the legwork yourself by listing it on an online auction site such as eBay or Gumtree.

eBay pricing can vary, but we used completed listings for different handsets ranging from standalone devices to complete-in-box sales.

Again, condition and age play a factor in what you'll get for your device. There is an element of risk involved, too, whether you're posting your phone off to your buyer or selling in person. There's also the rather more stiff direct competition factor at play here, because you'd be up against everyone else trying to sell off their older iPhone in order to buy new devices. You can expect those numbers to ramp up immediately around the time Apple announces its new handsets each year.

How to clear your iPhone before selling it

While it's a somewhat tedious process, unless you fancy handing over all your private emails, photos and access to your iTunes account (and possibly the ability to buy content and charge it to your credit card) to a complete stranger, clearing your iPhone is a must-take step before you hand it to anyone.

What that means is ensuring that you've got all your vital information backed up, either in the cloud or on a desktop or a laptop running Apple's iTunes.

• Back up your data

  If you're using Apple's iCloud for your photos and personal data, then you're covered for backups, or at least you should be. Head into Settings, then iCloud, then Backup, and check that every data type you want protected is ticked on. That should ensure an always-available copy of that content.

  If you synchronise your iPhone using your computer, you'll need to perform a full backup of your device from within iTunes itself. Bear in mind that this can be quite data intensive as it saves a virtual ghost copy of all your data locally. The one advantage here is that restoring to a new device from a local backup should be faster than via the cloud as well as potentially saving a significant quantity of mobile data usage.

• Sign out of iCloud

  If you're using iOS 10.3 or later, tap Settings > [your name]. Scroll down and tap Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off. If you're using iOS 10.2 or earlier, tap Settings > iCloud > Sign Out. Tap Sign Out again, then tap Delete from My [device] and enter your Apple ID password. Then go to Settings > iTunes & App Store > Apple ID > Sign Out.

• Reset your iPhone

  Stay in the Setttings app, and from there, choose General, then Reset. Choose "Erase All Content and Settings". You should then be prompted to enter your passcode.

  Enter that, and you'll then be reminded that a button that reads "Erase All Content and Settings" will, not shockingly, erase all your content and all your settings on the iPhone in question. This is not a reversible step, so don't press Erase iPhone until you're absolutely certain that there's no content on the phone that you want and that you haven't securely backed up somewhere safe. Once you press "Erase iPhone" you should be prompted for your Apple ID to ensure that you're authorised to wipe the phone. Once you're through this step, your iPhone should be cleared and ready for sale.

Key factors to consider

• Condition

  Before you start pricing out trade-in options, you've got to be realistic about what you're likely to get for your handset. First and foremost, you've got to realistically assess the condition of your existing iPhone.

  Is the screen perfectly intact or are there chips or breaks? Is the bodywork pristine or scratched? Do you still have the box and accessories or are you selling just the phone itself?

  All of these factors can and will affect what you can demand for your phone, but that's hardly surprising. Folks are going to be far more willing to pay near-retail prices for a unit that looks like it just came out of the box than one that looks like you've let your dog use it as a chew toy.

  You're not likely to get much at all for a non-functional handset, but whatever you do, don't throw it in the trash. Smartphones are complex machines made up from a variety of compounds that aren't environmentally friendly if crushed. If you have no more use for your iPhone and can't sell the parts, recycle it through your nearest available e-waste recycling scheme or send it to MobileMuster.

• Storage

  Apple prices its handsets on a storage and screen-size basis. Obviously a 64GB iPhone X isn't going to get anywhere near as much as a 256GB iPhone X.

• Age

  The relative age of your handset is also a key factor. Don't expect to get much at all for your old iPhone 5, although models within the last three years that are in decent condition can still command a few dollars.

  The further back in iPhone history you go, the less you'll get, and there's definitely a point where you should consider whether it's worth selling at all. You may just want to give the phone to a relative or turn it into an iPod Touch by taking out the SIM card.

  You should also make certain that you've cleared all your data and signed out of iCloud and other Apple services before selling your iPhone to anyone. We have a comprehensive guide that will step you through what you need to do before selling your iPhone.

• Urgency

  The other factor that will affect your overall selling price is something that affects any sale of goods, and that's how quickly and easily you want to sell.

Want a SIM-only plan to go with your new iPhone handset? Check out these data-high SIM-only plans:

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Alex Kidman

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A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming. See full bio