With the iPhone 5, 4GS, 4S, or whatever they’re calling it now rumored to come out in a few months, you may be looking to sell your current iPhone 4 or older model iPhone in order to upgrade when the next-gen iPhone comes out. We’ll help you find the best place to sell your iPhone and get the most cash for it.
No one wants to buy a dirty iPhone. Before you take pictures or try to sell your iPhone online, make sure you give it a good scrubbing with a lint-free microfiber cloth dampened with a little isopropyl alcohol and ammonia-free screen cleaner like iClean. The cloth will ensure that you don’t scratch the screen or the back of the device's glossy glass surface. You can also use a little bit of compressed air to get the dust bunnies out of the headphone jack, 30-pin dock connector, and other crevices of the chassis. Just remember never to spray canned air upside down or directly into your device.
After giving your iPhone a thorough cleaning, you should also restore your device in iTunes to clear personal information from the phone. After doing so, you can either call your cellphone company to cancel service (like if you're on Verizon), or just remove your SIM card to take it to another device.
If you want to get the most money for your device, it’s always a good idea to sell it directly to an individual, rather than to a mega device buy-back site like Gazelle. Most of the time, individual people just want to buy the device for personal use and are wiling to give you a little bit more cash for your slightly used device.
You can list your iPhone 4 on the usual sites like Craigslist, eBay, or even Amazon, but try first listing your device on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, or even Google+ to see if anyone would like to purchase it directly from you. You never know, a friend could want to get an iPhone 4 before their upgrade eligibility, but doesn't want to pay the full price. You could even try selling your iPhone to a needy geek at your local Mac Users Group meeting.
As far as pricing goes, search around on previous eBay and Craigslist listings to see what a device in similar condition to yours is fetching. We found that a perfect-condition 16GB iPhone 4 was going for around $340 on eBay, and on Craigslist, we noticed the same device going for $280. Both of these devices still had the AppleCare warranty.
There are many companies like Gazelle, NextWorth or Sell Your Mac that will purchase your iPhone. While these websites will usually quote a lower price than you'll get selling to an individual, it’s an easy, no-hassle way to sell your unwanted gear. For a perfect condition 16GB iPhone 4 on AT&T with accessories, you’re looking at $320 on Gazelle. Not too shabby considering you're not having to shell out for listing fees.
Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.
CashitGadget.com
September 18, 2011 at 10:37am
Hey, this is Josh from CashitGadget.com. We do the exact same thing as Gazelle.com. We have an edge because of our family friendly selling experience! basically what it boils down to, is that i am a young entrepreneur VS. a huge corporation, but I just wanted to let you know that we also offer a very good price, and we NEVER will "Bait" you with a great price, then "Switch" on you unless the gadget you describe is significantly different, in these cases we send you the item back with FREE shipping! Check out all the other alternatives as i am sure you will, but if you want head on over to CashitGadget.com! thanks Josh.
DIVX360
September 01, 2011 at 9:01am
@Cory Bohon Why have you told user to reset their iPhone via iTunes?
When you do this iTunes will see a new device and associate your Apple ID with the device you have just reset.
The iPhone, iPad let you reset the device directly; so my advice would be go to settings and factory reset. That way you have a clean phone as if you had just unpacked it.
iphon123
August 31, 2011 at 8:52am
The wholesale iphone 4 have been pushed off for a long time. The phone give us a fashion feeling.
macbooks
August 30, 2011 at 3:30pm
If you don't want to deal with ebay, and their fees... Or if don't feel comfortable meeting up with strangers on craigslist, selling to companies is the most reasonable alternative, even if the price is a few dollars lower. Here's some advice from a leading buyer of iPhones and MacBooks.
1. PRICE COMPARE! Prices can vary by hundreds of dollars, so do your homework - "The Bigger The Company, The Smaller the Payment" is a good rule of thumb, but do your own homework.
2. DESCRIBE YOUR IPHONE PRECISELY - NEVER OVER RATE OR UNDER RATE YOUR IPHONE, both will get you LESS MONEY. You might even consider calling - NEVER FAIL TO DESCRIBE COSMETICS, either!
3. SEARCH FOR OBJECTIVE ONLINE COMPANY REVIEWS - Prior sellers often leave reviews or "feedback" for future sellers, with Warnings or Recommendations - try searching google places, resellerratings.com, and other sites who allow for objective reviews of online companies.
4. CALL THEM - Oftentimes, the best prices are to be had with some good old fashioned 'haggling'. So call them and 'name your price' Phone calls also afford an opportunity to feel out the company.
5. DON'T GUESS - Specs can drastically affect prices, so you don't want to risk being wrong. DO'NT GUESS. Most Companies are able to lookup your specs by serial number, and you won't be on the hook for misrepresenting your iPhone's specs.
6. BEWARE! - Rarely do used products stand up the buyer's subjective idea of 'EXCELLENT', BE SURE to check the prices for 'VERY GOOD', as well. The two should be within $20 to $30 dollars - NOT $100 or more.
7. DON'T HAND OVER PRIVACY FOR A QUOTE - Stick with instant and anonymous online quotes. A quote for your iPhone shouldn't require any personal information, including your name, address, or email.
Good Luck!
Gerry
