How To Get Your Iphone Ready To Sell

Pumpkin spice season has started, and that can only mean two things: PSL hate on the timeline and new Apple products.

As has happened every fall for the past decade, Tim Cook took to a stage (virtual once again), and announced a crop of Apple products. This time it was four new iPhones (iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max), two iPads, and the Apple Watch Series 7.

The phones were arguably the star of the show. Though a notchless iPhone remains fiction, new features like longer battery life, refreshed cameras, and an A15 Bionic chip mean that plenty will be purchasing a new phone.

If you're in the market for an upgrade, you might want to sell or trade in your older iPhone to make a dent in the price of a new smartphone. But there's more to ditching your old phone than just handing it over and waiting for cash to hit your bank account.

Privacy concerns abound with phones, from photos stored in iCloud to personal data housed within apps, so wiping your phone before selling it is a must. And don't forget to back up, so you don't have to manually re-download hundreds of apps on your new iPhone.

Below is our step-by-step guide to preparing your phone for sale, as well as a few reputable sites that will take it off your hands for top dollar.

Back Up

The first thing to do is make sure you don't lose your mind. And by that we mean your data. Back everything up before you wipe it from your phone.

To back up to iCloud from your device itself, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now.

To back up to your Mac, connect your iPhone and your computer with either a cable or Wi-Fi. If you have macOS 10.15 or later, go to Finder sidebar and select your iPhone. If you have an earlier version, go to iTunes. If you're using Finder, click on General and select Back Up All of the Data on Your iPhone to This Mac. Then click Back Up Now. If you're backing up to iTunes, connect your phone, open iTunes, click on the image of your phone, select Summary, and then choose Back Up Now.

For Windows, connect your iPhone to your computer with either a cable or Wi-Fi and open iTunes. Click on the image of your phone, select Summary, and then choose Back Up Now.

Unfind Your iPhone

Find My app open on MacBook, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods are positioned in front

Apple's Find My app (previously known as Find My iPhone) can sometimes block activation by a new owner, so you'll need to deactivate it before you ditch your device. Though Find My is automatically deactivated when you erase all content and settings, which you'll do below, this is still a good step to take as a precaution.

For iOS 13 or later, go to Settings > [your name] > Find My, then turn off Find My [device]. Enter your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off. For iOS 12 or earlier, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, turn off Find My [device], enter your Apple ID password, and tap Turn Off.

Sign Out of Messages

Three iPhone screens showing a group convo in Messages

For awhile, iPhone users who ditched their iPhone for another platform without logging out of Messages were not receiving messages from other iOS users. Any messages sent from one iPhone to another were being received by the old iPhone rather than the new device, so your Messages were in a sort of message purgatory. The problem is now fixable and really only affects those who are switching from iOS to Android. But it's probably a good idea to shut it off just in case. Go to Settings > Messages and toggle iMessage to off.

Unpair AirPods

AirPods Pro in case in front of iPhone 12

Similarly, you can still connect your AirPods to a new iPhone without unpairing them from the old one, but it can't hurt to sipe the slate clean. Place your AirPods or AirPods Pro and iPhone near each other and go to Settings > Bluetooth. Tap the information icon next to your AirPods, and select Forget this Device.

Unpair Apple Watch

Two iPhone screens showing the unpairing process described below

If you have an Apple Watch, save yourself a potential headache later on and unpair it from the iPhone you'll be selling. Place them near each other and open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Go to the My Watch tab and select your watch at the top of the screen. Select the info circle next to the watch you want to unpair. Tap Unpair Apple Watch and tap to confirm, which may require you to enter your Apple ID password.

Sign Out of iCloud

iPad, iPhone, and MacBook, all with iCloud open on them

You're going to want to sign out of iCloud, iTunes, and the App Store before selling your device. Tap Settings > [your name] > Sign Out. Enter your Apple ID password and tap Turn Off.

How to Wipe Your iPhone and Delete Data

Don't let anyone snoop on your data. Wipe your phone by heading to Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings and approving all the subsequent prompts.

Remove SIM Card

Outline of two iPhones, each with the SIM tray popped out

In most cases, you can just deactivate your cell phone service on the device and trade it in with the SIM card intact. But that SIM card is the repository of your phone number, various bits of security data, and all the info needed for billing. It identifies you, your phone, and a lot of your activity on your phone. So you might want to remove it before you sell your phone. Fortunately, it's simple. Locate the SIM ejector on your phone, then insert a paperclip until the tray pops out. Remove the SIM card, replace the tray, and you're set to ship your phone off.

The Best Places to Sell Your Phone

phones waiting to be recycled scattered on ground

(Thomas Imo/Photothek via Getty Images)

Best Buy

If you know you're going to sell your iPhone and just use the cash to buy electronics, cut out a step at Best Buy. You can trade in your phone at a store or mail it in for a digital gift card. For a space gray 256GB iPhone 11 Pro on Verizon in good condition, expect to get about $460.

Apple Trade In

The Apple Trade In program will pay you in the form of an instant credit toward the purchase of your new iPhone or an Apple Store gift card. At Apple's Sept. 14 event, Cook said that people could get up to $700 toward a new phone by trading in an old one. Visit the site, select the iPhone model you have, answer some questions about its condition, get an estimate (and find out whether Apple will pay for packaging and shipping), accept the quote, and get the gift card once your iPhone is received. Or go to an Apple Store and trade it in in person for immediate credit toward a purchase (double check if your local store has any COVID restrictions before you make the trip). Get up to $500 for an iPhone 11 Pro.

uSell

Want to sell your iPhone fast? One option is uSell. Select your model, carrier, capacity, and condition to receive an offer. If you choose to accept it, you ship your iPhone to uSell for free. If your device is in the condition you said it was, you'll get paid by check or PayPal. A 256GB iPhone 11 Pro on Verizon is currently worth about $420.

decluttr

Cut a deal with decluttr and you'll get a shipping label that lets you send in your phone for free. In return you'll receive a payout via direct deposit or PayPal. A 256GB iPhone 11 Pro on Verizon is currently worth $519.

GameStop

Are most of your iPhone apps games? Then it's probably a safe bet that you'll do well to turn your iPhone in for some store credit at GameStop. (If you want, you can also get cold, hard cash for it there, too.) Bring your device to your nearest GameStop (estimates are available on the site before you make the trip), get a price quote from a sales associate, and then receive store credit or cash on the spot. A 256GB iPhone 11 Pro from Verizon will get you $450 in store credit or $360 in cash ($495 in store credit or $396 in cash if you're a Power Up Rewards Pro Member).

eBay

To sell your device yourself, there's always eBay. The site has a quick walkthrough where you can input your phone's stats before opting to sell it via eBay's traditional auction process or select a Quick Sale option that gets you immediate cash once eBay receives the phone.

Swappa

Swappa is a marketplace where you can sell your iPhone directly. You'll select your phone model on the site, upload some photos, and set a price. Once someone buys it, you're paid immediately via PayPal. You're responsible for safely shipping your phone to the buyer. iPhone 11 Pros are going for around $562 on the site.

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