The iPhone 14 series is soon going to launch. You might be itching to get your hands on the new phone, but what’s the best way to sell your old one?
The iPhone 14 series is about to makes its debut on the scene, no doubt promising greater performance than ever before. If you’re planning on treating yourself to one of these shiny new devices, then it’s a good idea to sell on your old one for a bit of extra cash. Here’s our guide to trading in your old iPhone.
Where can you sell your iPhone?
When it comes to selling your iPhone, you will be confronted with several different options, from Apple’s official Upgrade programme to doing it all yourself. Here, we break down what each method requires and which offers the best value.
Directly to Apple
Apple offers its own services for trading in your iPhone, named Apple Trade In, where you can receive money off a new iPhone in exchange for your old one. The program is explained in the below video:
Online marketplaces
Online marketplaces, such as eBay or Amazon Marketplace, are popular ways to sell your phone. You can keep most of the selling price of your phone, and in an eBay auction you might end up getting even more money than you hoped for. But, on the flip side, it requires more effort to set up a listing and sell the phone yourself – and, unless you’re an established seller with good reviews, people might be wary of buying a device from you. It could be the best option if you’re experienced, but if you don’t like the inconvenience then you might be better off selling it through a second-hand dealer.
Second-hand dealers
Plenty of firms specialise in selling second-hand goods, including CeX and MusicMagpie, and some retailers like Carphone Warehouse also offer the service. Trading in your phone to these dealers is fairly convenient, but there are a couple of potential issues. Firstly, of course, these companies act as middlemen and need to take their cut to make their businesses profitable, meaning you won’t receive your phone’s full resale value. Secondly, you might disagree with their valuation of your phone – they decide whether it’s in good or acceptable condition, for example, rather than being able to classify this yourself with your own eBay listing. Overall, this is a good option if you want to get a decent sum of money for your device without the hassle of selling it yourself.
Related: How to find out if your phone is unlocked
How much can you sell your iPhone for?
The money that you’ll receive for your phone will vary considerably depending on the model, the condition its in, the age of the device, and its specifications.
Buying a new phone is a little like buying a new car, in that the resale value plummets from the very first moment you use your new purchase. You’ll sadly have to accept that you will recoup considerably less money then you spent on the device in the first place. That being said, iPhones do hold their value much better than their Android counterparts, thanks in part to Apple’s long-standing software support for older devices.
The trade-in value can also vary drastically from outlet to outlet, so it’s definitely worth shopping around if you’re going to cash in at a second-hand dealer such as CeX, MusicMagpie, or BuyBackWorld.
If you choose to sell your device on eBay or Amazon Marketplace yourself, it’s worth using the prices from these retailers as a rule of thumb to set your own valuation.
What to do before you sell your iPhone
Once you’ve settled on how you’re going to trade in your old iPhone, there are two other big issues to consider: backing up your personal data and – of course – buying a replacement phone.
Make sure that you back up your data and sign out of your accounts before resetting the phone, and don’t forget to remove the SIM card from your phone before getting rid of it..
Once you’ve done this, then comes the more exciting part of the process: choosing your new phone. The biggest decision is whether you want to stick with Apple or switch to the Android family. The former means continuity with familiar software and a limited choice of excellent but pricey devices, while changing to the latter involves a learning curve for a new operating system but a much wider choice of phones (by specification and by price).
We have curated lists of the best iPhones and best Android phones currently available, and we’ve also compiled some selections based on more specific criteria; if you’re looking for a more affordable phone then you can peruse our lists of the best mid-range phones and the best cheap phones, while if you’d like to know the best gaming phones and best camera phones then we’ve got dedicated lists based around these key performance areas too.
