Updated on September 9, 2015
WHERE TO SELL / TRADE IPHONE 5, 6, 6+ FOR THE BEST PRICE
UPDATE: New iPhone details released!
On September 9, Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
If you are planning to upgrade, now is the best time to sell or trade in your current iPhone. After the new models are released, the current models will drop in price. I have a phone to upgrade so I did a little price shopping to find the best price. The best part is that many of these companies let you lock in the price today and send in your phone after you get your new phone.
WHAT'S NEW?
There are a couple upgrades in the new versions but, nothing earth shattering. Watch the Macrumors video or read the details and judge for yourself.
TRADE IN / SELL
I compared 14 15 different companies and found the overall most convenient and best prices for the iPhone 6 and 6Plus were from third-party recyclers which will pay you cash the most cash. Many of these companies will allow you to lock in a price now and then send in your phone after your new iPhone 6S arrives. If you don't mind store credit, Amazon will give you a very good price.
To get the highest price, you'll need to list it for sale on eBay or Swappa.com but you won't be able to lock in the price today. While selling on eBay could fetch a higher price, there is a wide range of prices and may involve more hassle than most people are willing to deal with (have you ever had a person try to scam you?). Take a look some of these crazy prices on eBay: $35,000 for a non-working iPhone 5S, $21,500 for an iPhone 6Plus, and $15,500 for a 1st generation iPhone. Don't be fooled – these tend to be fake bids with both buyers and sellers being brand new/fake users.
Swappa.com, similar to eBay except the buyer pays a $10 fee (seller pays no fees), may get you a bit more than eBay. They specialize exclusively in the resale of smartphones and tablets.
BOTTOM LINE
I found the best prices offered by iCracked.com, Buybackworld.com, and Gazelle. If, however, you have a mint condition phone and are willing to deal with eBay, that's where you will get the best price (don't forget the fees you will have to pay).
I suggest avoiding the big box retailers. They are offering store credit for your trade in but the amount is much lower than the cash amounts from other companies. Would you rather have $447 cash or $435 Target store credit?
PRICES
The prices will fluctuate and drop after the iphones are released, so lock in your price today! Worst case, you just don't send in the phone. Apple does not currently accept trade ins of the 6 and 6 plus.
Here is a chart of the best and worst iPhone 6 and 6 Plus prices (both 16GB, grey color, good condition).
Here is a chart of the best and worst iPhone 5S (Virgin) and 5S (Verizon) prices. I searched for the 32GB, grey color, good condition models. Some websites do not have a specific listing for Virgin so I had to choose the closest.
| Store | 5S Virgin | 5S Verizon | iPhone 6 | iPhone 6+ | Payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eBay.com | $250 | $250 | $400 | $500 | Cash | After fees and possible hassle |
| iCracked.com | 100 | 185 | 400 | 430 | Prepaid Debit Card | Local tech comes to you. |
| BuyBackWorld.com | 192 | 192 | 390 | 447 | Cash | Free shipping kit |
| Gazelle.com | 60 | 201 | 387 | 441 | Cash | Best Price Guarantee |
| target.com | 105 | 140 | 385 | 435 | Store credit | |
| maxback.com | 140 | 177 | 372 | 417 | Cash | 30 day price lock. |
| nextworth.com | 0 | 172 | 370 | 430 | Cash | 30 day Price Lock |
| glyde.com | 0 | 213 | 390 | 450 | Cash | Like eBay, you are listing it for sale. |
| iPhoneAntidote.com | 200 | 200 | 350 | 350 | Cash | Free shipping kit |
| Amazon.com | 252 | 143 | 341 | 386 | Store credit | |
| uSell.com | 138 | 201 | 322 | 352 | Cash | Free shipping kit |
| staples.com | 120 | 185 | 310 | 330 | Store credit | |
| walmart.com | 45 | 130 | 250 | 260 | Store credit | |
| Apple.com | 165 | 165 | 0 | 0 | Store credit | |
| swappa.com | 0 | 310 | 430 | 510 | Cash | Like eBay, but no seller fees. |
Which company will you use?
RELATED
One more to add to your list… Swappa.com!
Agreed.
Swappa.com blows all other services out of the water. It’s great for both buyers and sellers (the fee is flat and not a % like FeeBay).
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ve added swappa’s prices to the table and charts. Looks like it could beat eBay but the prices can vary widely with the condition +/- $100 or more. They didn’t have any listings for the iPhone 5S 32GB for Virgin, unfortunately, while eBay has many, so it will depend on which model have.
Thanks for keeping up on this and adding swappa! Actually, I like SellYourUsediPhones.com, they had the highest price for my 5s, and I hardly had to do a thing.
It has been a while since Gazelle and uSell offered good prices for used iPhones. Craigslist and eBay are probably the best places to sell used iPhones for the most cash but these days eBay charges 10% fee + PayPal holds your money for at least 15 days and Craigslist is just one Wild West place. I was shopping around to sell my AT&T iPhone 6 about two three months ago and the best quotes I received were from Swappa and CellCashier websites. Both websites have almost similar prices. Just shop around for prices when considering selling an old iPhone.
If you wait until the new phones are coming out, the carriers like Verizon usually gives more for the trade in. After you consider all the fees, time, and hassle, the amount the carriers give you starts to look better. You just need to have one bad experience on eBay to know what I mean. I heard from someone who sold an iPhone only to have the buyer return it but they returned a broken one that wouldnt turn on.Dealing with situations like that is a HUGE time suck. On the flip side, I have sold MANY things without such problems.