How to Sell Your Old Phone for the Most Money

Josh Valcarcel/WIRED

Just got a shiny new phone? Yay! Time to get rid of your old one. There are a number of services that will pay you cash or store credit for it, even if it’s a smashed mess.
To compare the prices offered by each service, we ran a price check for an Apple iPhone 6 (64GB, AT&T) in various states of damage. iPhones generally net the highest prices when you sell them on one of these services, but flagship phones like the Galaxy S6 Edge have similar value.

Glyde

Glyde is essentially a broker. You set the price for your old phone and list it on their marketplace. While you’re free to name your own price, Glyde suggests a market price to help the phone sell quickly. These market prices are higher than the competition, making it a good first stop for your phone-selling adventure. Once you put your device up for sale on Glyde, the company will send you a shipping kit with pre-paid postage. You can get paid by check (with a $2 service fee), Glyde credit, or Bitcoin.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in perfect condition: $327 ($389 minus fees)
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in scuffed but good condition: $295 ($351 minus fees)
• Quote for a broken iPhone 6: $37 (It gets sent directly to their repair center)

Amazon

Amazon sells pretty much anything, which is why its trade-in program is a great option. It’s one of the WIRED editors’ favorite trade-in programs for a simple reason: You can apply the value of your old phone toward books, music, gadgets, a jar of hair mayonnaise, you name it. You’ll also get a great price for a phone in good-to-perfect condition. However, broken phones aren’t accepted.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in perfect condition: $283
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in scuffed but good condition: $254

Apple

Outside of Glyde’s marketplace, Apple will give you the biggest chunk of change for an older iPhone with no physical damage. The quote for an iPhone 6 in good condition is $285, but it’s an all-or-nothing affair. If your old phone has a cracked screen, water damage, a broken button, or a significantly dinged-up frame, Apple won’t pay a dime for it.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in good to perfect condition: $285
• Quote for an iPhone 6 with a cracked screen: $0, but they’ll recycle it for you

iCracked

In addition to offering repairs, iCracked has great price quotes for phones in good to perfect condition. It’s also among the most profitable options for phones with smashed screens. iCracked is the only service that will pick up your phone at your house, but that pickup service will cost you: at-home pickup reduces the buy-back price by $25. If you choose the mail-in option, iCracked supplies the box and shipping label. The company only takes iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones. You get paid via check or PayPal.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in perfect condition: $280 for mail-in; $255 for pickup
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in scuffed but good condition: $270 mail-in; $245 for pickup
• Quote for a broken iPhone 6: $105-$155 for cracked screen; $20-$30 for a phone that doesn’t power up

NextWorth

NextWorth doesn’t provide a box to ship your device in. It does send you a prepaid shipping label, however. The quotes are slightly more profitable for phones in perfect condition, and you’ll also get a great payout on a phone with a cracked screen. Payment options include check, PayPal, or a prepaid Discover card or Target gift card. Target has it’s own program that’ll net you a Target gift card, but you’re better off just going with NextWorth.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in perfect condition: $260
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in scuffed but good condition: $230
• Quote for a broken iPhone 6: $138 for a cracked screen; $69 for cracked screen with no power

uSell

If your old iPhone is completely bricked, the best way to rake in the most cash is probably uSell. The service pays $94 for a broken iPhone—not just a smashed screen, but one that doesn’t even turn on. There are limits to uSell’s generosity, however: That quote will dip lower if your device is “cracked in half, bent, or missing parts.” The price for a working iPhone with normal wear and tear is really good, too. uSell provides prepaid shipping and a box to mail your device with, and you can get paid via check or PayPal.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in perfect condition: $257
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in scuffed but good condition: $257
• Quote for a broken iPhone 6: $94

Gazelle

You get a pre-paid shipping kit with Gazelle, but in general, its quotes are lower than competing services. If you have a phone with a cracked screen, you can get a solid price. It’s also the only third-party service in the mix that offers payouts in the form of Amazon gift cards in addition to check and PayPal options.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in perfect condition: $240
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in scuffed but good condition: $215
• Quote for a broken iPhone 6: $125 for a cracked screen; $50 for cracked screen with no power

Best Buy

Best Buy’s in-store trade-in plan will give you store credit for a phone in good condition. Of course, Best Buy doesn’t have as wide a range of products for sale, but if you’re looking for a new camera or something, its trade-in program is worth pursuing. Only if you have a phone in good condition, though, as its buy-back price for damaged phones is so-so. Best Buy also won’t accept completely broken devices.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in good to perfect condition: $265
• Quote for an iPhone 6 with a cracked screen: $79

Motorola

If you have your sights set on a Moto X or Moto G, Motorola will help you apply the value of your old phone towards the cost. Well, sort of: First, you have to buy one of those two phones, then you have to mail in your device within 30 days, and then Motorola will send you a check for your quoted price. The quote for an iPhone 6 in good condition is decent, but you’ll want to look at other options if your old device has a cracked screen or worse.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in good to perfect condition: $230
• Quote for an iPhone 6 with a cracked screen: $46
• Quote for an iPhone 6 that doesn’t turn on: $0

AT&T

AT&T offers the same price as Motorola for a good-to-perfect condition iPhone 6, but it sweetens the deal for damaged phones. Even if your old phone’s a brick, you’ll get $41 for it.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in good to perfect condition: $230
• Quote for an iPhone 6 with a cracked screen: $87
• Quote for an iPhone 6 that doesn’t turn on: $41

T-Mobile

Outside of Apple, T-Mobile has one of the best offers for a mint-condition iPhone 6, but beyond that, it’s a mystery. If anything’s wrong with your device, you won’t know what the payout will be until T-Mobile receives it.
• Quote for an iPhone 6 in good to perfect condition: $250
• Anything else needs a quote once T-Mobile receives the device

credit: wired