Each year, Apple releases a brand new iPhone. With the latest in features and tech, these products are always revolutionary. Even if you can’t afford a new iPhone, this is great news for consumers because that means great discounts on Apple’s older phones. Many smart buyers even use this as a great opportunity to get Apple’s premium phones like the iPhone XS, iPhone X, and iPhone 8 plus at a fraction of their original price. So if you looking to save big and find a great quality used phone check out some of these amazing options:
What You Need to Know About Buying Used iPhones
iPhones are the best phone on the market. Even older-model iPhones can compete against newer rivals. That’s because Apple packs each phone with great storage capacity, ram, and other amazing features. Apple also has fairly long product cycles. For example, the iPhone 6 was supported by iOS for 5 years. Even older iPhones are still functional today that’s why there’s such a huge resale market for them. Some of these things you should consider before buying a used iPhone include:
- Is the device still supported by iOS?
- What is the condition of the phone?
- Is the phone unlocked?
- What’s the storage capacity of the phone?
- How much ram does it have?
- Has the phone been reset to factory conditions?
- How’s the battery health?
- Is there any water damage according to the LCI?
- What’s the background of the phone seller?
- Has the phone been fully paid off?
- Are there any warranty or insurance options?
Unlike buying a new iPhone, you should use caution when buying a used iPhone. You can’t guarantee the quality of a used phone. Depending on the circumstances, you may even want to take the phone to a third-party iPhone retailer or repair shop to verify the condition of the phone. Now let’s take a look at some of the places you can buy a used iPhone.
1) eBay
The online auction site, eBay, has long been a place to buy used electronics. It’s fairly simple to use. Just search the phone you are looking for and see what you can find. Anybody who has used eBay before knows that it is different from just buying a used phone outright (although some retailers do offer a “Buy it Now” function).
Instead, you place a bid on a product and keep track of it until the timer expires. If you beat the other bids along with the reserve price set by the seller than the phone is yours. It can be an exciting way to find a used phone and in some cases, you can get an amazing deal. eBay is a massive marketplace.
You have everything from trusted sellers there who may have refurbished a product to a person trying to sell their used phone. There are some protections too so if you buy a product and it’s not as promised you can get your money back—although that can be a hassle. Overall, eBay is a decent option but you might want to check out some of these other options before trying it out for yourself.
Pros:
- Massive marketplace with a huge selection
- Trusted sellers with high-quality products
- Possibility to save a lot of money
- Exciting for some buyers
Cons:
- Hard to know the quality of the phone when buying online
- Individual sellers can be difficult to work with
- Sometimes difficult to win auctions
- Auctions can be more hassle than most buyers want
- The search function isn’t great
2) Swappa
Although not as famous as eBay, Swappa is one of the best places to buy a used iPhone. Swappa is an e-commerce platform designed around the sales of new and used tech including smartphones, tablets, laptops, cameras, and more. Swappa is easy to use and gives you a huge amount of great options. You also can get a price range of what certain products have sold for over the past six months and take advantage of other useful features such as user reviews and more.
All postings are also reviewed and approved by people on Swappa staff to ensure legitimacy. You’re not likely to find great deals on here, but you should be able to buy a quality phone. Some sellers even offer warranties and other additional forms of coverage. Similar to other used platforms, make sure you test your phone out thoroughly after you receive it to ensure it has no defects. Overall, Swappa is a great choice for buying a used iPhone and probably better suited for the average phone buyer compared to eBay.
Pros:
- Site is easy to use
- Can easily verify seller quality
- Active staff to answer questions or solve issues
- Great selection
Cons:
- Paypal is the only accepted form of payment
3) Craigslist
When it comes to classic internet icons, few have the history and longevity as eBay and Craigslist. Craigslist has always been the low tech, easy to use, free alternative to eBay. Craigslist hasn’t changed much in its 25-year history. Users create personal listings for whatever they want to sell on the platforms. It doesn’t charge fees, it doesn’t track users, or verify the history.
There are pros and cons to this. Craigslists make it view listings of used iPhones in your area. However, everything else requires a great deal of caution. While the vast majority of people who use Craigslists are normal people, you never know who can be on the other end of the conversation. Moreover, there’s no real way to verify the quality of the phone. With Craigslist, it is possible to find some incredible deals, but it’s by far the riskiest place to buy anything, not just including used iPhones.
Overall, if you have some extra time on your hands and don’t mind taking a risk and going through the vetting process, you can take this option. But there are plenty of online retailers where you can more conveniently buy a used iPhone and have a better guarantee of quality all conveniently done online.
Pros:
- Can buy a phone locally
- Possibility to find great deals
- Test out the phone in person
Cons:
- Don’t know the seller reputation
- Need to do more homework to ensure the phone doesn’t have issues
- Can be a lot of work meeting and interacting with different sellers
- Search function on site isn’t very good
4) Apple
Who better to buy a used iPhone than Apple? With Apple, you get certified refurbished or new phones. Moreover, most qualify for AppleCare with coverage for up to two years. The only major downside is that Apple offers a very limited selection depending on what they have in stock. Moreover, you’re not likely to find a great deal here.
For example, Apple’s currently (Oct. 2019) only offering refurbished iPhone X’s start at $679. When you can buy a new iPhone 11 for $699 that might not make the most sense. Overall, if you want to ensure quality and aren’t particularly price-sensitive, it’s a good option.
Pros:
- Buying directly from Apple
- AppleCare coverage
- Ensure the highest quality of used iPhone
Cons:
- Very limited selection
- Not going to find any great deals
5) Amazon
Amazon sells everything so it should come as no surprise that you could find a wide selection of used iPhone here. What makes Amazon an excellent choice is you have the opportunity to buy either from third-party resellers or directly from manufacturers. That’s right you can find a refurbished phone sold directly by Apple and use your Prime membership to get it delivered in two days or less.
Moreover, Amazon also directly sells “certified refurbished phones” with a 90-day warranty. Overall, Amazon is an excellent choice and definitely a great place to weigh out options and prices even if you choose to buy on one of these other platforms.
Pros:
- Features iPhones sold directly by Apple
- Certified sellers to ensure better quality
- Amazon phones come with a 90-day warranty
- Wide selection
- Easy to use
Cons:
- None
What’s the Best Place to Buy a Used iPhone?
Nowadays, you have more choices than ever on where you can buy a used iPhone. This top five list doesn’t even include other great places such as Best Buy, Gamestop, Gazelle, and more. Ultimately, the best place to buy a used iPhone is anywhere you both find a great deal and have some form of insurance such as a 90-day warranty or AppleCare coverage.
The best strategy is to begin with Amazon to get a sense of prices and what options are available. From here, you can check out sites like Swappa and eBay to see if you can find any great deals. Or if you’re less price sensitive, you may want to check out a refurbished phone directly from Apple. Whatever, you choose through this strategy, you’re sure to find the best iPhone to match your budget and your needs.
And if you’re looking for extra cash to use toward your phone purchase, make sure you used sell your used iPhone or other smartphones through Buyback Boss. At Buyback Boss, we make selling your old phone a breeze. Click here to get an instant quote. You’ll get the highest price guaranteed for your phone and in no time at all. Check it out now!
For more Apple essentials, head on over to our blog to learn more about upgrading your iPhone along with troubleshooting any problems you may be having like how to fix a broken iPhone charger, how to sell your phone and so much more!
