How to Sell Your iPhone on Craigslist

Your “old” iPhone is more valuable than you think. The release of the iPhone 5s has users foolishly trading in their smartphone for a fraction of it’s worth. Yes, trading in your phone will save you a significant amount on your upgrade, BUT! there no reason your old iPhone can’t cover the entire cost of your upgrade. Here is how to sell your iPhone on Craigslist so you can upgrade your phone and have some cash left over.

Unless you live in a rural area, Craigslist is littered with iPhones. Here are what peoples old iPhones are fetching around Los Angeles. These prices range from heavy use to new in box:

iPhone 4: $200-$300
iPhone 4s: $250-$400
iPhone 5: $350-$500

These prices are double what is offered by online buyers or as a trade-in at the Apple store. So why doesn’t everyone sell their device on Craigslist? Stigma of course.

Too many people falsely believe Craigslist is a scary place filled with thieves and scammers. Of course they are out there, but they are easy to avoid. At it’s core, Craigslist is an online community comprised of your actually surrounding community. Regardless of where you live, you most likely take precautions to live safely in your community. The following are some precautions to take for successful Craigslist transactions.

1. Actually Call

Too many Craigslisters try to negotiate a transaction purely through text or email. Hop on the phone so you can really get a feel for whom you are dealing with. You can usually tell pretty quickly what type of person you are dealing with.

2. Meet in Public

Someone who wants to meet under a bridge or in an alley is probably not someone you want to deal with. Ask them where they suggest you meet. If they mention somewhere public, chances are they have they same concerns as you and are a safe bet for a smooth transaction.

3. Too Good to Be True

This is the most common advice when dealing with Craigslist: if something sounds too good to be true, it most likely isn’t true. If someone offers you more money than you are asking or wants something mailed, don’t even bother. Craigslist is a cool community, but not that cool.

4. Create a Clear and Concise Listing

Create your post with succinct information regarding the phone such as important specs and reason for selling. Also provide quality images of the actual product (stock images look sketchy). This will add comfort to honest buyers who are the people you want to be dealing with.

5. Check Their Social Accounts

This could add comfort to a potential buyer or scare them off. I often provide my Linkedin and Facebook accounts to provide assurance to people I deal with on Craigslist. Asking for this may weird some people out, but why take chances? A lot of people are comfortable with this and it quickly shows credibility.

So there you have it. I have literally made 100s of Craigslist transactions and have never had an issue. I have also met roommates and gained lifelong friends from Craigslist (it’s actually how I came to this position at StackSocial!). It’s a quick and safe way to get an extra $100-$200 for your old iPhone.

If you have any questions, feel free to tweet me @AllanBlocker.

 

3 Comments

  1. Vincent Rodriguez
    April 1, 2014

    I have 2 iPhones I want to sell one being an 4s the other a 4 how do I go about selling these?

  2. ian888
    September 11, 2014

    I don’t sell on craigslist anyomer. Way too many scammers and lowballers.

    The place to sell your iphone is cellbeach dot com. They pay more than anyone and it is much easier without the brain damage of dealing with craigslist creeps. I sold my iphone 5 to them two weeks ago and got paid fast. simple.

  3. sarah
    September 17, 2015

    I have a iphone4 I want to sell best offers

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