What Is The Best Time To Sell Your iPhone?

The iPhone 14 launch is scheduled for September 7. While we don’t know if the iPhone 14 is worth the upgrade, if you’re confident, this is the best time to sell that old iPhone you’re holding on to. Why so? Because once the iPhone 14 launches, previous-gen iPhones will further depreciate and lose value.

You can get a trade-in value locked from Apple itself, or you can sell it to any other third-party buyer. In both cases, your current iPhone will likely get better value before the new one launches. There are slim to no chances of the next-gen iPhone being so bad that the previous ones don’t depreciate.

Where to sell your old iPhone?

iOS 16 On iPhone X Is Missing These Big Features — Image: Unsplash

iPhones usually hold a good resale value and are easy to sell any way you like. You can sell it to refurbishers or directly sell it to someone you know. Apple also offers trade-in, where you get store credits for selling old devices.

Apple offers as much as $600 in the iPhone trade-in program, a decent buy-back offer. However, here’s a list of other websites where you can sell your old iPhone and probably get a better, if not equally good, offer.

Apple Store: Get Apple Store credit and use it against your next iPhone purchase.
BuybackBoss: Get an offer in under 30 seconds and sell your old/broken phone
GadgetGone: Easy to use, and you can choose to get paid via bank transfer, PayPal, or Amazon/Target gift card
Decluttr: Reasonable deductions if your phone is in poor/faulty condition.
BestBuy: Quick process, and you get Best Buy store credit, which you can use the same way you’d use Apple Store credit.

While that’s all about selling your iPhone, let’s talk about buying one now. If you’re a long-term iOS user, there’s a solid chance that you’d upgrade to a newer iPhone. So if you plan to do that, this next section might save you some bucks while getting you a decent upgrade.

When should you buy a new iPhone?

Apple Store gets a new tool — Image: Pexels

When Apple launched the iPhone 12, it was a significant upgrade over the iPhone 11. The 12 came with 5G, a new design, and a new Mini form factor. But the upgrade to iPhone 13 was subtler. Apple gave the 13 a smaller notch, a bigger battery, and an improved camera system.

However, you’d be equally happy if you bought an iPhone 12 over an iPhone 13 and saved some money in the process. Speaking of saving money, here are some steps to correctly buy refurbished/second-hand gadgets. One or two-year-old iPhones are excellent value, especially if you’re on a budget. But I won’t ask you to get an iPhone 11 as it got outdated the minute the iPhone 12 received 5G capabilities.

But in the case of the iPhone 14, even if you can’t afford the brand new iPhone 14, you can upgrade to an iPhone 13 or an iPhone 12 if you already haven’t. And if you are using an iPhone 13 or an iPhone 13 Pro, maybe you should read this article before upgrading to the iPhone 14.

If you are considering an upgrade, do let us know which iPhone you’re eyeing in the comments.