So you’ve got an iPhone and you are wondering what you can do with it. Where can you sell it and where will you get the most money possible for it in the least amount of time.
Well, I’ve got some good news for you. Your local pawn shop may be a great place to sell your used iPhone and you will probably get the best price possible for it when you do sell it to a pawn shop.
Like all things, pawn shop are used to dealing with a huge variety of merchandise and some consumer electronics like cell phones are a really big deal right now.
Of course, one of the hottest cell phones, if not THEE hottest, to have ever been released is Apple’s iPhone line.
The iPhone completely revolutionized the cell phone industry and pushed the standards forward for virtually every smart phone out on the market today.
But will a pawn shop really pay you the most for it? How do you know and is there anything else that you should consider before taking your used iPhone down to your local pawn shop to see what they would be willing to offer you for it?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Let’s take a minute and talk about what you need to know about selling your used iPhone to a pawn shop.
Most pawn shops will be happy to buy your iPhone and pay you very well for it.
What Model Is It
The first thing that we need to talk about when it comes to selling an iPhone to a pawn shop is what model it is.
If for instance, it’s an iPhone 6 Plus with gold trim – that phone will probably bring very good money and almost any pawn broker will jump at the opportunity to work with you on either making a loan for it or selling it outright.
On the other hand, if it is an older iPhone 3, you may find that not every pawn broker will work with it simply because of it’s age. Almost nobody is looking to buy those older iPhones anymore which means that it would be hard for the pawn broker to sell and that’s not really a mess that most pawn shops will want to get into.
So the rule of thumb here is the newer the better.
What Kind Of Condition Is It In
After determining that your iPhone is recent enough to be considered for a loan or to buy, the next big factor is looking to see just what kind of physical condition your iPhone is in.
For instance, if there is evidence of water damage or something along those lines, most pawn shops will instantly pass on the phone because they have no way of being sure that it will work as it should for the next owner.
Additionally, if the screen is all cracked or that surface of the phone is heavily marked up, that’s really going to impact the kind of offer that you get for your iPhone and if it’s really bad, they pawn shop may in fact turn it down all together.
ESN/IMEI Check
The next thing that your local pawn shop will do is check to make sure that your cell phone isn’t blacklisted and is able to be activated for service easily.
If your phone has been blacklisted and can’t be activated, most pawn shop won’t buy it but some still may so it’s worth checking.
Completeness
Do you have the original box, paperwork, usb cord and wall outlet?
If so then you are definitely on the right track to get the most money possible for your used iPhone from your local pawn shop.
If however you are missing one of many of these items, then expect that to negatively affect the value that a pawn shop offers you for your phone.
iCloud Lock
The last big thing is the iCloud activation status of your iPhone.
If it is currently under an iCloud lock than you can almost forget any pawn shop working with you on making a loan against the phone or buying it off of you.
iCloud locks are just a nightmare to get around and will almost always immediately kill any deal before it even begins.
Last Tip…
Make sure that when you take your phone down to your local pawn shop that it is all charged up and able to be turned on and used.
If you take in a dead iPhone that they have to wait on and charge just to turn on, you’re going to end up annoying most pawn shop employees that in the end, that will not work in your favor – so take a half hour and charge it up before you leave your house.
