Five ways to turn an iPhone into money, with live numbers for the 10 highest-value current iPhones. One of them wins on almost every model.
The short version: a mail-in buyer with a published price pays the most for most iPhones, a local shop pays almost as much and pays today, and Apple and the carriers pay in credit. The table has the numbers; the ranking below explains when each route is the right one.
| iPhone | Mail-in buyer | Local shop | Apple Trade In | Carrier promo | Marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone Air | $738SaveGadget | $506 | $585 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $1,095OCBuyBack | $657 | $885 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 17 Pro | $908SaveGadget | $600 | $785 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 17 | $683SaveGadget | $460 | $585 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $820SaveGadget | $513 | $610 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $680SaveGadget | $411 | $510 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 16 Plus | $565SaveGadget | $363 | $430 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 16 | $540SaveGadget | $354 | $430 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | $605SaveGadget | $365 | $455 | bill credits | price − fees |
| iPhone 15 Pro | $529SaveGadget | $328 | $370 | bill credits | price − fees |
Top of each range for a flawless, unlocked phone, refreshed October 28, 2026. The mail-in cell names the buyer paying it. Carrier promos are credits spread over 24–36 months, not cash. Marketplace means what a private buyer pays on eBay or Swappa, less roughly 13% in fees, shipping and the risk of a return.
The buyers on this site publish a price per model, configuration and condition, and the top offer beat the local estimate and Apple’s value on 10 of the 10 iPhones above. You ship with a prepaid label, the buyer inspects it and pays by PayPal, check or direct deposit, usually within a week. Best for a phone in good shape when you can wait a few days for the money.
Compare every mail-in offer →A local buyer pays on the spot after looking at the phone in front of you. The number is usually under the best mail-in offer because the shop carries the resale risk, but there is no shipping, no waiting and no revised offer after inspection. Best when you want the cash today, or the phone has damage you would rather have graded in person.
Find a local iPhone buyer →Apple quotes a fixed “up to” value per model and pays it as credit toward a new Apple product or an Apple gift card. It is the easiest route if you are buying a new iPhone at the Apple Store anyway, and it is almost never the highest number.
See every Apple value next to cash →Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T advertise large trade-in values, but they are bill credits spread over 24 to 36 months, tied to a new phone on an installment plan and often a premium plan. Leave early and the remaining credits vanish. Worth it only if you would keep that plan for the full term anyway.
How carrier trade-ins really pay out →Selling yourself on eBay, Swappa or Facebook Marketplace can show the biggest number, but after about 13% in fees, shipping, a few weeks of listing and the chance of a return or a scam, the net lands near or below the mail-in offer for most phones. Best for rare configurations the buyers above do not price.
For most models it is a mail-in buyer with a published price: on this page the top mail-in offer beats the local estimate and Apple’s value on 10 of 10 current iPhones. A local shop is close behind and pays today. Apple and the carriers pay in credit, not cash.
Sell it, unless the trade-in value is within a few dollars of the best cash offer and you are buying the new phone from that company anyway. A trade-in is credit with conditions; a sale is money.
Mail-in buyers and local shops both buy cracked, water-damaged and non-working iPhones for parts value. Apple usually drops those to its recycling tier, and carrier promos exclude them. Pick the condition on any model page above to see the damaged-phone offers.
Unlock it from the carrier, turn off Find My, note the exact storage size, and sell while the model is still current; values drop around every September launch. Then compare the mail-in offers and the local estimate for your exact configuration rather than the headline number.