With iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus upgrade frenzy kicking of, we put together a comparison chart for prices being paid by the major trade-in programs out there. Our chart includes Apple, Gazelle, Amazon, iCracked, Best Buy, and NextWorth.
Note that most folks can get more by selling their devices themselves to friends or family, or through Craigslist or Ebay, many others prefer the ease of the hassle-free mail-in programs. Your mileage will vary considerably on that assessment, but either way the following chart can help you make your decision.
- The chart below shows the top price paid for an iPhone in "like new" condition, with prices collected on Friday, September 11th, two days after Apple's media event. [Apple's prices were collected late Saturday night, early Saturday morning. - Editor]
- Most phones aren't "like new," and that probably includes yours. This seemed the best point of comparison, but you should check the price being paid for the condition your iPhone is actually in. Best Buy's top condition is merely "Good," making its pricing comparison a little harder.
- The more a company is paying for any particular condition, the higher its requirements are likely to be.
- All prices are for an AT&T phone. Unlocked phones will often have higher values, and devices on other networks may have higher or lower values. In the case of the very small networks, that price difference can be significantly lower.
- All prices are for Space Gray or Black devices, as applicable to the model, or Blue for the iPhone 5c.
- All prices have been rounded up or down to the nearest dollar for the sake of formatting.
- The best price as of this writing for each model and capacity is highlighted in bold.
- The links on the left column are all direct links to that company's iPhone trade-in program.
- Prices for these programs are volatile, so always check for the latest prices before pulling the trigger.
iPhone Trade-in Price Comparison Chart |
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| iPhone 6 16GB/64GB/128GB |
iPhone 6 Plus 16GB/64GB/128GB |
iPhone 5s 16GB/32GB/64GB |
iPhone 5c 8GB/16GB/32GB |
iPhone 5 16GB/32GB/64GB |
|
| Apple* | $325/$325/$325 | $375/$375/$375 | $165/$165/$165 | $65/$65/$65 | $90/$90/$90 |
| Gazelle** | $335/$340/$350 | $365/$370/$375 | $165/$170/$175 | $75/$80/$85 | $105/$110/$115 |
| Amazon*** | $357/$430/$499 | $461/$431/$541 | $182/$238/$270 | $132/$135/$136 | $134/$159/$188 |
| iCracked**** | $380/$400/$420 | $410/$430/$450 | $185/$185/$185 | $75/$75/$75 | $105/$105/$105 |
| Best Buy | $355/$365/$375 | $365/$385/$400 | $155/$160/$165 | $50/$80/$81 | $102/$106/$111 |
| NextWorth | $350/$355/$360 | $370/$375/$380 | $168/$169/$170 | $70/$73/$76 | $110/$111/$112 |
*Apple pays in Apple Store Gift Cards.
**Gazelle will pay a 5% bonus if you accept an Amazon Gift Card in lieu of a direct payment.
***Amazon pays you in Amazon gift cards.
****Prices shown for iCracked are for the company's mail-in service, which is just like its competitors. iCracked also offers a courier pickup option that generally speaking pays $20-$25 less than the mail-in version.
[Update: This article was updated to note that Amazon pays in Amazon gift cards. - Editor]
[Update 2: This article was updated with Apple's prices on Saturday, September 13th, at 2:00 AM EDT. It was also updated to note that Gazelle will pay a 5% bonus if you will accept an Amazon Gift Card. - Editor]