There are many great ways to make money by working with electronics. With that in mind, one of the best ways to do this is by buying and selling iPhones. If you truly want to succeed at doing this, there are a few things you’ll want to know.
Fortunately, we have everything you’ll need in this article. If you’re ready to start making a lot of money by flipping iPhones, keep reading. In this article, you’re going to learn:
Why reselling iPhones online is a good idea
How to know how much iPhones are worth
The best places to find and resell your iPhones
How to get iPhones ready to resale
Save money by shipping phones as cheaply as possible
Bonus tip to speed up your iPhone sales
Why Should I Buy and Resell iPhones Online?
Before we dive too deep into reselling iPhones, you might not be sure if this is the right option for you. As it turns out, there are many beneficial reasons to start buying and flipping iPhones. Here’s more information about why iPhones are great electronics to start reselling.
Extremely Valuable
The iPhone is one of the most valuable smartphones you can buy on the market. It has a good build quality and features that allow it to be used for work or entertainment purposes, depending on what your customer’s needs are. This is why many people prefer to purchase an iPhone as soon as they get their hands on some cash.
What’s great about an iPhone being so valuable is that these smartphones tend to hold their value. This is great for anyone who’s reselling iPhones. For example, if you buy an iPhone for $300 and resell it for $550, your customer will be very happy because they’re getting a great deal compared to buying a brand new iPhone. And you make $250 in profit!
iPhones Are Popular
The iPhone is a very popular device that everyone knows about, and Apple products, in general, are still among the most desired items. When you're buying popular items like iPhones, it's easy to resell them fast. Since iPhones are so popular, they’re easy to sell at almost any reasonable price.
Apple's iPhone is valued at approximately double the price of its leading competitors. For Apple, this has been a trend for years. Since its first launch in 2007, iPhone sales have outpaced all other brands, and sales continue to increase almost every year.
Extremely Reliable
These days, people expect their smartphones to work fast and be reliable. With that in mind, one of the main reasons that iPhones are so popular is because they’re easy to use. They're always fast and reliable, which makes them great smartphones for anyone who wants something simple to work with.
Not Having to Meet Anyone In Person
Focusing on the online aspect of sales, one reason people like selling products online is because it doesn't require meeting other people. Most of the time, nothing will happen when two strangers meet to exchange electronics for money. But some people don't want to take any risks and would prefer to sell products online.
When you're reselling iPhones online, you don't have to worry about meeting potential scammers or people with bad intentions in person. This can take a lot of the nerves associated with reselling electronics.
Uncomfortable Negotiations Are Less Likely
Another reason why people prefer selling iPhones and other electronics online is that they don't have to deal with uncomfortable negotiations. For example, if someone says “this product isn’t worth that much money!” or something similar, it can be hard for the seller to stay calm and polite while trying not to offend anyone involved in the transaction process.
When you're buying and selling iPhones online, you still might talk to people who want to negotiate prices with you. However, it's far easier to simply ignore those kinds of messages than it is to walk away from someone in person.
Helping Out the Environment
Understandably, most people work to make money. It’s human nature to want to have enough money to take care of yourself. Considering that, you might not know that reselling iPhones can also be good for the environment. When people or companies buy smartphones from you, it eliminates the demand for more new phones.
As fewer new phones get manufactured, it means fewer harmful emissions impacting the environment. The fewer iPhones that are available, the rarer they become. This is why it’s great to take care of the environment by buying and reselling electronics like this. Who knew?
How Can I Learn How Much My iPhones Are Worth?
If you want to learn how much your iPhone is worth, it's fairly easy to do. There are a few ways to accomplish this goal. Considering that, we're going to tell you more about each way to find the value of an iPhone.
Checking Out Sold Listings
The easiest way to discover how much an iPhone is worth is by checking sold listings. To do this, search for your device on Craigslist or eBay and see what the final selling price was in each instance. This will give you a good idea of what other people are willing to pay for it right now.
With that in mind, make sure you're looking at sold listings. Often, new sellers try to rush through the pricing process and pull the first numbers they find. However, sellers can sometimes price their items for too much money and never sell their products. By only looking at sold listings, you'll have a much better idea of how much people will spend on an iPhone.
Using an Online Price Checker
If you don't want to browse through previously sold listings, you can also use an online price checker to find out how much your iPhone is worth. With that in mind, an online price checker can provide you with information about how much other people are willing to pay for your iPhone. It can also help you learn how much certain buyback companies will pay for your smartphones.
With this particular method of finding out the value of iPhones, it's important to be as detailed as possible. If there is a specific color or condition associated with your device, make sure those details are included in your listing. The more information you provide, the easier it is for an online price checker to give you accurate prices.
Apple even has an official online price checker. This company uses this to determine how much they'll pay you for an iPhone. Keep in mind that the values are typically a little lower than what your iPhone could sell for. So, only use this resource as a second, third, or fourth option when pricing your iPhones.
Where Can I Find iPhones for Sale Online?
Now that you know how the pros price their phones, you'll need a place to find them. Well, we have you covered. Below, you'll find the best places to find iPhones for sale online.
Trade-In Tech
Launched in 2012, Trade-In Tech is a wholesale electronics platform. Since we started, we've welcomed tens of thousands of members to our website. These members can list electronics for sale through our platform, especially iPhones.
Here's a closer look at why Trade-In Tech is the #1 platform to buy and sell iPhones on.
No Transaction Fees
What's also great about Trade-In Tech is, since it's a buy and sell platform, you can also sell iPhones through our website. Best of all, regardless of whether you're buying or selling iPhones, we won't charge you transaction fees. This makes it easy for you since you're not having to factor transaction fees into your prices.
A Huge Network of Buyers and Sellers
Regardless of where you decide to do business, it's important to find a platform with a lot of members. If not, it could take a lot of time for the sales to start rolling in.
As you can see by visiting tradeintech.com, we're partnered with some major carriers and retailers out there. This is just a small portion of our network too! Keep in mind that every day more buyers are joining our platform to purchase iPhones from other members like yourself.
With such a large network, it shouldn't take you much time to get your business growing fast!
All Sorts of iPhones
Since there are so many Trade-In Tech members around the world, we have a wide range of iPhones typically available for sale. Having such a selection of iPhones to choose from is great. Whether you want the latest iPhones or lower-priced older iPhones, you can find them on Trade-In Tech.
The latest iPhones all have the newest features and look great. However, if a new iPhone is not something you can afford or don't want at this time, there are lower-priced older models available as well. You can often find our members offering refurbished iPhones for buyers who want to save even more money.
Bulk Options for Electronics Wholesalers
Sometimes, it's understandable to only want to buy a few iPhones at a time. This is great for new buyers that can't spend a lot of money to get their business started. However, those with deeper pockets and more experience might want to buy much more than a few iPhones at a time.
Fortunately, many sellers list their items in bulk. This is great for electronics wholesalers looking for more inventory right away.
Selling Your Phones on Our Platform
Another great feature of Trade-In Tech is that our members can both buy and sell electronics on our platform. There's no need for separate memberships or anything like that. We want to see our members thrive, which is why we make it so easy for them to buy and sell iPhones on our platform.
A Support Team That's Available Around-The-Clock
We also have a very helpful support team. We're available to answer any questions you may have about Trade-In Tech and how it works. We understand that not everyone's questions or concerns will come up during "normal" business hours. That’s why our team is available around the clock. If you have a question or concern, our online support team will be able to help you ASAP.
Creating a Buyer's Request
We've all run into times where a store (whether it be a physical or online one) didn't have an item we wanted. It's a bad feeling to see that something you want is out of stock. At Trade-In Tech, we never want our buyers to experience this feeling - that's why we offer an exclusive buyer's request.
With this helpful feature, you can tell our worldwide network of sellers exactly what you're looking for. Simply list information about the iPhones you're looking for, be as descriptive as possible, and send out your request.
Amazon
One of the places where you can find people selling their iPhones is Amazon. This online retailer has become much more than just a place to purchase items, but also an exchange market.
Most sellers on there are looking for deals that will allow them to get rid of old or broken electronics in favor of some cash or store credit. You can often find people willing to sell their iPhones for a very good price. With that said, you can also run into just as many listings involving sellers setting retail prices for their iPhones.
Selling on Amazon can be very lucrative, but there are also some disadvantages to selling items on Amazon.
First and foremost, Amazon charges lots of fees. Not only do they take a percentage of the final sale price as their fee for listing an item, but then they charge a fee on top of that percentage based on how long the item has been listed. Depending on the category, it can be 9% or more. And these fees usually go up over time, giving third-party sellers less profit-per-sale.
Another thing to consider when selling on Amazon is that there's a lot of competition. There are thousands of sellers on Amazon, and if your niche isn't somewhat unique, then it's going to be hard for you to get noticed.
Overall, selling on Amazon can be quite profitable, but you have to do your research about what products will sell well before listing them. There are also many pros to selling on Amazon, but there are a lot more cons.
eBay
From an online auction site to a platform where people can sell popular electronics and make money, eBay has come a long way over the years. That being said, reselling iPhones on eBay has its advantages and disadvantages. This online auction site has been around for quite some time, but it's still considered to be a good source for finding and reselling iPhones.
To buy iPhones on eBay, you'll need to choose whether you want to buy or bid on any available iPhones. This option is set by the seller. Some sellers will list their iPhones for auction. Others will list them as Buy It Now listings.
While you're using eBay, make sure to keep a close eye on sellers’ ratings. eBay uses this system to try and protect its buyers from scammers. With that in mind, you'll need to choose buyers with the best ratings.
How to Get iPhones Ready to Resell
Now, it's time to start learning about preparing iPhones for the resale market. This task can seem daunting. But it won't be after you follow our simple, step-by-step process for getting smartphones ready to resell.
1. Check for Locks
We know you're eager to get your hands on the iPhones you've bought so you can sell them as quickly as possible - but you won't get too far with locked devices. Before you get too far into the resale process, check to see if your iPhones are locked. If they are, there may be little or no demand for them in the secondary market. Unlocked phones should turn on normally. If this happens, you're ready to move on to the next step.
2. Factory Reset
Now, factory reset the device. This means restoring it back to how it was when you first bought it - brand new. To do this on your iPhones, go to the "Settings" app, select "General," then scroll down and select "Reset." You'll now see two options: Reset All Content and Settings, or Erase All Content and Settings. Select "Erase All Content." This will reset your iPhone back to the factory settings.
3- To Refurbish or Not To Refurbish?
If you're buying and reselling brand-new iPhones, you can skip this step and move on to step four. If you're not, it's now time to take a closer look at your phones to see what condition they're in. In the event that these phones need some repairs, you can either do them yourself or find an electronics refurbisher. This is an individual or business that repairs used electronics to make them look and work like new.
Hiring the services of an electronics refurbisher means you'll need to take profits from your sale and pay them or a similar type of arrangement. Regardless of the arrangement you choose, it will mean making a little less money per sale. However, having a professional refurbisher to partner with can also mean you're able to buy damaged phones for super low prices.
If you don’t want to refurbish iPhones that aren’t in the best shape, it could be wise to contact a company that recycles electronics. These companies might be able to buy your damaged or otherwise non-functioning electronics. You might not get the most money for these items, but it’s better than having them not making money and taking up your valuable storage space.
4- Physically Clean the iPhone
Unless you purchased a brand new iPhone, it's worth cleaning the used phone you bought for the resale market. The safest way to clean the device is by using an alcohol wipe. Try to use 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes or 75% ethyl alcohol wipes for best results. Never use bleach or hydrogen peroxide to clean iPhones. Also, avoid ever dipping an iPhone in any cleaning solution.
5- List Your iPhones for Sale Online
There are many websites that allow you to sell your used iPhone online. When you're ready to start making sales, you'll need to create listings for the iPhones you have. During this time, it's important to list as much information as possible about your phones. This information should include the iPhone's condition, model, color, capacity, features, accessories included with the device, and any other relevant information.
Tips for Shipping Your iPhones
It's now time to ship out your iPhones to your customers. This is exciting as it's one of the last steps. Pat yourself on the back - you've almost finished the sale! To get your iPhone ready to ship out, follow the tips below.
Don't Keep Your Customers Waiting
Shipping out your iPhone promptly will make a good impression on your customer. Customers are often anxious to get their hands on their new iPhones, so don't keep them waiting too long!
Also, the sooner you ship the phone, the sooner you'll receive payment. Remember that if they're not happy with how quickly you ship out their phones, they can cancel the transaction. They might also note that you took a while to ship out your phones in their post-transaction reviews. Do the opposite of this and they'll probably note your fast shipping times!
Pack up Your iPhones Thoroughly
Make sure that your iPhone is wrapped in padding on all sides to prevent damage while it's being shipped out. Packing peanuts serve as great fillers for this purpose, but you can also use bubble wrap or paper. Make sure not too much of it or you'll cause unnecessary weight, which means more shipping fees for you.
Insure Your iPhones
In case your iPhone gets lost or damaged during shipping, you can insure it with the carrier that you're shipping through. This would be a good idea if you're shipping out phones to different locations around the world as both parties can take advantage of insurance coverage in case something goes wrong.
Sure, you can save some money on each package by not having insurance. But this means not getting a lot of help from your carrier if a package does get lost or stolen. Depending on what types of iPhones you're shipping out, this could mean missing out on sales worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Use the Right Package
Make sure you use an appropriate box that's big enough for the phone to fit without being too loose inside the box. Before sealing the box or package, be sure that nothing is sticking out. It's also best to avoid shipping something so expensive as an iPhone in a box with any kind of damage.
You might not want to spend a few extra bucks on brand new boxes. But these few bucks can provide you with a lot of peace of mind as your iPhones reach their respective destinations.
Bonus Ways to Ramp Up Your iPhone Sales
So far, we've spent a lot of time going over the basics of reselling iPhones online. Now, we want to get into some bonus tips that we've learned from over a decade spent working in the electronics industry. These tips will help you rise up the ranks to a top seller in no time.
Get Feedback
Getting feedback is important in the online world. This includes getting reviews for your business online. You can also get positive product reviews by including thank you cards with your items that have a note telling customers to leave an honest review if they're pleased with their purchase. Just make sure not to ask for a positive review, as this can get your business penalized.
The same goes for social media sites like Facebook and Twitter too! In fact, you should be using these sites to promote how pleased customers are with the iPhones that they've bought from you. This will also help attract more people into potentially buying items from your business.
Respond to Reviews You Receive
As you know, it takes someone’s time and effort to write a review about your business and post it online. Considering that, it's good to take a quick second to leave a thoughtful response to reviews that you receive. Leaving a one to two-sentence response thanking them for their business can go a long way. Plus, it looks great for other people who haven't done business with you but are looking at reviews about your business.
At this point, you might be wondering what to do if the reviews your business receives aren't so nice. After all, nobody's perfect. If you receive a negative review about your business, consider whether or not it has anything to do with an isolated incident that was out of your control. Then, leave a response to this review. Don't respond with negativity (even if they were in the wrong). Instead, thank them for their feedback and let them know that you're willing to work on the issue they had.
Ship Internationally
A lot of people don't realize how many markets are out there just waiting to be tapped into when it comes to reselling iPhones online. If your business specializes in high-end electronics like Apple products but is only shipping to domestic markets, it may be time to start looking at other options.
The good news is that international reselling can actually bring you the same types of profits as you would see domestically by shipping iPhones and other products like iPads and MacBooks. However, there are a few things that will need to change in order for your online business to be successful when it comes to international markets.
First of all, you'll need to educate yourself on the local laws where your customers are located in order to stay compliant with government regulations. Be sure that wherever you're shipping internationally, this is allowed by law there. Next, keep an eye out for different payment methods that are popular outside of where you live.
Have a Loyalty System in Place
Everyone loves getting rewarded in life. Many companies know this - that's why they have loyalty programs in place for their customers. With a loyalty program, customers receive rewards after making purchases. What's great about loyalty programs is that you can implement them in almost any way you desire.
For example, you could have a loyalty program that provides customers with one point for every dollar spent. In turn, they can cash in their points when they want to receive discounts on future purchases. This is just one way to reward your most loyal customers!
You can also send out special coupon codes to loyalty program members. Some companies like to have members-only sales. Get creative with your loyalty system, and it could soon have a lot of members!
Get an Email List Started
Lastly, you should think about starting an email list for your business. An email list can be beneficial to any online reseller because it allows them to contact customers with discount offers and announcements before anyone else!
You can do this manually or use an email marketing service. The choice is yours. However, unless you have a lot of experience with email marketing, it's probably going to be best to have a marketing company help you out with this.
Certain companies even offer free services to businesses with small enough email lists. This is great if you're testing the waters of email marketing and don't have a large list built up just yet.
In closing, we hope that you enjoyed this in-depth look at how to start reselling iPhones. If you're looking for more help with your online business, be sure to check out our blog. We have a lot of different advice that can help entrepreneurs just like yourself in the world of reselling iPhones and other electronics online!