iPhone 5S is coming soon. After using your old iPhone 5 for a long time, you may want to sell it and buy a new iPhone 5S for yourself. However, how to sell a used iPhone safely? This is common trouble frustrating people who want to sell old iPhone. This article lists things you need to do before selling a used iPhone (iPad, iPod as well).
Things You Need to Do before Selling a Used iPhone
Many people sell their iPhone without doing anything. This is really a bad practice to leak your personal data to others. Here are what to do before you selling a used iPhone.
1. Backup All Your iPhone Data
The first and the most important thing you need to do is backing up your iPhone data. You can use iTunes to backup your settings, Messages, Camera Roll, documents, saved games, and other data. But this backup file is not allowed to access, so you can use iPhone Data Recovery to backup your iPhone data as an offline and viewable backup file. Additionally, iCloud is also a way to backup iPhone data if you have enough iCloud storage space.
2. Wipe out Your iPhone Data
You need to wipe all data on your old iPhone to prevent any leaking of your personal information. Here are steps to delete iPhone data permanently and get your iPhone to its factory default state.
- Back up your iPhone.
- Turn off iCloud to remove the iCloud account and data from your iPhone. Go to Setting -> iCloud -> Delete Account.
- Turn off iMessage. Go to Settings -> Messages -> iMessage and turn the slider to off.
- Turn off Face Time. Go to Settings -> Face Time and turn the slider to off.
- Restoring your iPhone to new by taping Settings -> General -> Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings
3. Find a Platform to Sell Your Old iPhone
It is important to find a good platform to sell your old iPhone. Here I list some platforms for your reference:
-
Apple Reuse and Recycling Program
Apple will gladly buy back your old iPhone and either reuse it as a refurbished unit or recycle it on your behalf through their Reuse and Recycling Program.
- Amazon Trade-In Store
Amazon will buy back your old iPhone through the Amazon Trade-In Store. But you'll be given payment in the form of an Amazon gift card.
- Gazelle
Gazelle offers a service that lets you easily turn most electronic devices into cash. You only need to send in your iPhone and Gazelle will send you money after confirming the item condition.
- eBay
eBay is a simple process to sell your old iPhone but also has some tips you need to keep in mind such as eBay charges fees for each auction based on the item you're selling and how much it sells for etc.
Now I believe you have a clear idea about what to do before selling your old iPhone. If you are considering selling your iPhone just do as we mentioned above.