Before you sell: unlock and wipe your phone
Phones have an anti-theft lock tied to your account. If you erase a phone without signing out first, the new owner can’t set it up. It’s the most common reason phone sales go wrong.
iPhone
- Back up your phone, and unpair your Apple Watch if you have one.
- Sign out of iCloud and the App Store in Settings. This turns off Find My and Activation Lock.
- Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings, and remove the eSIM if asked.
- Remove the phone from your Apple account’s list of devices.
Android (Samsung, Google Pixel and others)
- Back up your photos and data.
- Remove your Google account, and your Samsung account on a Samsung, in Settings → Accounts, before resetting. Otherwise the phone stays locked to you.
- Then factory reset from Settings.
On every phone, take out your SIM and any memory card, and check the phone starts up showing the welcome screen.
Your options
eBay: the biggest audience
eBay is free for most private sellers in Australia, and its buyers search for the exact model, storage and colour. The buyer pays eBay’s Buyer Protection fee on top of your price. For orders of $20 or more, private sellers buy the postage label through eBay. Search your model and tick “Sold items” to see what it actually sells for. See the eBay fee calculator.
Vinted: no seller fees
Vinted charges sellers nothing, and the buyer pays a Vinted fee and the postage. Its rules don’t allow phones that are reported lost or stolen, blocked for unpaid bills, or jailbroken. See the Vinted fee calculator.
Trade-in: quick and simple
Trade-in services give you an instant price and pay once they’ve checked the phone. Some pay cash and some, such as JB Hi-Fi, pay in store credit. You’ll get less than selling it yourself, but there are no listings, no buyers and no risk of disputes. Get two or three quotes, because prices vary.
Your network or the manufacturer
If you’re upgrading, Apple, Samsung and the mobile networks run trade-in offers, often paid as credit off your new phone or plan. Compare the offer with an eBay sold price first.
Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree: local cash sales
There are no fees for local pick-up, but meet somewhere public and busy, and only hand over the phone once the money has definitely arrived. See the guide to selling scams.
Get a better price
- Describe it exactly: model, storage, colour, and whether it’s unlocked. On iPhones, include the battery health percentage from Settings.
- Be honest about wear: scratches, cracks and battery condition.
- Include the box and charger if you have them.
- Note the IMEI (dial *#06#) before you post. It proves which phone you sent. Buyers can check it with AMTA’s free IMEI check, which shows whether a phone is blocked on Australian networks.
- Post it tracked and well protected, with cover that matches the value.
Not worth selling?
Broken or very old phones should be recycled free through MobileMuster, never put in the bin. See where to donate.