Sell my iPhone, in person, same visit. The number does not change.
The iPhone in your drawer loses value every month it sits there. Bring it to the Route 1 store, the assessment happens in front of you, and the number we say is the number you are paid, in the same visit.
Cracked, dead, or perfect, we are interested
The thing people get wrong about selling an iPhone is assuming a broken one is worthless. It is not, and the reason is simple: we have a repair bench. A shop that only resells devices can only buy what it can put straight on a shelf. We can fix a screen, replace a battery, or rebuild a charge port, which means a damaged iPhone is a device with a known repair cost rather than a device nobody wants.
So bring the one with the spidered screen. Bring the one that will not hold a charge past lunch. Bring the one that took a swim at Revere Beach two summers ago and has been in a drawer ever since, because even a phone that does not power on has parts value. The worst outcome is that we tell you it is not worth anything, and you have spent 10 minutes finding that out for certain.
We buy iPhones going back a good number of generations, not just the current ones. Older models still have demand, particularly with families looking for a first phone for a kid or a reliable backup, which is a steady thing on this corridor.
What drives the number on an iPhone specifically
- The model. The largest factor by far. iPhones hold value better than most phones, and a Pro or Max model holds it better still.
- Storage capacity. Easy to forget, and on the higher tiers it moves the number noticeably.
- Battery health, which we read directly from the device in seconds. A worn battery is not a dealbreaker, it is a line item.
- The screen and the frame. Cracks are expected and priced in. Bends and corner dents matter more, because a bent frame affects whether a replacement screen will seat and seal properly.
- Whether it is unlocked. An unlocked iPhone is worth more, full stop, because the next owner can use it anywhere.
- Whether a previous repair was done well. A bad third-party screen or a missing bracket from a rushed repair shows up in the assessment.
- Face ID and camera function, since those are the components that are hardest to restore when they fail.
We tell you what drove the number rather than announcing a figure and leaving you to wonder. If something small is holding the value down and fixing it would net you more than it costs, we will say so, and you can decide.
Find My has to be off. This is the one that stops sales.
If there is one sentence to take away from this page, it is this: turn off Find My before you come in. An iPhone still signed into your Apple account is locked to you, and activation lock means nobody else can set it up or use it. Not us, not the next owner, nobody.
That is Apple working exactly as designed and it is genuinely good security. It also means an iPhone with activation lock still on is unsellable to any legitimate buyer. We cannot work around it, and a shop that claims it can is telling you something you should walk away from.
The steps take about two minutes on the phone itself: sign out of your Apple account, turn off Find My, and then erase the device. If the phone will not power on, or the screen is too broken to use, you can remove the device from your account list from another Apple device or from a browser. Do that before you drive over.
The other version of this problem is not remembering your Apple account password. That is worth sorting out before you arrive, because the recovery process is between you and Apple and it cannot be shortcut at our counter.
Before you come in
Back up whatever you want to keep. Photos, messages, and anything in your notes. Once a device is wiped it is gone, and we wipe everything we buy.
Then pull out the SIM card, because people leave them in and then want them back. Bring photo identification, since we record who we buy from, and bring the charger and box if you happen to still have them. And if you have more than one old device in the drawer, bring all of them. Most people who come in to sell one phone find two more at home that night.
If the phone is still on a carrier payment plan, it is not fully yours to sell yet, and we cannot buy it until that is cleared. Worth checking before you make the trip.
Why not a mail-in site or a marketplace listing
The buyback websites quote high, then re-grade the device after you have shipped it, and the second number is lower than the first. At that point you either take less than you agreed to or wait for your phone to come back. The process takes over a week either way, and your data is on a device in a shipping envelope in the meantime.
Marketplace listings are worse in a different way. You are meeting strangers, dealing with lowball offers and no-shows, handling payment risk, and hoping nobody claims the phone was not as described after the fact.
Here, the assessment happens in front of you, the number does not change afterward, and you are paid in the same visit. From Lynn, Revere, Malden, or Everett that is a short drive on a road most people are already on. There are Spanish-speaking staff at the counter, so this can be done in Spanish start to finish.
Sell, trade, or fix it first
Three paths, and the right one depends on the phone. Selling outright puts money in your hand today. Trading toward a refurbished iPhone or another device on our shelf usually stretches the value further, since it stays in the building. Repairing first sometimes makes the most sense of all, because a phone with a fresh battery and an intact screen is worth more than the repair costs on certain models.
We will run that comparison with you honestly, including the case where the answer is keep the phone you have. A perfectly good iPhone with a tired battery is not an old phone, it is a phone with a worn consumable, and a battery replacement is a fraction of the cost of replacing it.
Come by any time we are open. No appointment, no shipping label, and no waiting on a check.
Common questions
Do you buy iPhones with cracked screens?
Yes. A cracked iPhone still has real value to a shop that can repair it. The damage is priced in rather than being a reason to turn you away.
Will you buy an iPhone that will not turn on?
Usually yes, for parts value at minimum. Bring it in and let us test it, because occasionally a phone that seems dead only needs a charge on proper equipment and is worth considerably more than you expected.
Why do I have to turn off Find My?
Because activation lock ties the phone to your Apple account, and no one else can set it up while it is on. It makes the device unsellable to any legitimate buyer, and nobody can remove it but you.
What if I forgot my Apple account password?
You will need to go through Apple recovery before we can buy the phone. That process is between you and Apple, so start it before you come in rather than at our counter.
When do I get the money for my iPhone?
The same visit. We assess the phone while you wait and you leave with payment, not a promise of one later in the week.
Should I fix it before selling it?
Sometimes. On certain models a battery or screen repair increases what the phone is worth by more than the repair costs. We will do that math with you rather than just taking it as-is.
Can I sell an iPhone still on a payment plan?
Not until it is paid off. Until then it is not fully yours to sell, so we cannot buy it. Check your balance before you come.
Is my data safe?
Every device we buy gets wiped. Back up whatever you want to keep first, because once it is wiped there is no getting it back.