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Best models by margin, what to check before you pay, how to grade condition for the highest price, and where to sell depending on what you've got.
A two-year-old Android flagship loses 65–75% of its retail value. A two-year-old iPhone loses 35–45%. That delta is not coincidence — it's ecosystem lock-in, software support longevity, and brand loyalty compressing the depreciation curve in ways no other consumer electronics category matches. For resellers, it means predictable spreads, reliable buyer demand, and a margin that doesn't evaporate before you've had time to sell.
The opportunity comes from the mismatch in seller urgency. Someone upgrading to an iPhone 15 on launch day will often take $240 for their iPhone 13 because they want the cash now, not next week. That same phone sells for $380 to a patient buyer on eBay. The flipper's job is to be the first buyer at the seller's door — which in practice means knowing about the listing within minutes of it going live.
Local sale prices. eBay prices run 5–15% higher but cost 12–15% in fees — the math usually breaks even or favors local.
| Model | Buy range | Sell range | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 13 / 13 ProBest margin | $200–$380 | $320–$500 | $80–$150 |
| iPhone 14 / 14 ProBest margin | $300–$480 | $420–$650 | $100–$200 |
| iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max | $500–$750 | $650–$950 | $120–$250 |
| iPhone 12 / 12 ProFastest | $130–$250 | $200–$330 | $50–$100 |
| iPhone SE (3rd gen) | $100–$180 | $160–$250 | $50–$80 |
Storage note: 128GB and 256GB sell fastest locally. 512GB variants carry a $20–$40 premium but take longer. 64GB models (older gens) are difficult — many buyers won't consider them.
Color note: Midnight, Starlight, and Space Black/Gray move fastest. Product Red and unusual colors take 20–30% longer locally but price the same on eBay.
Go through this in order. Each item has a specific reason — skipping any one of them has cost flippers money.
1. Turn off Find My in front of the seller
Settings → [Name] → Find My → Turn Off. If they say they'll do it later, walk away. A phone with Find My active can be activation-locked remotely the moment you leave — it becomes a $300 paperweight. Non-negotiable.
2. Check IMEI against Apple's system and a blacklist
Go to Settings → General → About and note the IMEI. Check checkcoverage.apple.com (official Apple coverage checker) and an IMEI blacklist service. A stolen or payment-locked phone is worth $0 to you. This takes 90 seconds.
3. Check battery health percentage
Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging. Require 80%+. At 79% iOS shows a service warning to the next buyer — which immediately triggers a price negotiation or kills the sale. If battery health is 75–79%, a $89 Apple battery replacement restores it; factor that into your offer.
4. Inspect screen in direct light
Hold the screen at a 45° angle to a light source. Look for scratches, dead pixels, and OLED burn-in (shows as a faint ghost image on a gray background). On iPhone 12+, check Settings → General → About for 'Unknown Part' under Display — a permanent third-party screen flag.
5. Test Face ID / Touch ID
Failed biometrics usually mean a screen replacement that broke the secure enclave pairing, or a deeper motherboard issue. Both are expensive to fix and kill resale value. Test it with your own face or ask them to register and delete a fingerprint.
6. Test all cameras, speakers, and microphone
Open Camera, switch between all lenses (wide, ultrawide, telephoto if applicable), record a short video. Play it back with audio. Test speakerphone and earpiece separately. Camera module failures cut value 35–50%.
Most local sellers describe everything as "great condition." Using standard grades in your listings signals professionalism and lets you price higher than vague descriptions allow.
Like New / Mint
Full eBay sold priceZero visible wear. Screen pristine in direct light. Back glass perfect. Original packaging a plus.
Excellent / Grade A
5–10% below mintLight micro-scratches visible only in raking light. No chips, cracks, or screen damage. Normal for 1-year-old phone.
Good / Grade B
15–25% below mintVisible scratches on screen or body. Small scuff on corner. Fully functional. What most local sellers have.
Fair / Grade C
30–45% below mintNoticeable scratches, possible small chip or dent. Functional. Disclose everything. Price aggressively to sell fast.
A clean iPhone 13 at $240 on Facebook Marketplace will have 15 messages in 20 minutes. Flippers who win consistently aren't smarter than the next buyer — they know about listings 59 minutes earlier. Flipify scans Marketplace and Craigslist every 60 seconds and pushes a notification to your phone the moment a matching iPhone appears.
Free 5-day trial · One flip pays for a year of alerts
The right platform depends on the model, your time preference, and how fast you need capital back.
Facebook Marketplace (local)
Fees: 0%Best when: First choice for any mainstream model in good condition
+ Zero fees, cash, instant. List today, sell tomorrow.
− Local buyer pool only. Lowball offers common — just ignore them.
Craigslist
Fees: 0%Best when: Secondary to Marketplace; good for older or niche models
+ Less competition, serious cash buyers, no app algorithm.
− Less traffic. Worth cross-posting but not your primary.
Swappa
Fees: ~3%Best when: Tech-savvy buyers who'll pay a premium for verified condition
+ Lower fees than eBay, clean audience, no scam buyers.
− Smaller audience. Slower than local.
eBay
Fees: 12–15%Best when: Fallback for hard-to-move models or when local buyer pool is thin
+ National audience. Best for unusual colors, high storage, older gen.
− 12–15% fees, packaging, shipping, and return risk eat into margin.
Paying before Find My is off
The original owner can activation-lock the phone remotely. You'll have a fully functional brick.
Not running the IMEI on a blacklist checker
A stolen or payment-locked phone cannot be carrier-activated. Resale value: $0. Apple's coverage check alone isn't enough — use a dedicated IMEI checker too.
Accepting 'like new' without checking battery in Settings
Battery health degrades invisibly. A phone 'barely used' can still be at 76% — which triggers a service warning for the next buyer before they've even opened an app.
Overpaying because another buyer is 'on their way'
The margin is made at purchase. Paying $60 over ceiling because you feel competitive pressure turns a $110 flip into a $50 one. Let it go; another listing will fire within the hour.
Pricing by feel instead of eBay sold comps
Check eBay → Sold Listings for your exact model, storage, and color. What items are listed for is irrelevant — what they actually sold for is your market price.
Holding for a week chasing an extra $20
Capital tied up in a phone is capital not buying the next deal. Price for a 48-hour sale. The time value of money matters more than optimizing each unit.
The iPhone 13 and 14 series consistently offer the best balance of margin and turnover speed. They're cheap enough to source below $300 from motivated sellers, have massive buyer pools, and resell reliably at $350–$500 locally. iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max carry higher absolute margins ($120–$250) but require more capital and face more reseller competition. Avoid anything older than iPhone XR — battery and software limitations shrink the buyer pool and compress margins.
Require 80% or higher. iOS displays a 'Battery Health Degraded' service recommendation below 80%, which shows directly on the buyer's first look at Settings. A phone at 79% or below either needs an Apple battery replacement (~$89) or has to be disclosed and priced accordingly. Always check Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging before paying.
Run the IMEI through Apple's coverage check at checkcoverage.apple.com and an IMEI blacklist checker. A carrier-locked iPhone or one reported lost/stolen is worth nothing as a resale unit. Additionally, always have the seller turn off Find My iPhone (Settings → [Name] → Find My) in front of you before handing over cash. An iCloud-locked phone with Find My still active can be remotely disabled by the original owner after the sale.
On iPhone 12 and newer, iOS shows an 'Unknown Part' or 'Non-Genuine Display' warning in Settings → General → About if the screen was replaced with a third-party display rather than an Apple genuine part. This flag is permanent and visible to buyers. Third-party screens are functional but buyers notice, and it's used as a negotiating point — expect to discount $30–$60 or disclose clearly in your listing.
Sell locally first — no fees, immediate cash, no shipping risk. If the phone doesn't move within 3–4 days at a fair price, list on eBay or Swappa. eBay gets 3–5% more in price but costs 12–15% in fees and requires packaging and shipping. The math usually favors local sale for mainstream models. Use eBay for harder-to-move configurations (unusual storage, niche colors, older models) where the national buyer pool is the only way to find the right buyer.
Yes — reselling legally purchased consumer electronics is protected by the first-sale doctrine. There are no volume limits for electronics resale (unlike cars). You should accurately describe condition in listings and ensure all previous accounts are removed before resale. Buying phones you know to be stolen is illegal and a separate matter entirely — IMEI checks are how you protect yourself.
The inspection knowledge is here. The speed advantage comes from Flipify — real-time alerts the moment an iPhone matching your search goes live.
Free 5-day trial · No credit card required