By CashForTechs · Updated October 30, 2026
Below are the six ways people in Sacramento sell an iPhone: how each works, when it’s the right choice and what to watch for, including the trade-offs of selling to us.
The short version
- Cash today, with a real number before you leave the house: a local buyer.
- The most money, if you have the time: sell it yourself online.
- Upgrading with your carrier on a promotion: carrier trade-in.
- Unlocked, in good shape, want it done in minutes: a kiosk.
- In no hurry and don’t want to meet anyone: a mail-in buyer.
- Want the option of getting the phone back: a pawn shop.
1. A trade-in kiosk
How it works. Kiosks like ecoATM sit inside some Sacramento grocery and big-box stores. Turn off Find My and erase the phone first. The machine scans it, runs its own checks and shows an offer on the screen; accept, and it pays you right there.
When it’s the right choice. You’re already at a store that has one, the phone is unlocked and in good shape, and you’d rather deal with a machine than a person.
What to watch for. You don’t know your number until the machine has finished its check, and there’s no one there to explain the number. An iCloud-locked or passcode-locked iPhone usually won’t get an offer there. How a local buyer compares with a kiosk.
2. Carrier or manufacturer trade-in
How it works. When you buy a new iPhone, the carrier or the manufacturer takes your old one toward it: quote online, hand it in at the store or mail it, and the value comes back as a credit on the new phone or as monthly bill credits.
When it’s the right choice. You’re upgrading with that carrier anyway and the promotion gives more for your trade than you’d get anywhere else. Those deals are real, so read the terms.
What to watch for. It’s credit, not cash. Monthly credits usually run the length of a new installment plan and stop if you leave early or change plans. Promotions often need a new line or a specific plan, and the value isn’t final until they’ve checked the phone.
3. A pawn shop
How it works. Walk in with the phone. They look it over and make an offer on the spot, either to buy it or as a loan you pay back to get the phone returned.
When it’s the right choice. You want the option of getting the phone back later, or you want to walk in today without texting anyone first.
What to watch for. Pawn shops buy a bit of everything, so phones usually aren’t their specialty, and the number is based on what that shop can move, not on live market data for your exact model and storage. Pawn shop or local buyer: how it compares.
4. Selling it yourself online
How it works. List the phone on an online marketplace with photos and a description, answer messages, then meet the buyer or ship it and sort out payment.
When it’s the right choice. You have time, you’re comfortable dealing with marketplace buyers, and you want to sell straight to the person who’ll use the phone, which can bring in the most if the right buyer comes along.
What to watch for. No-shows, messages that go nowhere, fake payment confirmations, buyers who want you to ship first, and claims after the sale that the phone wasn’t as described. It can take days or weeks, and the phone sits unsold the whole time.
5. A national mail-in buyer
How it works. Enter the model and condition on their site, get a quote, print the label and mail the phone. Once it arrives and they’ve checked it, they pay you, usually by a payment app, direct deposit or check.
When it’s the right choice. You’re in no hurry, the phone is unlocked and in good shape, and you’d rather not meet anyone.
What to watch for. The quote isn’t final until the phone arrives and they’ve looked at it. If they come back with a different number, you’re deciding from a distance with your phone already in their hands. Count on a week or more between shipping and payment.
6. A local buyer (that’s us)
How it works. Text (916) 269-5021 with your model, storage and condition. A real person texts back an offer based on live market data, usually within minutes. Accept, and we’ll call or text to set a time that works for you. We meet in Sacramento, check the phone together in a few minutes and pay cash on the spot. No inspection price drops: the offer we text is the cash we hand you when the phone is as described. Highly rated on Google, 75+ reviews.
When it’s the right choice. You want cash today, you want a real number before you go anywhere, or your iPhone is harder to sell elsewhere. Carrier-locked and financed iPhones are fine on any model we buy, any carrier. Cracked, iCloud-locked or passcode-locked iPhones need an iPhone 13 Pro Max or newer, and most of those get an offer as is. Selling a broken or locked iPhone.
What to watch for. We buy iPhone 11 and newer, and every meetup is set by call or text. Battery issue? We still consider most iPhones. Water damage or won’t turn on? Text us the model and what happened. Newer models can still get an offer; older ones usually can’t. And we’re one buyer, not a marketplace: if you have weeks to wait for the perfect buyer, selling it yourself may bring in more.
Have a Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel instead? The same six options apply, and we buy those too. See everything we buy.
Before you sell, whichever option you pick
- Find your model and storage. Settings → General → About. Every buyer asks for both.
- Check for a carrier lock or a balance. Carrier Lock is on the same About screen. Still paying it off? You can still sell it.
- Move your service to your new phone. Transfer your eSIM, or take out the physical SIM card and keep it.
- Back up, turn off Find My and erase it. The full walkthrough, every screen. Not sure how? We’ll walk you through it.
- Get your number first. Ask for the offer before you drive anywhere, and have the phone signed out and erased when you show up: that’s what gets the best offer wherever you sell.
Ready to sell?
Text or call (916) 269-5021 with your model, storage and condition, and we’ll text back your offer. See every iPhone we buy in Sacramento.
