You dropped your iPhone. It shattered your screen. It shattered your heart. Heck, it might have even shattered your dreams (okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it definitely stinks to crack your screen). Now you’re left with a decision: Do I keep using this iPhone and deal with the judgmental looks and bandaged fingers? Or, do I shell out $150 for Apple to repair the screen? You might not know it, but there’s a third way. You can sell your cracked iPhone for cold, hard cash.
Professional refurbishing companies buy up cracked iPhones in bulk and replace the screens for much cheaper than Apple can. That means your cracked iPhone is actually worth quite a bit of money. In many cases, an iPhone with the screen cracked can be re-sold for only $30-$50 less than one in good condition. You can use that money towards the purchase of an upgraded iPhone or even just to buy the same model again, taking only a $50 loss instead of $150+ by getting it fixed by Apple.
Before selling your cracked iPhone, be sure to erase your data by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Then, decide where you’re going to sell it. Luckily, there’s a much smaller market and demand for cracked iPhones than ones in good condition, so we’d advise against trying to sell locally and instead find a buyer online. For broken iPhones, eBay and buyback websites like GadgetGone are going to be your best bet.
Sell Your Cracked iPhone on eBay
If you decide to sell your cracked iPhone on eBay, make absolutely sure that you select the “For parts or not working” condition category. If you select the “Used” condition category, there’s a good chance that a buyer will not read your ad and buy it under the assumption that your iPhone is functional and in good cosmetic condition (and we both know that’s not true).
In your description, make sure that you mention that your iPhone has a clean IMEI, is not iCloud locked, and is fully functional aside from the cracks. Here’s a good description template for a cracked iPhone:
“For sale is an iPhone (insert model) with a cracked display. Other than being cracked, the iPhone is fully functional. My iCloud account has been removed and this iPhone is clean for activation.”
We recommend using an auction-style listing for cracked-screen iPhones, as it’s very hard for novice sellers to find the perfect price with a buy-it-now listing. You don’t want to price it too low and risk leaving money on the table or too high and have to re-list it because it didn’t sell the first time. Keep in mind that if your item sells, PayPal may hold the funds for up to two weeks and your buyer can return the item if they feel you didn’t describe it accurately.
Sell Your Cracked iPhone to a BuyBack Company Like GadgetGone
If you’d rather not deal with the hassle of eBay, a buyback website like GadgetGone is going to be your best option. All you have to do is get an instant quote online, ship your iPhone, and wait for the check to come in.
A word of caution though: While buyback websites are very easy to use, many of them don’t offer the best price for cracked iPhones. Frankly, many don’t even offer a decent price. Quite a few buyback websites just have a “broken” or “damaged” condition category that will encompass many different possible issues. As such, they’ll offer a low-ball price for your cracked or damaged-screen iPhone.
At GadgetGone, we actually have a “cracked” condition category for most iPhone models (iPhone 6 series and newer). This category pays much higher than other damaged categories because we know how easy it is to simply fix a cracked phone screen. Only a handful of websites offer this category, so do your research before choosing a company to sell to and make sure they offer you a fair price.
Aside from that, why else is GadgetGone one of the best options out there for your cracked iPhone? Well, we are proud to have some of the consistently highest offers among buyback websites. Plus, with our PriceMatch+ guarantee, you’ll know you’re getting the most money for your device every time. If you received a higher quote from one of our competitors (as long as it’s a reputable online trade-in company—no funny business), just let us know and we’ll match it, plus add on an extra $5 for your troubles.