Where to sell your old iPhone?

As iPhone 6 pre-order mania continues, a growing number of people are looking for ways to get rid of their old iPhone, preferably for some money to use to buy the new version.

There is a burgeoning market for purchasing old Apple gear, from traditional outlets like Gazelle and eBay, to game stores like GameSpot, retailers like Best Buy and now even the wireless carriers and Apple itself. Here is a list of a few places that are looking to buy your old phone as well as how much they're willing to pay for it.

CARRIERS:

One of the biggest new trade-in options for the iPhone 6 is the carrier stores. As competition continues to increase from the likes of T-Mobile and Sprint, all four major carriers have announced trade in programs to buy back your old phone in exchange for money toward a new one (preferably on a new two year contract that keeps you using their service).

Verizon and AT&T are offering customers a minimum credit of $300 toward an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus when they trade-in an iPhone 5s, and a minimum of $200 trade-in credit for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c so long as the devices are in "good and working condition." Verizon requires that you submit your request by September 30.


It's on: Wireless carriers compete for iPhone customers

Sprint, which is offering a new iPhone plan to go along with the new device, will be offering credit of at least $200 when users trade in an iPhone at its site and enter the promo code "iPhone6."

T-Mobile for its part promises to beat any offer made by a rival carrier and pay the difference in the offer back to the customer. The company will also give the customer an additional $50 for spotting the better deal. To take advantage of T-Mobile's you first need to trade in your device. If you spot a better deal within 7 days after trading in you report that better deal at T-Mobile's site and it will begin the process of matching. T-Mobile's offer starts on September 17 and runs for "a limited time."


RETAILERS

There are several retailers getting into the trade-in game as well, with offers varying based on the store.

First and foremost is Apple. Yes, Apple has partnered with trade-in company Brightstar and is ready to buy your old iPhone off of you in exchange for a nice Apple Store gift card, which you could then use to buy your next iPhone. Apple accepts iPhones 4 or later and actually offers some good deals including $310 for a 64GB iPhone 5s. You can do the trade-in online and ship the device to Apple (they'll then email you the gift card) or walk into your local Apple Store and do it all instantly.


The iPhone 6 Plus is the must-have iPhone

Gamestop, not usually associated with iPhone trade-ins, will be offering trade-ins for iPhone 4 or later, going up to $319 in-store credit or $255 cash for a 64GB Verizon iPhone 5s. Best Buy is doing its own trade-in and will offer a $335 gift card for the same 64GB Verizon iPhone 5s, while Target will offer a $292.50 gift card for the same device. The benefit of the retail option is that, like Apple, all three stores allow you to go into the store to do your trade instantly instead of doing it online.

Staples, which will sell the new iPhone next week, is also getting into the trade-in craze. Starting Sunday, Staples customers can get a minimum of $50 back when they trade-in a smartphone (a 64GB iPhone 5s in good condition can get up to $255). The company also has partnered with Verizon to give Verizon customers who trade in their old iPhone and sign a new two-year agreement a Staples gift card worth $200, which can in turn be used to buy the new iPhone 6 that starts at $199.

Other retailers offering trade-ins include Amazon, which will offer up to a $400 gift card for a 64 GB iPhone 5s. Amazon also allows you to "lock in" your price for the next 45 days (Target gives 30 days), buying you some time before you need to send in your phone. Given that the iPhone 6 pre-orders are going quickly, locking-in your price now can be helpful.

ONLINE SITES

There are several sites online that focus on selling your phone including Gazelle and eBay. Gazelle is offering up to $315 for an iPhone 5s in "flawless condition" and, similar to Amazon, offers you the opportunity to "lock-in" your trade price, though it will only give you 30 days. eBay currently seems to be the place to go for selling your iPhone, with a 16GB iPhone 5s going for $339 on average and a 64GB iPhone 5s selling for $440.

Of course eBay is an auction site so your price may vary, though the company is guaranteeing a $100 coupon if you put your device (iPhone 4 or later) up for auction and it doesn't sell after a minimum listing date of 5 days. Gazelle and eBay will also pay more if your device is unlocked.

Another option is of course Craigslist, though in this situation you are meeting the buyer in person. While this route may get you the most money it does carry some risk. If you do this make sure you meet your buyer in a public place like a coffee house or some other very public setting.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU TRADE

As you can see there are a number of options for where you can get rid of your old phone. The price for your particular device will vary depending on a number of factors, most importantly the condition it's in. The links above will guide you through that site's evaluation process and it's best to look through several of these options to see which one makes sense for you.

One thing that's constant: if you are trading in your phone also make sure to back it up first. You can back it up by plugging in to iTunes or syncing with iCloud. After you do that go to your iPhone's Settings, followed by "General," "Reset" (it's at the bottom of the list in the "General" tab), and "Erase all content and settings." This will ensure that all your data is safely off the iPhone before you give it away. It is also required by several of the trade-in sites as it removes the "find my iPhone feature" that would have otherwise made the device worthless.

-usatoday