Where to sell your iPhone in Canada: The Complete Guide — Orchard

Are you thinking about selling your old iPhone? There’s plenty of options for our neighbours to the south, but iPhone resale is a relatively new service for Canadians. There’s only a handful of options available in Canada, but you’ll still be able to sell your iPhone for some extra cash.

We searched the web to find all of the top resellers, trade-ins and marketplaces you could use to sell your iPhone, gathering them into this complete guide. We’ll look at the pros and cons of each service, and compare the different offers you might get for your used iPhone.

In anticipation of the iPhone 7 coming later this year, we decided to look at what you might be able to get right now for an iPhone 6s.

iPhone 6s 16GB Space Grey (Unlocked or Rogers model)

Retail Value: $899

All quotes and estimations provided in Canadian Dollars as of June 2016.

Sell your iPhone: Trade-ins & Resellers

Trade-in and reseller options will typically buy your iPhone, offering you cash for your device once its condition is fully assessed by the company. In this case, you don’t have to worry about finding a buyer for your iPhone — these companies act as the direct buyer of the device.

Trade-in options usually offer quick payment on PayPal or gift cards, encouraging you to sell your old iPhone for some money back. On the other hand, resellers are looking to buy and refurbish your iPhone to sell again online. They handle both sides of the business by buying and selling used devices for consumers.

Orchard: up to $566 CAD

Reseller: Orchard directly pays for your used iPhone to resell online. We offer three selling times: one day, two weeks or three weeks. The longer you are able to wait, the more money we can offer you.

Payment: e-Transfer (PayPay or cheque upon request)

How it works: Simply install our Orchard app onto your iPhone which quickly tests, prices and registers an iPhone for sale. We will immediately send you a full pre-paid shipping kit. Once your selling time ends, or if your phone sells even sooner, you’ll receive your funds through a secure e-Transfer.

Pros

• We offer the highest amount for your iPhone
• Easy to use app
• Complete pre-paid shipping kit
• Quickly paid via secure e-Transfer

Cons

• Have to wait up to 4 weeks if you want the full value for your iPhone
• In some instances, repairs might lower the final amount we can offer you

Gizmosell: up to $550* CAD

Note: Gizmosell’s website does not appear to be functional as of October 14th, 2016.

Trade-In: Gizmosell directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in for money. They will find buyers interested in the phones, selling them to make a profit.

Payment: PayPal, e-Transfer or cheque

How it works: Use the Gizmosell website to assess the condition of your phone and get a quote for your device. Choose if you’d like to ship using your own box or with their shipping kit, both options have pre-paid labels. You’re paid the same day your phone arrives through PayPal, e-Transfer or cheque.

Pros

• Option to select a pre-paid shipping kit to send in your device
• PayPal and e-Transfer payments options are fast and secure

Cons

Apple Renew: up to $450* CAD

Trade-In: Apple directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in and recycle for parts. They’ll get money from the materials and then potentially make more on the activation of a new iPhone.

Payment: Apple Store Gift Card

How it works: The Apple Renew program will pay you to recycle your iPhone. Just select your model and Apple will send you a pre-paid shipping kit to mail the iPhone in. After the estimate is verified, you’ll receive your payment. You can also bring your iPhone into your local Apple Store.

Pros Cons

• Payment is only available on Apple Store Gift Cards, forcing you to buy something there
• Tries to make you activate a new iPhone at the Apple Store

Go-Recell: up to $385 CAD

Trade-In: Go-Recell directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in and recycle. They aim to be at the forefront of the cell phone recycling industry in Canada.

Payment: e-Transfer, PayPal or cheque

How it works: Use the Go-Recell website to get a quote based on the condition of your device. They will send your a free pre-paid shipping kit to mail your device in. You get paid instantly when your phone is received and inspected.

Pros

• Quick and secure payment options once your phone is received
• Accepts a wide variety of smartphones and tablets

Cons

• Low value offered for iPhone
• Mailed cheque may add additional waiting time for your payment

Best Buy: up to $355* CAD

Trade-In: Best Buy directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in at their stores. The focus is on giving customers incentive to upgrade their old devices with payment on a store gift card.

Payment: Best Buy Gift Card

How it works: Simply bring your device into your closest Best Buy store to trade it in for a Best Buy Gift Card. You also can get a quote online based on the condition of your device.

Pros Cons

Gizmogrind: up to $322 CAD

Trade-In: Gizmogrind directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in and recycle. They accept all conditions of devices, sell the lightly used phones to new users and recycling the phones at the end of their life.

Payment: Apple Gift Card, PayPal or cheque

How it works: Use the Gizmogrind website to get a quote based on the condition of your device. Choose if you’d like to ship using your own box or with their shipping kit, both options include pre-paid labels.. You get paid instantly when your phone is received and inspected.

Pros Cons

Sphere: up to $320* CAD

Trade-In: Sphere directly pays for your used iPhone to trade-in and recycle. They accept all conditions of devices, sell the lightly used phones to new users and recycling the phones at the end of their life.

Payment: PayPal or cheque

How it works: Use the Sphere website to get a quote based on the condition of your device. They will send your a free pre-paid shipping kit to mail your device in. You get paid instantly when your phone is received and inspected.

Pros

• Quick and secure payment via PayPal once your phone is received
• Complete pre-paid shipping kit

Cons

• Sphere’s website is out of date and did not have the latest iPhone 6s and 6s Plus listed as options
• Lowest value offered for an iPhone

Sell your iPhone: Marketplace options

The marketplace options can show you an estimated value for your iPhone and let you handle the listing to find a buyer. Marketplaces often have higher selling prices for iPhones, but you’ll have to weed through the scammers to find a legitimate offer. It can be a messy business, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort you might end up with more money for your device.

Prices listed below are only estimations dependent on a buyer.

eBay: about $375 — $900* CAD

Marketplace: We all know what eBay is great for, allowing you to buy and sell just about anything online. They make their money through the various upgrades available for postings.

Payment: PayPal

How it works: Create your own post on eBay, add images, set your price and wait for a potential buyer to bid on your iPhone. Once it sells, you’ll ship it to the buyer and wait for the funds to be released over PayPal.

Pros Cons

Kijiji: about $500 — $800* CAD

Marketplace: Kijiji has quickly become a Canadian favourite, offering online classifieds to buy and sell just about anything.

Payment: Cash

How it works: Create your own post on Kijiji, add images, set your price and wait for a potential buyer to email you. Once they can agree on a price, you’ll usually have to meet up to make the exchange.

Pros Cons

• Some fees are charged for certain listing features
• Large amount of scammers on these types of websites
• Can be dangerous meeting a buyer, potential to get scammed out of money

Craigslist: about $500 — $800* CAD

Marketplace: Craigslist is essentially an online classifieds section, allowing you to buy and sell just about anything. They actually make their money through the job postings in major cities.

Payment: Cash

How it works: Create your own post on Craigslist, add images, set your price and wait for a potential buyer to email you. Once they can agree on a price, you’ll have to meet up to make the exchange.

Pros Cons

• Craigslist is notorious for the large amount of scammers
• There are plenty of reasons not to sell on places like these
• Can be dangerous meeting a buyer, potential to get scammed out of money

The easiest experience + the most money = Orchard

Not to toot our own horn, but compared to all the trade-in and resale options out there, Orchard offers the most convenient way to sell your iPhone for the most money.

We certainly can’t compete with the high value of marketplaces, meaning a DIY sale will always be more lucrative. But marketplaces come with their fair share of problems and that’s why we think the convenience of Orchard pays for the difference in price.

Compared to the other trade-in options in Canada, Orchard has the highest offer of up to $566 for a used iPhone 6s 16GB.

So the next time you’re wondering where to sell your iPhone, weigh the pros of trade-ins and resellers against the cons of marketplaces. If you’re looking for the easiest option to sell your old iPhone, download the Orchard app and get some extra cash the simple way.

Originally published at https://www.getorchard.com on July 4, 2016.