One thing we can all agree on: Making extra money is always a good thing.
Are you looking for another money-flipping strategy to flip your money today? Then you’ll love this advanced step-by-step guide on how to make money flipping phones, or iPhones specifically.
In fact, did you know that you can make $13,653.48 (or more) extra a year just by flipping cell phones on a monthly basis? I’ll detail how I did it and you’ll learn how to make money simply by buying and reselling cell phones for a profit.
(I’ve got a long cell phone flipping guide here but read to the very end and I promise you it will be worth it.)
There are a lot of ways to make supplemental income outside of your 9-5 job, trust me, I have looked into over 100 different creative side hustles to make money and stop being broke. One of the more profitable ways I’ve found is buying and selling iPhones for a profit. The concept is really simple, buy low and sell high.
In November, I flipped 10 iPhones at an average of $103.44 of profit per cell phone. That netted me a profit of $1,137.79 of profit for 1 months work. That’s enough to pay for rent or your mortgage in most places in the US.
At that rate, an extra $13,653.48 per year is great supplemental income.
Not bad, right?
As with anything in life, it’s not an easy thing to do and is at times very challenging.
I will get more into this later in the article, but my general technique for this one month was buying cell phones from Amazon and reselling them for a profit on Craigslist.
1) Search and Buy iPhones on Amazon
You can purchase used phones from a variety of sources such as Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and countless other smartphone buy/sell apps.
Generally, you would find the best deals on Craigslist because you can negotiate down the price and get great deals on cell phones.
For this month, I found some great deals on Amazon for used iPhones so I used that source. I also was able to use my Discover it Credit Card which netted me 5% cash-back on all purchases on Amazon. Boom!
I searched through Amazon and found the following phones that met all my criteria and I knew I could sell for a profit of $100 per phone. If you wanted to follow along with my process, click here to search for used iPhones currently selling on Amazon.
Exclusive iPhone Flipping Amazon Search Tool |
| iPhone X | iPhone 8 Plus | iPhone 8 | iPhone 7 Plus | iPhone 7 | iPhone 6s Plus | iPhone 6s | iPhone 6 Plus | iPhone 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone X (64GB) for around $550-650. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 8 Plus (64GB) for around $400-550. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 8 (64GB) for around $300-400. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 7 Plus (32GB) for around $330-450. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 7 (32GB) for around $200-310. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6s Plus (16GB) for around $150-210. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6s (16GB) for around $100-150. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6 Plus (16GB) for around $100-160. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6 (16GB) for around $100-150. |
| Cheap: iPhone X |
| Tip: Save the iPhone Flipping Tool to your bookmarks bar to search for cheap iPhones more often. This way you can find good deals that can and will pop up regularly. You can find the iPhone search tool here. |
I am very familiar with iPhone products, so I felt comfortable buying and selling them only. iPhones are easy to resell, and when searching for them on Amazon I have a target price that I am willing to pay. I figure out my target price after I know what the phone is worth.
If it is selling for $300 on eBay, that is how much it is worth.
Don’t worry, it’s simple.
To figure this out, I search for the cell phone model I am considering buying on eBay and scroll down to “Show Only”. I check the “Completed Listings” box, and then I see all completed auctions for that search.
I know that the phones with green prices sold at that price, while the phones with red prices didn’t end up selling. This gives me a good idea of how much the phone is likely to sell for.
- To find how much a phone is worth, check how much the phone has sold for on eBay using “Completed Listing” searches.
So do a quick search and see if you can find any deals:
Only buy cell phones that you know can resell for a profit
My goal is to buy iPhones on Amazon for $100 less (so I can make $100 profit per phone when I resell) than what it is selling for on eBay. While buying on Amazon I do realize there is some risk involved.
| Tip: Amazon provides better protection over buying on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Amazon provides protection for buyers, because if you never receive a phone purchased or it is not working then you can submit what is called an “A-to-Z Guarantee Protection claim”. |
This is a very simple process of making a claim against the seller, and then Amazon will refund me completely and immediately. They will then go after the seller themselves. It really does give me some peace of mind since I was about to purchased 11 phones totaling $2,181.54 in costs of goods.
You can find what the iPhone is selling for and then use eBay completed listing search to see if there is an opportunity for profit.
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How I Find Cheap iPhones To Resell
I should mention that this case study was done in early 2015. Therefore, as you probably should know, Apple releases new iPhones every year generally in early September.
So you might want to target newer phones than the ones that were available to me at the time. I would suggest searching Amazon for used iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus.
Why?
You can usually find a better deal on the model that is prior to the current newest model. People generally toss their “older” phone on Amazon for semi-arbitrary prices as they are just looking to sell it quick.
Generally, the higher storage (GB amount) the phone has leads to funky pricing because people do not know the phone’s true value, so you can usually get a better deal on those.
| Tip: Based on my experience, I find it easy to buy AT&T phones, so you can unlock them, and that will increase your profit potential by 20% on average. |
It’s possible to make money by flipping iPhones!
Here’s my haul:
Purchase iPhones |
| iPhone & Description | Total Costs |
|---|---|
| 1. iPhone 5 16GB White Condition: Used-Acceptable, Needs home button fixed. Apple can do it, or cell phone repair shops will for about $50. Functional without it by using assistive touch and top button. 4/5 Charger: No Box:Yes Headset: No Cost: $119.99 Extra Costs: $37.85 ( Replaced Screen + Factory Unlock) Total Costs: 157.84 |  
Total Costs: $157.84 |
| 2. iPhone 5 16GB White Condition: Used - Good CRACKED SCREEN, functions perfectly. Original box. No charger or headphones. 4/5 Charger:No Box:Yes Headset: No Cost: $154.99 Extra Costs: $7.85 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $162.84 |
Total Costs: $162.84 |
| 3. iPhone 5 16GB Black Condition: Used - Good This phone has been tested and is 100% working. Phone and Charger only, no case. This phone has 1 small dent and a few minor scuffs along the rim of the case. Screen has minor scratches not noticeable when looking directly on. Price has been reduced over scratches. IMEI has been checked and is clean and ready for activation through AT&T. Listed as iPhone 5s, actually turned out to be an iPhone 5. 4/5 Charger: Yes Box:No Headset: No Cost: $175.00 Extra Costs: $7.00 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $182.00 |  
Total Costs: $182.00 |
| 4. iPhone 5 64GB Black Condition: Used - Acceptable, ~ Item is in functional working condition and in acceptable cosmetic appearance. Item may have some major scuffing and/or wear on the screen, front and/or rear casing. All accessories may NOT be included and will be delivered in a non-retail box. 3/5 Charger: Yes Box: No Headset: Yes Cost: $182.14 Extra Costs: $7.00 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $189.14 |  
Total Costs: $189.14 |
| 5. iPhone 5 64GB Black Condition: Used - Acceptable, ~ Item is in functional working condition and in acceptable cosmetic appearance. Item may have some major scuffing and/or wear on the screen, front and/or rear casing. All accessories may NOT be included and will be delivered in a non-retail box. 1/5 Charger: Yes Box: No Headset: Yes Cost: $182.14 Extra Costs: $7.00 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $189.14 |
Total Costs: $189.14 |
| 6. iPhone 5 64GB Black Condition: Used - Acceptable, ~ Item is in functional working condition and in acceptable cosmetic appearance. Item may have some major scuffing and/or wear on the screen, front and/or rear casing. All accessories may NOT be included and will be delivered in a non-retail box. 2/5 Charger: Yes Box: No Headset: Yes Cost: $182.14 Extra Costs: $7.00 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $189.14 |
Total Costs: $189.14 |
| 7. iPhone 5 16GB White Condition: Used - Very Good PLEASE NOTE CONDITION BEFORE PURCHASE: This iPhone is in overall good condition. Shows signs of wear from normal use. The iPhone has been professionally tested and passed a multi-point inspection for complete functionality. This listing will include only the iPhone itself 4/5 Charger: No Box: No Headset: No Cost: $186.76 Extra Costs:$8.99 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $195.75 |
Total Costs: $195.75 |
| 8. iPhone 5s 32GB Black Condition: Used - Acceptable, ~ Item is in functional working condition and in acceptable cosmetic appearance. Item may have some major scuffing and/or wear on the screen, front and/or rear casing. All accessories may NOT be included and will be delivered in a non-retail box. Charger: No Box:No Headset: No Cost: $318.38 Extra Costs: $8.99 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $327.27 |  
Total Costs: $327.27 |
| 9. iPhone 5 16GB White Condition: Used- Good. Phone only, decent condition. 4/5 Charger: No Box: No Headset: No Cost: $160.00 Extra Costs: $8.99 (Factory Unlock) Total Costs: $168.90 |
Total Costs: $168.90 |
| 10. iPhone 6 Plus 16GB Black Condition: Brand New iPhone 6 Plus 5/5. Cannot unlock. Charger: Yes Box: Yes Headset: Yes Cost: $520 Extra Costs: None Total Costs: $520.00 |  
Total Costs: $520.00 |
What I Paid in Total:(10) iPhones: $2,050.87 |
Pro Tip: Learn How To Fix Cracked Screens
While flipping cell phones you can benefit from buying phones with cracked screens.
As detailed above, you can see I purchased one cell phone with a cracked screen. You can get better deals on phones with a damaged LCD screen, and they aren’t difficult to replace.
You can follow along instructions that you can find on YouTube or on the web in order to fix cracked screens. It’s also easy to find to find replacement screens on Amazon.
| Replacement screens on Amazon: iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPhone 6s / iPhone 6s Plus / iPhone 7 / iPhone 7 Plus |
2) Sell the iPhones on Craigslist
Now having spent $2,181.54 in inventory I needed to sell the iPhones. So I took really great photos of each of the phones because if you don’t include pictures, 90% of the time your post will be looked over.
So I made sure to take great quality photos of each phone and used brief and accurate headlines of the phone.
Follow these tips to sell your iPhones on Craigslist |
1. Be Honest
I was upfront about the condition of each phone and was honest about each phone.
2. Use Google Voice
I used Google Voice phone number in all my Craigslist posts, which makes potential costumers feel more at ease knowing they can contact me. I don’t like disclosing my personal cell phone number or have someone calling my real phone number 3 months after I sold them a phone.
3. Create a Craigslist Email Address
Having a Craigslist-only email address keeps all your Craigslist selling activity separated from day-to-day life.
4. Be assertive, yet friendly
My time is probably the more expensive thing I have. I let the buyers know I won’t stand for low ball offers, and that they will be simply ignored. I post that in all my ads. Just don’t be a pushover.
5. No Trades
Trying to make money here, and I only deal with cash.
6. Use a brief and accurate headline
I use a concise headline, for example, it would be- “iPhone 6 Plus 16GB – AT&T (Black)”
7. Pricing
I price my phones so I have a little wiggle room to price haggle.
With these strategies in mind, I ended up selling all of the phones as you can see my profit/loss report below.
iPhone Flipping Profit/Loss Report |
iPhone Model |
Total Costs |
Sold |
Profit |
| iPhone 5 16GB White | $157.84 | $280.00 | $122.16 |
| iPhone 5 16GB White | $162.84 | $295.00 | $132.16 |
| iPhone 5 16GB Black | $182.00 | $280.00 | $98.00 |
| iPhone 5 64GB Black | $189.14 | $345.00 | $155.86 |
| iPhone 5 64GB Black | $189.14 | $300.00 | $110.86 |
| iPhone 5 64GB Black | $189.14 | $300.00 | $110.86 |
| iPhone 5 16GB White | $195.75 | $300.00 | $104.25 |
| iPhone 5s 32GB Black | $327.37 | $400.00 | $72.63 |
| iPhone 5 16GB White | $168.99 | $270.00 | $101.01 |
| iPhone 6 Plus 16GB Black | $520.00 | $650.00 | $130.00 |
| Total Profit: Sold all phones for $3,420 which left me with $1,137.79 of net profit for 1 months work. |
What if you needed cash right away?
If you ended up getting too much inventory or have an old phone laying around and need cash now then you can easily sell it on Gazelle for cash. This is the easiest way to sell it quickly. If you’d like to get an extra 3% bonus on your trade-in, use my Gazelle 3% bonus link by clicking here.
Amazon also has a trade-in program for consumer electronics. You can access the Amazon trade-in program by clicking here.
Another option is to bring your old phone to Best Buy, Walmart, or your wireless provider, to see what kind of trade-in value you can get for something else.
You can make money flipping iPhones or buying and reselling cell phones!
I ended up with $1,137.79 in profit for a months work of flipping cell phones because I bought these phones at a good price and I was able to get them factory unlocked which increases the value of the phone by 20%.
Also, since I purchased them on Amazon and was able to get cash back by using my Discover Card, I profited $109.08 in cash-back.
I didn’t use this in calculating my total profit above because not everyone has a Discover it credit card. I wanted to mention though because it’s my favorite go-to card and I would recommend it.
I have a special offer with Discover and if you sign up through this link, you can get a $50 cash sign up bonus! Yes, seriously! Also, if you plan on buying these phones on Amazon, you can get extra cash back through Rakuten.
If you’re looking for a side hustle gig, why not try flipping cell phones. Check the value of the phone on eBay and see what sellers are selling their used phones on Amazon or Craigslist.
The key is finding an arbitrage in pricing: buy low, sell high. Selling phones requires some work, however, it is very possible and anyone can do it using the steps outlined here.
Take a look what is available now, there is money to be made! I’m proof that it is possible and this is a great way to pay off your debt. I would suggest buying iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus for AT&T on Amazon, unlocking them, then selling them on Craigslist.
What’s next? Try it for yourself. I have made a custom search that I use which finds the lowest price for all used iPhone’s on Amazon. This includes all iPhones of all colors and sizes, sorted by lowest priced first.
Try it Yourself: Find Cheap iPhones Now to Resell |
| iPhone X | iPhone 8 Plus | iPhone 8 | iPhone 7 Plus | iPhone 7 | iPhone 6s Plus | iPhone 6s | iPhone 6 Plus | iPhone 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | | |
| For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone X (64GB) for around $550-650. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 8 Plus (64GB) for around $400-550. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 8 (64GB) for around $300-400. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 7 Plus (32GB) for around $330-450. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 7 (32GB) for around $200-310. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6s Plus (16GB) for around $150-210. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6s (16GB) for around $100-150. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6 Plus (16GB) for around $100-160. | For reference: You can sell an unlocked iPhone 6 (16GB) for around $100-150. |
| Cheap: iPhone X |
| Tip: Save the iPhone Flipping Tool to your bookmarks bar. This makes it easy to search for new phones on the daily. You can find the iPhone search tool here. |
Now get out there and make some money. Have you thought about flipping cell phones or iPhones? What’s stopping you or have you had success? I’m interested in other people’s experience, leave a comment below if you have questions!
Other Easy Ways To Earn Extra Money
In addition to flipping phones, I’ve found other ways you can consistently make money on the side. They include:
|
Don’t forget to check Amazon for cheap phones
| Tip: Save the iPhone Flipping Tool to your bookmarks bar. This makes it easy to search for new phones on the daily. You can find the iPhone search tool here. |
Stop Searching Google for:
- phone flipping course
- buying and selling phones for profit
- flipping phones reddit
- flipping phones game
- flip phones for profit course
- is flipping phones illegal
- flip phones for profit pdf
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This gives a whole new meaning to “flip phones!”
Bad joke, sorry about that. Your success with this made me think of the guy that bought SIM cards wholesale then sold them at retail individually. But then I realized your story is less retail arbitrage and more fix and flip. Do you do the repairs yourself or just go to a local shop?
Good point about pricing the phones with wiggle room, makes you much more likable as a seller if you come down in price, even if it’s artificial. Plus you probably get some buyers that take it at full price without haggling, even better!
Haha, it really does though.
To be honest, I’ve never actually considered flipping SIM cards, I might check to see if it is still a profitable venture or if the space is too crowded. If you can find the article you are talking about I would love to read about it.
My main side hustle right now is selling fitness products through a Shopify store I’ve created. I am always looking for ways to supplement my income and trying new entrepreneurial pursuits.
I did all the fixing up myself! I recall buying the first iPhone that came out ~10 years ago and fixing the screen through a YouTube video after it had cracked. Ever since, I was hooked, in addition to being able to replace the screen/digitizer I could easily replace the phones battery, antenna, camera, etc. It was very profitable for me and helped me pay off a portion of my ~26K in student loans within 1 year of graduating. I don’t have time for to do it anymore though because other projects that have my attention now but it really did help me create another stream of revenue.
Who did you use for your Factory unlocking service. Website or number please. Thanks
my business partner did this exact thing throughout college. he would buy any underpriced phones and watches that he could resell, and would then hire me and other friends to handle actually selling the goods. It always seemed like it was an easy side hustle as long as you have enough capital. He said he always like the watches more because he didn’t have to worry about how long he held them in inventory because for the most part they appreciate rather than depreciate.
Yeah, I would only hold the phones for a few weeks max. If I couldn’t sell it for the price point I wanted I would just lower the price a bit and it would sell. Watches can go out of style, but that’s not really my area of expertise! Thanks for reading 🙂
i see yourr information but i looked on amazon dont see any phone what are priced at discount that i can flip, please teach me, thanks
You gotta be quick. Scour the internet, not just Amazon, but eBay, and different classified marketplaces. Look into buying phones with cracked screens, then learn how to replace the screen and get it unlocked and you could sell it for a profit. Good luck!
What service or company did you use to remove the lock ? Was it a carrier lock? icloud lock? or simple phone lock? (i.e. digits locked via the touch screen?)
It was a carrier unlock, which raised the value of the phone at least by 20%. Had I not unlocked the iPhones via carrier unlocks, I would have not been able to net these profits!
I used a service similar to this that you can find on eBay
I noticed that your purchase consists mainly of iphone fives. Is it because the older the model, the greater the price variance (and thus potential good deal)? I did a quick scan on Ebay for iphone 6, 16GB and found there is no much room for profit.
The reason why I bought iPhone 5’s was because at the time those were the phone’s I bought in which I knew I could make a profit. I did this case study a few years ago, right now I would gun for iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. I would not advise buying the newest phone as the prices are way too high. After your quick search, you may not always find deals that is why it’s important to look for deals diligently daily, or weekly, as deals do pop up when sellers ignorantly, or not, sell their phones for a quick selling price.
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I appreciate the kind words. I’m using BlueHost and you can get a reduced rate for hosting here. I would recommend them, as they have 24/7 customer service so they will be able to help any time of the day. Thanks for stopping by!
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Thanks Cart, thanks for stopping by!
· Focus on Targeted Market – The success between your relationships along
with your whyolesalers greatly depends on the targeted
market. This will be the point inn which you will assist the bank
to find the short sale approved to get the exact
property sold, preventing the home from going into foreclosure.
However, selling or recycling oldd mobile phone units are actually taking
place for quite some time now.
I enjoyed reading the post. I work in a repair shop that doesn’t buy phones, but I often have customers with broken phones ask if we buy them. I tell them that we don’t, but off the record, if one of us is interested, we do. I recently had a customer come in with a broken Samsung galaxy s7 edge that had a screen so horribly shattered, you couldn’t see anything but lines and a green cast over said lines. He asked how much it was to repair it and I explained that it wood be a couple hundred dollars because the cost of the screen alone is over $200, not even including labor. He offered it to me for $20. I accepted, thinking that it may never work again because of the cost, but I wanted a take apart Samsung to study. It turned out the manager previously bought another customer previously a defective screen that he couldn’t use, so we slapped it on. Sure, it has a few purples lines on the right side and a few dead pixels, but for $20, it’s a cheap upgrade from my galaxy s3.
I’ve thought about flipping phones for a while since we get so many customers willing to sell their phones for quick cash in our shop. One guy even gave one of us his broken iphone 6 in exchange for a free tempered glass on his other phone we just repaired.
Sounds like it would be a good side hustle for you to look into since you’re already in the business sort of. Have you gotten any more phones that you flipped? Curious.
Thanks for sharing. I’m a college student trying to find ways to make some extra cash. Would you recommend this side hustle to college students?
Absolutely, I did it while I was in college and I get a few emails a month from students who are also currently in college and are thinking the same way you are.
If you ever need some more advice, feel free to reach out to me!
I really like your article! Thanks for writing engaging and interesting material.
You got it! Thanks Dannie!
I like what you guys are up also. Such smart work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I have incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my site 🙂
Much appreciated Myrl!
Superb write up, really considering doing this while in college to make some extra money.
I would try it out, there is money to be made. Also, as a college student you may have more time on your hands than if you had a regular 9-5 job! If you ever want to chat more, feel free to reach out!
It seems like neԝ ones pοp up on a normal basіs.
Seems that way! Perhaps, people getting rid of their newer phones to get the iPhone X or another phone type? Thanks for the comment.
The links you posted to find cheap iPhones on Amazon serve to be quite useful. Cheers!
Great! I’m glad you found it useful.
6. Use a brief and accurate headline
I use a concise headline, for example, it would be- “iPhone 6 Plus 16GB – Brand New (AT&T) Black”
I just have one problem with this–the phones are NOT BRAND NEW !!!
Good catch! I’ll have to edit that.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
i see your information but i looked on amazon dont see any phone what are priced at discount that i can flip, please teach me, thanks
I can help you, Tony. Just reach out to me either on Twitter (www.twitter.com/themillennialmg) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/mymillennialguide). Talk to you soon!
Great post, Brian! Definitely kicked me into gear to get to work on selling my old iPhone 7. I was going to trade it in, but they kicked it back to me for the SMALLEST crack in the screen ever. But right now I have a valuable piece of tech sitting in the closet doing nothing and a valuable skill-set being underutilized, in that I have experience repairing computers/tech.
Glad you like it! Good luck.
I have been looking on Amazon and eBay and don’t see any kind of profit margin close to what is listed here. A real explanation with an example would be appreciated. There is no way of getting $100 per phone at least not in the market I see today
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The part of buying on Amazon cheaper than on ebay really made me laugh hard. Please go check any smartphone price. It’s the other way around. Ebay is a lot cheaper than Amazon.com or Amazon UK. How did you pull that one ? 2015 must have been a very spacial year!