Selling a Phone on OfferUp or Facebook: No-Shows and Scams

Listing your phone on OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace can get you the most money for it. You set the price and nobody in the middle takes a cut.

What the listing price doesn't show is the week that comes after it. This guide covers what selling a phone yourself usually looks like, the scams aimed at phone sellers, and the safety habits that actually protect you. At the end, there's a faster option if you decide the money isn't worth the trouble.

What selling a phone yourself actually looks like

Post a clean iPhone at a fair price in Los Angeles and your inbox fills up fast. Most of it goes nowhere.

• "Is this available?" The app's one-tap message. Plenty of people tap it on every listing they scroll past and never reply to your answer.
• Lowball offers. Someone offers a fraction of your price, then acts insulted when you say no.
• No-shows. A buyer agrees to a time, then goes silent, or texts "running late" for an hour and never arrives.
• Haggling at the meetup. You agreed on a price, but at the parking lot they "only have" less in cash.
• Endless questions. Battery health, carrier, scratches, "can you send more pictures", "will you hold it until Friday".

None of this is dangerous on its own. It just adds up. Photos, the listing, replies, reschedules and driving to meet people can turn a quick sale into hours spread over days.

The scams phone sellers run into most

Phones are small, valuable and easy to resell, which makes them a favorite target. These patterns are widely reported by consumer protection agencies and by the payment companies themselves.

Fake payment screenshots and "pending" Zelle emails

The buyer says they've paid and sends a screenshot, or you get an email that looks like it's from Zelle. The email says the payment is pending until you upgrade to a business account, and the buyer asks you to cover the upgrade fee, promising to add it to the price.

There is no upgrade. The email is fake, and so is the screenshot. The only proof of payment is money you can see in your own bank app, opened by you, not through a link someone sent.

Overpayment

The buyer "accidentally" sends more than your price, by check or payment app, and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment later bounces or is reversed, and the money you refunded was your own.

Never refund an overpayment. Cancel the deal and let the buyer sort it out with their bank.

The Google Voice verification code

The buyer says they want to make sure you're a real person, and asks you to read back a code they're about to text you. That code lets them set up a Google Voice number tied to your phone number, which they then use to scam other people under your name.

Never share any verification code with anyone, for any reason. A real buyer doesn't need one.

Counterfeit cash

Someone pays with a stack of large bills at a hurried evening meetup, counts it for you, and leaves fast. Later you find out some of it is fake.

Count cash yourself, in good light, bill by bill. Check the watermark, the security thread and the feel of the paper. For a larger sale, meet inside your bank and deposit the cash on the spot.

Safety habits that actually help

1. Keep the chat in the app until you've agreed on a price. People who push you to text right away are often trying to avoid the platform's reporting tools.
2. Never share a code that arrives by text or email, whatever reason the buyer gives.
3. Only count money that has landed. Open your own banking app and see the deposit before the phone leaves your hand.
4. Never refund, never forward. Overpayments and "fees" are the scam.
5. Meet in a busy, well-lit public place during the day. Some police departments set aside a lobby or parking area as a safe exchange spot, so ask yours.
6. Bring someone, or tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.
7. Keep the phone in your hand while the buyer looks at it, or stand close. Let them check it, not walk around with it.
8. Sign out and erase in front of them. Once the money is in your account, sign out of iCloud and erase the phone together, so they can see Activation Lock is off and your data is gone. Our guide on preparing your iPhone before selling has the steps.
9. Don't ship to a "local" buyer who suddenly can't meet. A local buyer who needs shipping isn't local.

If anything about a buyer feels rushed, pushy or complicated, walk away. The phone will still sell next week, and you can't undo a scam.

Know your phone before you list it

Buyers ask about carrier lock and blacklist status, and a clean answer sells faster. The free IMEI check on our homepage tells you whether your iPhone is carrier locked or unlocked. Our guide to what an IMEI check tells you explains the rest.

Price it honestly too. A realistic price draws serious buyers and fewer lowballers. Our pages for the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro show what a buyer like us pays, which is a useful floor for your asking price.

The real cost is your time

Add it up honestly: the time to photograph and list the phone, the replies, the no-shows, the drive, and the risk of meeting a stranger with a valuable phone in your pocket. For a newer iPhone in great shape, that work can be worth it. For an older phone, a cracked one, or when you need the money this week, often it isn't.

That's the trade you're making: a private sale can pay more than a shop, and a shop pays you now.

The alternative: sell it to a local buyer

iPhones.LA buys iPhones across Los Angeles County and Orange County. It works like this:

1. Go to /sell, pick your device and answer four questions. Your cash estimate appears on screen as you answer, in seconds.
2. Verify your IMEI or serial number before the meetup, so nobody wastes a trip.
3. Meet us at our secured facility, at a public spot near you, or ship it in with a prepaid label we send.
4. Get paid the moment the phone checks out: cash in person, Zelle or Cash App (usually same day), or PayPal.

No listing, no screenshots to squint at, no waiting on buyers who never show. There's no obligation either: nothing is committed until you say so. We buy working and damaged phones, including cracked or broken iPhones, and our guide to selling an iPhone in Los Angeles compares every other option.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to sell a phone on Facebook Marketplace?

It can be, if you meet in a busy public place, only count money you can see in your own bank account, and never share a verification code. The common scams are fake payment proof, overpayment refunds and code requests, and each one is easy to refuse once you know it.

Why does a buyer want me to send them a verification code?

It's a scam. The code lets them set up a Google Voice number linked to your phone number, which they use to hide their identity while scamming others. Never share any verification code with someone you don't know.

Can a Zelle payment be pending?

Emails claiming a Zelle payment is pending until you upgrade your account or pay a fee are a known scam. Check your own banking app directly, and don't hand over the phone until the money is actually there.

How do I avoid lowball offers on OfferUp?

Price the phone realistically, state the condition, storage and carrier status clearly, and say the price is firm if it is. Serious buyers respond to a clear, fair listing, and you can ignore offers that aren't close.

What is the safest way to sell a used iPhone for cash?

Sell to a buyer who checks the phone in front of you and pays on the spot, or meet a private buyer inside your bank. Either way, the phone should only leave your hand once the money is in your account or your pocket.