How to Sell a Cracked or Broken iPhone for Cash

A cracked iPhone still has real value. The chip, the cameras, the storage and every part that is not broken are still worth money, and plenty of buyers, us included, buy damaged phones. Damage lowers the grade and the offer. It does not make the phone worthless.

Two things decide what a damaged iPhone is worth: which panel is damaged, and whether the display still works properly. Here is how that plays out, what to do about a phone that will not turn on, and how to decide between repairing first and selling as-is.

How damage sets the grade

We grade every iPhone A, B, C or D. Damage lands a phone in C or D, depending on what broke.

A battery at 79% health or below is a flat $20 off at any grade. It does not change the grade.

Here is the same thing sorted by the damage you are looking at:

Cracked back glass

The back of a modern iPhone is glass, and it cracks more often than people expect, usually from a drop onto a corner. A cracked back looks bad but rarely stops the phone working. With a clean, working screen, it is grade C.

Put tape over sharp edges if pieces are coming loose, so nobody gets cut handling it. Do not try to pick out loose glass.

Cracked front screen

A cracked screen is grade C as long as the display under the crack works normally: the picture is clean, there are no lines or spots, and the back glass is intact.

Before you grade it, look closely under the crack. Open a plain white image at full brightness, then a plain black one. If you see lines, dots or patches of color anywhere, the display is damaged, and that makes it grade D rather than C.

Both sides cracked

A phone with the front screen and the back glass both cracked is grade D. It still sells. We buy grade D phones, and the offer reflects that both panels need work.

Screen damage with no crack

This is the one sellers miss. A phone can have perfect glass and a damaged display underneath, because the display is a separate layer and a drop can hurt it without breaking the glass. Any of these makes a phone grade D, crack or no crack:

• A green, pink, white or black line across or down the screen.
• Bright or dark dots that stay put whatever is on screen.
• Color bleeding in from an edge or corner.
• Burn-in, a faint ghost of the keyboard or status bar on a plain screen.

To a buyer, a green line on flawless glass needs the same fix as a shattered screen: a new display. Our condition grades guide has more on how to check.

Other faults

A phone can look fine and still have something wrong inside. Our sell page has a short list of issues to tick, including a cracked camera lens, a rear camera that is blurry or black, Face ID that fails, a battery that needs service, and a repair or part warning. Tick what applies. Being honest there is what keeps the number from changing when we see the phone.

A phone that will not turn on

A phone that will not power on cannot be tested, so we do not give it an instant price. A person prices it. Text or call (562) 999-4994 with the model, the storage if you know it, and what happened (a drop, water, it just died). We will tell you what we can offer and what we need to see.

Before you write it off, try Apple's own steps for an iPhone that will not turn on:

1. Charge it for an hour with a cable and adapter you know work.
2. On an iPhone 8 or later, press and quickly release volume up, then volume down, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. It can take longer than ten seconds.

Apple's page is If your iPhone won't turn on. A phone that comes back to life is worth a lot more than one that does not, so it is worth ten minutes.

Activation Lock still applies to a broken phone

Cracked or not, the phone has to be signed out of your Apple Account with Find My off. We cannot buy a phone that is still locked to someone's Apple Account, and that rule does not bend for damaged phones.

If the screen works well enough to use, sign out and erase it the normal way: our guide on how to get your iPhone ready to sell has Apple's steps for iOS 18 and iOS 26.

If you cannot use the screen, or the phone will not turn on, you can do it from a computer at iCloud.com:

1. Go to Find Devices on iCloud.com and sign in.
2. Select the phone.
3. If the phone is offline, choose Remove This Device. Apple says Activation Lock is removed right away for an offline device.
4. If the phone is still online, erase it there first, then choose Remove This Device. Choosing Remove on an online phone without erasing only marks it as ready for repair, and Activation Lock stays on.

Apple's steps are on Remove a device from Find Devices on iCloud.com. Back up anything you need first if you still can, because erasing removes everything on the phone.

Repair first, or sell as-is

This is the big question with a damaged phone. There is no single right answer, but the math is simple once you have the numbers in front of you.

Look up your phone's current offer at each grade. Here is the iPhone 13 Pro as an example, by storage and grade, unlocked and carrier locked:

Offers as of Oct 14, 2026. The exact number for your device comes from the quote, in about a minute.

Then compare:

• What you would gain: the offer at the grade the phone would reach after the repair, minus the offer at its grade today.
• What it would cost: the repair quote, plus your time, plus the days without the phone.

If the gain is not clearly bigger than the cost, selling as-is usually makes more sense. A few things tilt the decision:

• Parts quality. A screen or battery from a non-genuine source can show up as Unknown in Settings > General > About > Parts and Service History. Buyers notice that screen. A cheap repair can turn a cracked phone into a working phone with a part warning, which may not be worth what you hoped.
• Only fixing one side. Fixing the screen on a phone whose back is also cracked takes it from D to C, not to A.
• AppleCare. If the phone is covered, check what Apple would charge you for the repair before you decide. Your plan may change the math.
• You are upgrading anyway. If you are done with the phone, spending money to fix it for the next owner rarely pays off. Buyers who repair phones already factor that work into the grade C and D offers.

For more on how much a phone is worth at each grade, see the value pages for the iPhone 13 Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 15.

How selling a damaged phone to us works

1. Go to /sell, pick the model, and answer four questions: model, storage, carrier lock and condition. Choose the damaged condition and tick what is wrong.
2. The cash estimate appears on screen as you answer. Nothing is committed until you say so.
3. You can give us the IMEI or serial number before we meet, so the carrier and blacklist check is done before you make the trip.
4. Meet us at our secured facility or a public spot in LA or Orange County, or ship it in with a prepaid label we send.
5. We check the phone, and you are paid the moment it checks out: cash in person, or Zelle, Cash App or PayPal.

Unlocked phones pay more than carrier-locked ones, cracked or not. If you are not sure which yours is, Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock will tell you. Selling several damaged phones at once, from a repair shop or a business? Our wholesale lot builder prices the whole lot, and most configurations price on the page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell an iPhone with a cracked screen?

Yes. A cracked front screen with a working display and an intact back is grade C, and we buy it. If the display shows lines or dots, or the back is cracked too, it is grade D, and we buy that as well.

Is it worth fixing a cracked iPhone before selling it?

Only if the higher offer after the repair is clearly more than the repair costs you. Compare the offers at each grade for your model, and remember that a non-genuine part can show a warning in Settings that buyers see.

Can I sell an iPhone that won't turn on?

Yes, but it cannot be priced instantly, because it cannot be tested. Text or call (562) 999-4994 with the model and what happened, and a person will price it.

Do I have to remove my Apple Account from a broken iPhone before selling?

Yes. If you cannot use the screen, remove the phone in Find Devices on iCloud.com. Apple says Activation Lock is removed right away when the device is offline.

Does a cracked back lower an iPhone's value?

Yes. A cracked back with a clean, working screen is grade C. With both sides cracked it is grade D.