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Selling · 4 min read
Selling a New or Sealed iPhone: How Sealed and Open Box Are Priced
Selling a new iPhone still in the box, opened but unused, or just released: how sealed, open box and activated are priced, and what we check first.
On this page
A new iPhone is worth the most on the day it leaves its box, and a little less every day after. If you have one you do not need, from an upgrade you did not want, a gift, or a carrier deal, selling it soon is usually the right call. How fast iPhones lose value shows how quickly the numbers move.
New phones are priced differently from used ones, and the words matter. This page explains how we price a sealed phone, an opened one and a newly released model, and what we check before we pay.
Sealed, open box or activated
When you choose your model on the sell page, we ask whether it is sealed or opened. Here is what each answer means to us.
| You tell us | What it means | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed | Factory sealed, never opened | The sealed price, the highest for that model |
| Open box, never set up | Opened, but never turned on and set up | The open box price |
| Open box, activated | Turned on and set up at least once | The used price for its grade |
Two details catch people out.
"Brand new" is not the same as sealed. A phone can look brand new and still have been opened and set up. If you write "new", we ask whether the seal is unbroken. If it is not, we ask whether it was ever turned on.
Open box depends on activation. When we quote an open box phone, we say both numbers where they differ: the open box price if it was never set up, and the price it would be if it has been activated. For many models the two are the same, and then we say nothing extra.
A phone that has been used is priced as used
A phone that has been set up and carried around is a used phone, however it looks. If the battery reads under 100 percent, or the phone shows charge cycles, it has been used, and it is priced in its grade like any used phone. That is usually grade A for a phone that is a few weeks old and has been in a case. The grades are explained in iPhone condition grades explained, and every model's used offers are on its own page, such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max or the iPhone 17.
Just released: priority offers
For the first weeks after Apple releases a new iPhone, nothing has traded used yet, so no price sheet carries it. We still buy it. On the sell page a just released model is marked New release, and a person gives you a priority offer for it rather than an instant number. Call or text if you want to talk it through.
What we check before we pay
- The IMEI. It tells us whether the phone has been reported lost or stolen, whether a carrier has blocked it, and its carrier lock. What an IMEI check tells you explains each part.
- The seal and the box. For a sealed phone, the model, storage and color on the label should match what you told us.
- Activation. A phone sold as never activated is checked for it. If it has been activated, it is priced as an activated phone.
- The account. An opened phone must be signed out of your Apple Account with Find My off.
Every price is confirmed when we inspect the phone. If it is not as described, we tell you the new price before anything is paid, and you are free to say no.
Phones from a carrier deal
A new iPhone from a carrier often comes on a payment plan, and is often locked to that carrier until its terms are met. Both affect what it is worth and whether it can be sold yet.
- If Settings, General, About names a carrier next to Carrier Lock, choose Carrier Locked on the sell page. Carrier locked vs unlocked explains the difference in price.
- If there is still a balance on it, read selling an iPhone that is not paid off first. The balance stays on your carrier account whoever buys the phone. We ask about it before we meet, so nobody makes a wasted trip.
Other new Apple products
We also buy the latest AirPods and AirPods Pro new in the box, sealed or opened but never used, and HomePod and Apple TV new in a sealed box. Selling AirPods, Vision Pro or an Android phone covers what we take of each.
How you get paid
The same as any sale to us. Meet us at our office in Long Beach or at a public place near you anywhere in Los Angeles or Orange County, and get paid by cash, Zelle or Cash App when the phone checks out. Outside the area, you can mail it in with a prepaid label, and we pay once it arrives and passes inspection. How selling to iPhones.LA works has every step.
If you would rather put the phone toward a different one, you can trade it toward a device on our shop and get a trade-in bonus on top of its value.
See your cash offer
Answer four questions and your number appears on screen. No obligation, and you get paid the moment it checks out.
Frequently asked questions
Do you buy sealed iPhones?
Yes. Choose your model on the sell page and answer Sealed when we ask. A factory sealed phone gets that model's sealed price, and we check the box and the IMEI before we pay.
What is the difference between sealed and open box when selling?
Sealed means the factory seal is unbroken. Open box means it has been opened. An open box phone that was never set up gets the open box price, and one that has been activated is priced as a used phone in its grade.
Can I sell an iPhone that just came out?
Yes. Before any price sheet carries a new model, our sell page marks it New release and a person gives you a priority offer.
Can I sell a new iPhone that is still on a payment plan?
Tell us when you ask for your offer. A phone with payments left is usually carrier locked and priced that way, and the balance stays on your carrier account. Our page on selling an iPhone that is not paid off explains your options.
Is my iPhone still sealed if I opened the box but never turned it on?
No, it is open box. If it was never set up, tell us so, because an open box phone that was never activated is priced above an activated one for many models.