Best Certified Used iPhone and Refurbished iPhone

First of all, understandwhat you are buying. A used or refurbished iPhone is not a new device obviously. However, as long as the used or refurbished iPhone has been inspected and refurbished by a Professional Reseller, the phone will work like new.

Then when it comes to the price, an iPhone Refurbished is much cheaper when you want to purchase your next iPhone. Buying a second hand iPhone can be a fantastic choice. It can net you huge savings, mainly when the cost of a new iPhone is crazy expensive. A refurbished or used iPhone is entirely functional and works very much like a brand-new iPhone.

The rule of thumb with Apple iPhone upgrades is about once every two years. Unless you are a bonafide phone geek, then you're probably upgrading your device every year. If you are looking for a good deal, the newer model used iPhone is certainly a perfect upgrade. You are paying a cheap price for massive upgrades. For most people, the Refurbished iPhone will be perfect. To make it easier for you, UpTrade allows you to compare prices and options from various certified sellers to get the best deal on a Certified Used iPhone.

Technically, they are divided into four categories: Used, Refurbished, Certified Used, and Certified Refurbished.

A Used iPhone means that the iPhone is used and sold as-is. It's the most common term being used in eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and other marketplaces. Because of the popularity of this term, even professional sellers or merchants may use the same term, although their products are technically Certified Used iPhones or Certified Refurbished iPhones.

A Refurbished iPhone means that the iPhone is used and has been refurbished to a sellable condition. To clarify, "Refurbishment" doesn't always mean opening up the phone and repair. Sometimes it may refer to basic cleaning without disassembling the phone.

A Certified Used iPhone means that the iPhone is used and has been certified by a professional seller or merchant. The certification requires a rigorous inspection process to ensure all functionalities work fine. The test items include but are not limited to Power, Display, Touchscreen, Cellular, WIFI, Sensors, Speaker, Receiver, Bluetooth, Charging Port, Audio Port, etc. In addition to the functionality test, it also runs the background check to make sure the phone is not blacklisted, lost or stolen, or still under a finance plan. That guarantees you a fully functional and safe-to-use iPhone. Remember, a Certified Used iPhone should only come from a professional seller. All phones listed on UpTrade are Certified Used or Certified Refurbished. So if you see some person claiming that they have a Certified Used iPhone for sale on Craigslist or other open marketplaces, it's probably not true.

A Certified Refurbished iPhone means that a phone is used and has been refurbished by a professional seller. Same as Certified Used iPhone, Certified Refurbished iPhone also requires a rigorous inspection process. There is no real difference between Certified Used and Certified Refurbished. Some professional sellers prefer using the term Certified Refurbished iPhone, and others like another.

Last but not least, pay attention to the seller instead of the term. Each seller may have its definition and use the words differently. As long as the phone is being sold by a reputable professional seller, it doesn't matter whether it's called Used, Refurbished, Certified Used, or Certified Refurbished. The quality of the iPhone is good. Vice versa, getting a phone from an open marketplace or someone you don't know is risky. No matter how highly they say about the iPhone, you still risk getting scammed. Therefore, at UpTrade, we felt the necessity to have a marketplace showing the products from Reputable Professional Sellers and Merchants only. So you can rest assured of finding a good deal on a used iPhone with excellent quality at UpTrade.

Short Answer: Similar to buying used cars or any used goods, It's critical to get it from a trustworthy seller. (For example, Apple, Amazon, Best Buy, etc.) All products listed on UpTrade are from reputable merchants and have excellent quality. You can rest assured to choose any iPhone used or refurbished for sale here.

Long Answer:
There are six channels where you can buy a used or refurbished iPhone.

1) OEM / Original Equipment Manufacturer (Apple) - Apple offers Apple Certified Refurbished iPhone on its website. There is no doubt that Apple has the top notch quality. All refurbished iPhones have gone through Apple's manufacturing inspection process and have been repaired as needed. As a result, the phones work precisely like new ones. Apple will replace the cosmetic part with even minimum scratch or sign of use. Therefore, all Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones look flawless. For the same reason, our website has listed all Apple Certified Refurbished iPhones as Pristine, the highest level, on our website. However, the price is significantly higher than other sellers. And the availability is limited.

2) Wireless Carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.) – Each Carrier offers its own refurbished program. Like Apple, they have their own or 3rd party facility to run the inspection and refurbishment processes for all used iPhones. Each Carrier has Reverse Logistics and Quality teams overseeing the operations. So the quality of refurbished iPhones is trustable. However, the availability may also be limited. Based on our research, we have not found a stable supply from AT&T and T-Mobile. Therefore, we are only listing Verizon Certified Refurbished iPhones on our website.

3) Retail (Best Buy, GameStop) – Although it's retail, the used iPhones are offered online. The sources of the used iPhone are open box, buyer remorse returns, etc. The used iPhones are processed in a dedicated facility for inspection, repair, and refurbishment. Only the used iPhone that passed the entire process will be listed for resale. GameStop used to offer refurbished phones on their website, but the supply has become inconsistent. Hence, we only included Best Buy Refurbished iPhones on our website. Like the Wireless Carriers, Retail companies have their Reverse Logistics and Quality teams managing the operations. The quality of the refurbished iPhone is guaranteed. It's easier to look it up on our website.

4) Amazon – Amazon launched Amazon Renew in 2017. This program is for pre-owned, refurbished, and open-box products, including used iPhones. Unlike Wireless Carriers and Retail, which have dedicated facilities to inspect and refurbish products, Amazon Renew relies on its sellers to fulfill the work and control the quality. However, Amazon has its top-notched seller management operations for quality control. And all products on Amazon Renewed are backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. So, you can trust Amazon Renew. In addition, we have included Amazon Renew (Used and Refurbished Phones) on our website so that you can easily compare the prices of the used iPhone with other deals.

5) Professional Resellers (e.g., Gazelle and many others) – These companies are dedicated to recycling and reselling Used and Refurbished Phones. As smartphone technologies mature, the differences between the new and old iPhone generations are diminishing. More people buy a used iPhone instead of getting a new one. That consumer behavior shift has driven the growth of these dedicated used phone Resellers. Each company has the facility to run a full inspection of each phone. Depending on the condition of each phone, it will be either refurbished for sale or disassembled for recycling. Some sellers may have their trade-in or cash buyback program to collect used iPhone's from consumers directly. This channel is a hidden gem. They offer Refurbished and Used iPhone with excellent quality. Meanwhile, their prices are usually lower than OEM, Wireless Carriers, and Retail. At UpTrade, we have chosen the best companies and list their used and refurbished iPhone's on our website.

6) Open Marketplace (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc.) – Everyone knows how it works. You find a listing that you like and buy it from an individual. Open Marketplace is the only channel we don't recommend unless you have super knowledge of smartphones and unmatched negotiation skills. True story: one of our staff, who has ten years of smartphone technical experience, even got scammed in an open marketplace. He was confident about his technical knowledge, but scammers had been advancing their technique, too. On top of that, the prices from Open Marketplace aren't necessarily competitive. We have done a Price Analysis across all channels to buy refurbished or used phones. The prices of Open Marketplace phones are not often the lowest. They are usually priced between Apple Certified Refurbishment (channel #1) and Dedicated Used & Refurbished Equipment Sellers (channel #5). If you see something listed at a super low price, it may be too good to be true, like what happened to our staff. On the other hand, suppose you are adamant about getting a deal from Open Marketplaces. In that case, we recommend at least the following: a) check the price on UpTrade for your negotiation reference; b) check the IMEI to see whether it is blacklisted or marked lost/stolen; c) check the battery health; d) meet the seller at a public place with a friend during daytime.

In a nutshell, we recommend buying a Refurbished or Used iPhone from OEM, Wireless Carriers, Retail, Amazon, or Professional Resellers. We have included all recommended companies on our website. In addition, all products have been categorized in standardized conditions for an apples-to-apples comparison. So compare the price to pick the one you like!

Yes! All UpTrade Certified Used Phone Resellers and Marketplaces offer 30-day money-back-guarantee on phones listed here. If you aren’t satisfied with your purchase you may return your iPhone to your seller for free for up to 30 days.

Many people wonder if a refurbished iPhone is as good as a new iPhone. Typically there’s really no difference between them except for the fact that there may be signs of use (if at all) on a refurbished iPhone. A refurbished iPhone should be fully functional and work just like a new iPhone. All UpTrade Certified Used Phone Resellers process iPhone through a rigorous inspection so that each iPhone is fully functional and works just like a new iPhone.