The best way to sell an iPhone in Sydney
Seven realistic options, and two that have closed, compared on the things that actually differ: how you get paid, how long it takes, and how much work it is. Including where we are the wrong choice.
The short answer
If you want the most money and do not mind the work, selling privately on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree usually wins on price alone - you keep the margin a buy-back service would otherwise take. It costs you listing time, message screening, no-shows and the risk of meeting strangers, and it can take weeks.
If you want it gone today with cash in hand, a local buyer who travels to you is the fastest route. If you are buying a new Apple device anyway, Apple Trade In is the least effort by a distance, but it pays you in credit rather than money. Mail-in services are convenient, but you part with the phone before you are paid, and the money arrives afterwards by bank transfer - from about a business day to the better part of a week depending on the service, on top of the postage.
We are the fast-and-local option. We will not claim we beat a good private sale on price - usually we do not, because we have to resell the phone to make anything at all. What we offer instead is that it is finished today, you do not travel, and you are paid before we leave.
Side by side
Process details as published by each service, checked September 2026. Prices are deliberately not compared here - every service changes them constantly, so check each one on the day you sell.
SellPhones.sydney (us)
- How you are paid
- Cash, bank transfer or PayID
- How long it takes
- Same-day call back, paid at the meeting
- What you have to do
- We travel to you, anywhere in Sydney
- The catch
- Price agreed on the phone is the price paid
Mobile Monster
- How you are paid
- EFT or cheque - they state they do not offer cash
- How long it takes
- Post it in, then as little as 3-5 business days to be paid, plus processing delays they currently flag
- What you have to do
- Post it yourself, use their satchel, or drop into their Melbourne CBD office
- The catch
- Offer may be revised once they inspect it; you can reject and have the phone back free
Reebelo
- How you are paid
- Bank transfer or PayPal - not cash
- How long it takes
- Post it in first; they state payout typically takes 1 business day once they have it
- What you have to do
- Instant online quote, then post it with their free shipping - postage only, nobody comes to you
- The catch
- A marketplace front: the buying itself is done by partner trade-in services, Mobile Monster and OzMobiles, so the phone is checked by them after you post it
Mobile Guru Australia
- How you are paid
- Paid after their inspection - not cash on the spot
- How long it takes
- Post it in with their free express shipping, then payout 24 hours after their inspection
- What you have to do
- Postage only - the phone is out of your hands before anyone has looked at it
- The catch
- Advertises a price-beat guarantee over a genuine competing quote; the offer is confirmed at their end, after inspection
Cash Converters
- How you are paid
- Cash in store
- How long it takes
- Same visit, or about 24 hours for a response to their online quote form
- What you have to do
- You travel to a store in trading hours; 100 points of ID required
- The catch
- Valued in store on the day against condition, demand, age and location
Apple Trade In
- How you are paid
- Credit to your original payment method, or an Apple Gift Card - not cash
- How long it takes
- Credit applied in store, or after the device is received and verified if posted
- What you have to do
- In an Apple Store, or mail-in through their partner
- The catch
- Taken as a gift card, the value is only spendable at Apple
Facebook Marketplace
- How you are paid
- Whatever you arrange, usually cash
- How long it takes
- However long it takes to find a real buyer
- What you have to do
- You list it, answer messages, screen time-wasters and meet strangers yourself
- The catch
- No recourse. Scams, no-shows and haggling are all yours to manage
No longer an option
- Mazuma Mobile - The mazumamobile.com.au domain is parked, so there is nothing to sell to. Checked September 2026.
- Boost Mobile trade-in - Closed. Boost's own help page says the trade-in program has ended.
Which should you pick?
I want the most money and I am not in a rush
Sell it privately on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. Expect a few evenings of messages, and meet in a public place. This genuinely pays more than any buy-back service, ours included.
I want it gone today with cash
Call us on 0415 957 027, or visit a Cash Converters store if you would rather deal with a shopfront. We come to you; they do not.
I am buying a new iPhone anyway
Apple Trade In is the simplest path, and the credit goes straight onto the new phone. Just be clear you are taking credit, not cash.
My phone is cracked or will not turn on
Private buyers mostly will not touch it, and trade-in programmes tend to value it at nothing. We buy damaged and dead phones - it is a large part of what we do.