How to Sell an Old iPhone or Android Phone in Israel: Prep, Price, and Where
Shukshuk team · Updated September 2026
Every September a new iPhone arrives, and every September the drawers fill with old phones that are worth money and only losing it. This guide does three things: makes sure your phone can actually be sold (most stalled sales stall on an account lock, not on price), compares trade-in with a private sale using the only figures that could be verified today, and gives a pricing method instead of an invented price list. You finish with a device that is clean, priced, and ready to list.
iPhone trade-in: ceilings published by iDigital, as of 12.9.2026
- Maximum credit
- Up to ₪3,200
- Note
- Devices in "good+" condition only
- Maximum credit
- Up to ₪1,989
- Note
- No scratches, cracks or breaks
- Maximum credit
- Up to ₪1,424
- Note
- Final valuation in-store only
- Maximum credit
- Up to ₪998
- Note
- Hand over within 7 days of the new one
- Maximum credit
- Usually above the credit
- Note
- No price list: see the method below
| Model | Maximum credit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | Up to ₪3,200 | Devices in "good+" condition only |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Up to ₪1,989 | No scratches, cracks or breaks |
| iPhone 15 | Up to ₪1,424 | Final valuation in-store only |
| iPhone 14 | Up to ₪998 | Hand over within 7 days of the new one |
| Private sale | Usually above the credit | No price list: see the method below |
The credit is an "up to": the chain deducts for every scratch and worn battery, and the final number is set only once the phone is on the counter. A private sale takes longer and usually pays more, because the chain has to resell your phone at a margin.
First: the lock that kills sales
The most common reason a deal falls apart is not the price but an account left on the device. On iPhone it is called Activation Lock. As long as Find My is on, the phone is tied to your Apple ID, and even after an erase the buyer hits a screen asking for your password. Apple's own guidance is that signing out of iCloud and erasing the device turn off Find My and Activation Lock, so the order matters: sign out, then erase. On Android the equivalent is Factory Reset Protection. A factory reset without first removing your Google account leaves the phone demanding your password at first boot. Google states plainly that after a reset the account details and screen lock are required, so remove the accounts under Settings > Accounts before the reset, not after. Already sold it and forgot? On Apple you can erase the device remotely through Find Devices on iCloud.com and remove it from your trusted devices; on Android, remove the device from your account through your Google account's security settings.
Preparation checklist: iPhone and Android
iPhone, per Apple's official page: • Back up to iCloud or a computer, and transfer your data to the new device. • If an Apple Watch is paired, unpair it. • Remove cards from Apple Pay in Wallet. • Sign out: Settings > [your name] > Sign Out. • Erase: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. This is the step that turns Activation Lock off. • Remove the SIM; with an eSIM, choose the option that also erases the eSIM profile. • Moving to Android? Deregister iMessage, or texts from iPhone friends will vanish. • AppleCare: you can cancel it or transfer it to the buyer. Android, per Google: • Back up to your Google account (apps and their data are removed by the reset). • Remove every Google account from the device, and only then reset through the Settings app. The exact path varies by manufacturer. • Remove the SIM and any memory card. And for both: write down the IMEI (Settings > General > About on iPhone, or dial *#06#) before handing over. It is the number that goes on the receipt and identifies the device if there is a dispute later.
Trade-in versus private sale
Trade-in is the fast route: hand over the old one, take a credit against the new one, done. The price of that convenience is the credit itself. The figures that could be verified today, from iDigital's trade-in page (checked 12.9.2026): up to ₪3,200 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max, up to ₪1,989 for a 15 Pro Max, up to ₪1,424 for an iPhone 15, and up to ₪998 for an iPhone 14. Three conditions in the small print: the example prices refer to a device in "good+" condition with no scratches, breaks or cracks; the final valuation and the trade-in itself happen in-store only; and the old device must be handed over within 7 days of receiving the new one. KSP, Bug, Partner, Pelephone and other chains run similar programmes, and their numbers could not be verified directly today. A comparison published by the Israeli site Poenta in June 2026 found offers for the same iPhone 15 Pro 256GB ranging from ₪1,230 to ₪1,858 across chains, a spread of about 50 percent on one device. Our conclusion from the spread, not from the numbers themselves: get a quote from more than one place, it costs nothing. Private sale: the chain has to resell your phone at a profit, so its credit is roughly the floor of what a private buyer will pay. The trade-off is photos, calls, haggling and a meeting. If your device is in good shape and you have a week or two, the difference is usually worth it. If it is cracked or the battery is worn, the gap narrows, and trade-in can be the right call.
How much? The four-step method
There is no official price list for used phones in Israel, and anyone publishing a table of "an iPhone 13 is worth X" is making it up. What there is, is a method: 1. Today's new price. Check what your exact model, at the same storage size, costs today at an official store. If it is no longer sold, take the price of the model that replaced it. That is the ceiling. 2. The floor. Get a trade-in quote, online or in-store. It costs nothing and gives you the number below which there is no reason to sell privately. 3. The market. Find three to five listings for the same model, storage and condition. Asking prices are not sale prices, but they show where buyers start. 4. Adjustments. Battery: on iPhone, Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. Below 80 percent Apple itself treats the battery as worn and replaces it free under AppleCare+, and buyers know that, so a healthy-battery price will not hold. Original screen, box, charger, and remaining warranty each move the price, so each deserves a line in the listing. On timing: a new device is announced in September, and after the announcement the previous models drop in price, new and used alike. Sell before and you take more; sell after and you take less but already hold the new one. There is no single answer, only a clock worth knowing about.
A listing that sells, and a meeting that does not go wrong
In the listing: exact model, storage, colour, battery percentage (a screenshot of the settings beats a word), whether the screen was replaced, and what is included: box, charger, case. Photos of the screen switched on, the back, and all four corners, because that is where the scratches are. One sentence on why you are selling ("upgraded") answers every buyer's first question. At the meeting: a public place, in daylight. Let the buyer power it on, try the camera, Face ID or the fingerprint reader, a short call and charging. The proof that the device is truly clean is the "Hello" first-setup screen, with no request for anyone's password. Payment: bit, PayBox or cash, face to face. A courier bringing the money, a payment link the buyer sends you, and an "overpayment" you are asked to refund are the standing templates of phone scams, and none of them has a legitimate version. A receipt: one line with the date, model, IMEI, amount, and both names. It takes a minute and prevents the only argument that actually happens afterwards.
FAQ
How much can I sell an iPhone 13 for?
There is no official price list, and a single number would be invented. The method: the new price of the replacement model as the ceiling, a trade-in quote as the floor, and three to five listings of the same model and storage in between. For scale, iDigital published a credit of up to ₪998 for a mint iPhone 14 on 12.9.2026; a 13 will get less than that on trade-in and more than that privately, depending on condition.
Where can I sell an old phone in Israel?
Two routes: trade-in at the chains (iDigital, KSP, Bug, the mobile carriers) as credit against a new device, or a private sale on a classifieds board, which usually pays more because the chain has to resell at a profit. On Shukshuk you list a phone for free through the chat, with no commission.
What must I do before selling an iPhone?
Per Apple: back up, unpair an Apple Watch, remove cards from Apple Pay, sign out of iCloud (Settings > [name] > Sign Out), then erase (Settings > General > Transfer or Reset > Erase All Content and Settings), and remove the SIM. Erasing after signing out is what turns Activation Lock off.
What is Activation Lock and why does the buyer insist on it?
Activation Lock ties an iPhone to its owner's Apple ID as long as Find My is on. If it stays on, the buyer gets a device that asks for your password and cannot be used. A careful buyer will ask to see the "Hello" first-setup screen before paying, and rightly so.
Should I sell before the new iPhone comes out?
After the September announcement the previous models drop in price, new and used alike. Sell before and you get more; sell after and you get less but already have the new one. If you decide to wait, at least do not wait months: the value only goes down.
Sources
See also
The preparation steps were taken from Apple and Google support pages on 12.9.2026 and may change between software versions. The trade-in amounts are ceilings published by iDigital that day and are not a quote; the final valuation is made in-store. There is no price list for private sales, and this guide gives a method, not a number.