I sold the same broken iPhone on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and a kiosk — price difference was $67
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I sold the same broken iPhone on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and a kiosk — price difference was $67
I had an old iPhone sitting in a drawer. Cracked screen. Battery drained fast. Home button didn't work. I assumed it was worthless.
But I kept seeing people say "even broken phones have value." I wanted to test that. I took the same broken iPhone to three different selling methods and tracked every dollar.
No repairs. No cleaning. Just sold it exactly as it was.
The setup
The phone: iPhone 11. Cracked screen (spiderweb in top corner). Battery at 72% health. Home button works 50% of the time. No charger. No box.
The three methods I tested:
· eBay (auction style, 7 days)
· Facebook Marketplace (local pickup only)
· A mall kiosk (one of those "we buy phones" stands)
Same description on all: "Broken iPhone 11. Cracked screen. Battery bad. Home button iffy. Sold as is. No returns."
Method 1: eBay (7 day auction)
What I did: Took 6 clear photos of the cracks and battery warning. Started the auction at $0.99 with free shipping. Paid $0.35 listing fee. Offered shipping to anywhere in the US.
Day 1–2: No bids. 12 views. I felt nervous.
Day 3: First bid came in at $0.99. Then another at $1.50. Then $2.00.
Day 4–6: Bids crept up slowly. 47 total views. High bid at $31 by end of day 6.
Day 7 (final hours): Something happened. Last 10 minutes, two people started bidding against each other. Went from $31 to $38 to $42 to $49.
Final sale price: $49
Fees: eBay took 13.25% ($6.49) + shipping cost me $7.85
Money in my pocket after fees: $49 - $6.49 - $7.85 = $34.66
Time spent: 30 minutes taking photos, writing listing, packing, shipping.
Net effective hourly rate for this sale: About $69/hour (not bad for a broken phone)
Method 2: Facebook Marketplace (local pickup)
What I did: Posted the same 6 photos. Price set at $60 (expected to negotiate). Wrote "broken iPhone 11, local pickup only, cash only."
Day 1: 23 views. One message: "Is this available?" I said yes. They ghosted.
Day 2: 18 views. One message: "Will you take $30?" I said "meet at $40." They said no.
Day 3: 31 views. A new message: "Where are you located?" I told them. They said "too far." Never replied again.
Day 4: 15 views. One message: "$25 cash right now." I said no.
Day 5: 12 views. No messages.
Day 6: A guy messaged at 9pm. Said he fixes phones. Asked if the crack was just glass or the screen itself. I sent a closeup photo. He said "$35 cash, I'll come tomorrow."
Day 7: He showed up at 11am. Looked at the phone for 30 seconds. Handed me $35 cash.
Final sale price: $35
Fees: $0 (cash. no platform fees.)
Money in my pocket: $35
Time spent: 7 days of replying to messages (total maybe 20 minutes) + 10 minutes waiting for buyer to show up.
Net effective hourly rate: About $70/hour for active time. But it took 7 days of patience.
Annoyance factor: Medium. Lots of ghosting. One no-show scare (he came 20 minutes late).
Method 3: Mall kiosk ("We Buy Phones")
What I did: Walked up to a kiosk in my local mall. The sign said "Cash for phones, even broken ones."
The process: A guy behind the counter took my phone. Pressed some buttons. Looked at the screen with a flashlight. Typed on his computer for 2 minutes.
His offer: $18
I asked: "Can you do $25?"
He said: "No. The screen replacement costs us $40. Battery replacement $30. We can only offer $18."
I said: "I'll think about it." Walked away.
Final sale price: $0 (I did not sell)
Money in my pocket: $0
Time spent: 15 minutes driving to mall + 5 minutes waiting + 2 minutes negotiation.
Lesson learned: Kiosks are for people who want zero effort and zero waiting. They pay the lowest because they do all the work.
The winner (ranked best to worst)
1st place: eBay — $34.66 in my pocket. Required shipping but got the highest price. Worth the 30 minutes.
2nd place: Facebook Marketplace — $35 cash. Same money as eBay basically. But took 7 days of patience and dealing with ghosters.
3rd place: Mall kiosk — $18 offer. Declined. Not worth it unless you need cash same day and don't care about leaving money on the table.
The one thing I learned (that nobody told me)
On eBay, the last 10 minutes of an auction are everything. Two people get competitive and drive the price up. My phone was worth $35 realistically. But auction psychology got me $49 before fees.
On Facebook Marketplace, cash is king. No fees. But you pay in patience. Most messages go nowhere. You need to wait for the right person.
The kiosk is a convenience fee. You lose about 50% of the phone's value for same-day cash.
The tip: If your broken phone still turns on, sell it on eBay. Take clear photos of the damage. Start the auction at $0.99 on a Thursday night (ends Sunday night when people are home scrolling). That's how I got two bidders fighting.
What I would do differently next time
· eBay: Offer free shipping but build it into the starting price next time. I lost $7.85 there.
· Facebook Marketplace: Price it higher ($70) and let them negotiate down to $50. I priced too close to my real number.
· Mall kiosk: Only use if I need cash today and don't care about leaving $15–$20 on the table.
Your vote (this is where you help me)
I'm testing selling old laptops next. I have a 2017 Dell that turns on but runs slow. Which method should I try first?
Comment with a number:
1 for eBay again (comparison to the phone sale)
2 for Facebook Marketplace (local only)
3 for a trade-in website (like Gazelle or Decluttr)
4 for Reddit's r/hardwareswap
The most voted one wins. I'll post results next.
Productive takeaway for you
If you have a broken phone in a drawer right now:
· Does it turn on? Sell on eBay. You'll get the most money.
· Does it not turn on? Sell on Facebook Marketplace for parts. Someone will buy it for $20–$30.
· Do you need cash in the next 2 hours? Take the kiosk offer. But know you're losing half its value.
· Do nothing? That broken phone is worth $0 sitting in your drawer. Listing it takes 30 minutes. That's a $70/hour task.
Go look in your drawer right now. One old phone. One hour of work. That's your next $35.
Day [X] of testing money platforms. No theory. Just receipts.
Next up: Selling old laptops. Your vote decides the platform.