SELL LOCKED PHONE

• What is a Locked Phone?
• Types of Locked Phones Explained
• Who Buys Locked Phones?
• How Much Can I Get For My Locked Phone?
• Locked Phones FAQ's

What is a Locked Phone?

A locked phone is a device where a service provider or manufacturer has placed restrictions on its use.

There could be multiple reasons why a carrier or manufacturer might lock a phone, including:

• The owner used a finance plan to purchase the phone, and hasn’t made all the payments. The carrier can lock the device.
• The phone is blacklisted as the original owner reported it lost. The carrier or the manufacturer can lock the device.
• The phone is blacklisted because the original owner reported it stolen. The carrier or manufacturer can lock the device.
• The original owner, or someone else, used software or a service that violated the terms of use for the device, such as bypassing the activation lock. The carrier or manufacturer can lock the device.
• The original owner of the phone forgot their passcode. In this case, the device is locked as nobody can physically get into the device to access its features.

What can you do with a Locked Phone?

If you have a locked phone, you can do the following:

• Try to unlock the device: If the device is activation locked (iCloud locked, for example) you can follow the instructions directly from Apple/Samsung to see if you can unlock the device. The same applies to a passcode locked handset. It still may not be possible to unlock it but it is worth trying to unlock it first as unlocked phones have a higher resale value.
• Sell the Device: You can sell a locked phone. If the device is activation locked, finance locked, passcode locked or blacklisted, these types of locks require a specialist buyer. Use the search box above to get a price for one of these devices. If the device is simply locked to your carrier e.g. AT&T or Verizon etc, this is very normal and you can sell these devices to any buyback company. To get a price for a phone that is just carrier locked head to the SellCell homepage and search for your device

As mentioned, phones can be locked for a number of reasons.
Here is each type of phone lock, explained.

What is a Financed Phone?

Put simply, a financed phone is one which the owner has purchased using a credit plan.

This could be part of a phone contract via an operator, in which case it will come bundled with the airtime plan. The owner will pay both the phone credit plan and the airtime plan concurrently, usually in the same monthly payment.

The owner may also have bought the phone using a finance plan via the manufacturer. In this sense, while not carrier locked, it is still a financed phone. The owner will repay the manufacturer or financier in monthly installments.

You can sell a financed phone during the finance period, but you would still need to repay the financier, be that a carrier or a manufacturer. If you have paid the finance off you are free to sell the device and keep any cash that you make. Tip. If you finance your phone through a carrier and have paid your contract off completely you can ask your carrier to unlock your device for free. This may mean that you can sell the phone for a bit more money.

Some specialist buyers may purchase financed phones with outstanding credit.

Sell Financed Phone

What is a Finance Locked Phone?

A Financed Locked Phone is a device that still has an outstanding balance owed to the finance company. If money is still owed for the device the carrier or manufacturer may block it or blacklist the device. There are specialist buyback companies that will help you sell a finance locked device. You can get a quote using our handy calculator above.

Sell Financed Locked Phone

What is a Blacklisted Phone?

A phone can, in some circumstances, be blocked or blacklisted. This means that the carrier or the manufacturer has rendered the phone unusable on any network, as the block is associated with the device’s IMEI number.

There are several reasons why a phone might be blocked or blacklisted:

• Reported as Stolen: If the owner reports the phone as stolen, carriers will blacklist it to prevent anyone from using it.
• Lost Device: If the owner reports the phone as lost, the carrier can block it to protect the owner's information and prevent unauthorized use.
• Unpaid Finance: If the original owner has unpaid finance or has defaulted on a contract, the carrier might block the phone.
• Fraudulent Activity: Carriers or manufacturers can block phones involved in illegal activities or fraudulent transactions to prevent further misuse.
• Insurance Claims: If an owner states a phone is damaged or lost in an insurance claim, the carrier may block it at the request of the insurance company, to ensure the claim isn't fraudulent.

You can still sell a blocked or blacklisted phone. There are specialist buyback companies that buy it, but obviously will not get as much money for the device as you would if it was not blocked or blacklisted.

Sell Blacklisted Phone

What is an Activation Locked Phone?

An activation locked phone is a device that has a security feature enabled to prevent unauthorized use. This type of lock is designed to protect the phone and the data on it if the original owner loses the device, or someone steals it. Both Apple and Android phones have these security measures.

For Apple devices, this feature is called 'Activation Lock' or 'iCloud lock' and is part of the 'Find My' service that Apple provides on a device level. It requires the user's Apple ID and password to set up or use the phone, even after a factory reset.

On Android devices such as those from Samsung and Google, a similar feature is called Factory Reset Protection (FRP). When the owner enables FRP, the phone requires the Google account credentials that were last used on the device to complete the setup after a factory reset.

These activation locks ensure that only the rightful owner can reactivate and use the phone. If you're buying a used phone, it's crucial to verify that the previous owner has removed any activation locks to ensure you can use the device without issues.

If you have an activation locked Phone, you can sell it. There are specialist buyback companies that buy activation locked phones, but obviously you will not get as much money for the device if it is not locked.

Sell Activation Locked Phone

What is a Passcode Locked Phone?

A password locked phone is a device that has a security feature requiring a numerical code, unlock pattern, biometrics (fingerprint, facial recognition), or password to unlock the screen and access the phone's functions and data. The user sets this passcode to protect their personal information and prevent unauthorized access.

When a phone is passcode locked, it provides the owner with the following:

• Security: It ensures that only someone with the correct passcode can use the phone.
• Protection: It protects sensitive information, such as contacts, messages, photos, and apps, from being accessed by others.
• Lockout Feature: After multiple incorrect attempts to enter the passcode, the phone may temporarily lock or require a longer wait time before you make additional attempts.

If you're buying or selling a phone, it's important to ensure that you remove the password or provide it to the new user so that they can access and set up the device.

Sell Passcode Locked Phone

What is a Carrier Locked Phone?

A carrier locked (or network locked) phone is one that has restrictions that mean it will only work on a specific network. Typically, a phone will have a carrier lock when you buy it from a carrier as part of a deal with an airtime plan.

For example, if you purchase a phone on a finance contract from AT&T, the phone will only operate via the AT&T network until you have paid the finance off and your contract is complete. Once the contract is over, AT&T will unlock the phone, making it carrier unlocked and thus it will work on ANY network.

You should note that carrier locked phones still work perfectly in a technical sense, and the only restriction is the network you make calls, send messages, and send/receive cellular data through. You can sell your carrier locked phone with no issue at all.

Sell Carrier Locked Phone

What is an Unlocked Phone?

An unlocked phone is a device that is not restricted by any type of lock and is also not locked to any particular carrier eg AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon etc.

An unlocked phone has multiple benefits:

• Flexibility: You can select any carrier to provide the mobile service, so having an unlocked phone doesn’t tie you to a specific network.
• Travel: If you have an unlocked phone, you can put any SIM in it, meaning you can use local sim cards from any destination in the world.
• Airtime Plan Convenience: You can select from any airtime plan a carrier has on its SIM-only deals, rather than choosing from a selection of specific plans that come with a locked device.
• Resale Value: An unlocked phone is always going to be worth more than the same phone, in the same condition, with a carrier/network lock.