# How to prep an iPhone 5 before I sell it online?



## NYKrumrie (Sep 17, 2007)

I have my aunt’s old iPhone 5 & she wants me to sell it on eBay for her. She is a bit of a techno-phobe so I’m sure she hasn’t done anything to get it ready to sell. I’m not even sure she ever used iTunes. She just handed it to me & said “see what you can get for it”. So I’ve heard there is more you need to do before you sell an iPhone than doing the factory reset & wiping the data. The cell still has its SIM card. She has been using her new iPhone 6 with her original Ph# for months now. I want to make sure I don’t do anything that messes up her current service while making sure the phone is ready to be used by a Verizon customer once sold.
-What steps do I need to take to prep the phone correctly for sale?
-Is there an easy way to unlock the phone from Verizon? (I heard its easy w/ ATT & Sprint)

Thanks!


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

You should most definitely wipe and reset the phone.

As for the SIM card, her new phone would have a new SIM card. You can remove the old one and cut it.

For Verizon unlocking, while it is possible to unlock the phone, I recommend that you keep it on the same network.

Also, you will make a lot more money with good pictures, a clean device, and when it includes the box and original manuals.


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## MartyF81 (Jan 23, 2013)

To add to Masterchief... 

Before you wipe the phone, you need to log out of "Find my iPhone". If you don't... when the phone is turned on by the Buyer it will be in "Activation Lock" mode and won't let them turn it on until the Original iCloud account is logged into the device.


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## Uankserk (Jun 27, 2017)

NYKrumrie said:


> I have my aunt’s old iPhone 5 & she wants me to sell it on eBay for her. She is a bit of a techno-phobe so I’m sure she hasn’t done anything to get it ready to sell. I’m not even sure she ever used iTunes. She just handed it to me & said “see what you can get for it”. So I’ve heard there is more you need to do before you sell an iPhone than doing the factory reset & wiping the data. The cell still has its SIM card. She has been using her new iPhone 6 with her original Ph# for months now. I want to make sure I don’t do anything that messes up her current service while making sure the phone is ready to be used by a Verizon customer once sold.
> -What steps do I need to take to prep the phone correctly for sale?
> -Is there an easy way to unlock the phone from Verizon? (I heard its easy w/ ATT & Sprint)
> 
> Thanks!



Ohhh okay it probably was an iCloud issue my friend had with his sold phone. Ok so to be clear. I turn off "Find my Phone". I do the factory reset like you described. When the new owner gets the phone & goes to activate it the there would not be an "iCloud Activation lock" issue, correct? What happens when the new owner turns on the "Find My Phone" feature?

see this:
https://forums.imore.com/ask-question/370418-how-prep-iphone-5-before-i-sell-online.html

https://www.safewiper.com/tutorials/delete-everything-on-iphone.html


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