Are Empty iPhone Boxes Worth Anything? (Where To Sell Them)

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During the golden days of eBay, my wife and I would always upgrade our phones for free.

We would find a killer deal on a new or refurbished iPhone and then resell our old one.

We obviously didn’t get the same amount for our old one that we paid for a new phone but we also had a trick or two up our sleeves that leveled the playing field. First off, we took better pictures and wrote better descriptions than other sellers. That always ensured we got top dollar for any Apple product we sold on eBay.

The other trick? To sell our empty iPhone boxes on eBay as well.

Selling empty boxes for Apple products (or any other bit of tech) is not a new thing. In fact, we included empty cell boxes in our article about 8 Things To Sell Rather Than Throw Away almost 5 years ago. However, the market has changed a bit and it’s no longer possible to get the $50 per box that we used to get.

So how can you get the most money for your empty iPhone box now? Well, we still make some money selling our empty boxes on eBay so hopefully, we can help you do the same.

–> Buying an iPhone on eBay? Check out the best eBay stores for iPhones

Some Recent Empty Phone Box Sales:

It’s worth noting here that, while we’re Apple-junkies and keep talking about iPhone boxes, you can sell any kind of empty phone box or similar packaging on eBay. Empty Samsung boxes, boxes for smartwatches, etc. are all fair game and can make you money.

Why do people buy empty boxes on eBay?

If you want to get the most money for your empty phone box, it’s important to understand why people are willing to buy them. That way, you can cater to their needs and get a premium price.

As far as I can tell, people buy empty boxes for one of the following reasons:

• They are selling their phone and think they can get more money for it if they have a box
• They are a collector who either wants to save the box or save their own phone in a box

Both of these people don’t want to pay more than they have to for your box, so let’s figure out how to make your offering as appealing as possible!

5 Best Practices for Selling Your Empty iPhone Box on eBay

At one point in time, it was common for people to hide the fact that they were selling an empty box in order to trick people into buying what they thought was a phone. Nowadays such things are easily tracked by eBay and, if you try it, you won’t even get your money. So how do you go about things the right way?

1. Be very plain about what you’re selling.

We include the words *EMPTY BOX ONLY* in the title and make sure to include it again in the description as well as the words “no phone included.”

Most intelligent people won’t make the mistake of buying your box thinking it’s a phone but eBay is rife with people who don’t read the description and think they’re getting a screaming deal. For those people who don’t/can’t read, we also make the main picture one of the box open, showing that it’s empty.

2. Include as many original accessories as possible.

In my case, I include everything but the phone. I don’t need the manuals, the cords and included headphones suck, and I would just throw away inserts anyway. The more accessories you include, the more money you can ask for your empty box. Although Apple not including anything with their phones these days this is becoming a moot point…

3. Offer free shipping.

Most other sellers of empty boxes offer free shipping which means that if you want to be competitive, you have to do the same. Be sure to get either a well-padded bubble mailer or a very light box to ship your empty box in so that you can keep the weight down.

As long as you keep the final package under 1lb you can ship it via First Class and save some money. (Don’t try and ship it via Media Mail, it’s not allowed. Read more about what is and isn’t allowed via Media Mail.)

4. Take great pictures.

You probably have a new phone, so use it to take great pictures of the box! People want something in excellent condition and your pictures should reflect that level of care.

5. Be sure to list it in the right category.

Trying to list your empty iPhone box in the phone category to get more views (like many people do) will result in eBay removing your listing or you ending up with a very unhappy customer.

At the end of the day, if you know how to sell on eBay then listing a phone box will be no problem whatsoever.

What Else Can You Sell For Extra Cash?

In the past month, we’ve had over $10,000 in sales on eBay (with over 70% of that being profit). We get nearly all of the things we sell from thrift stores and yard sales.

In addition to selling empty iPhone boxes on eBay, we’ve sold clothing, shoes, outdoor gear, jewelry, electronics, and pretty much everything else you can think of. If you want to make serious money, check out our guide on the easiest things to sell on eBay for profit!