How to Sell Your Broken iPad

If you accidentally dropped and broke your iPad, you most likely bought a new one to replace it, but here’s how you can get some money back by selling your broken iPad.

Many users may think that once an iPad breaks (whether the screen cracked or it just died), it’s useless and must be thrown away, but that’s actually not the case at all. Many people find value in broken iPads and will gladly buy them with the focus of using their own knowledge to repair them to working condition.

Of course, you may not get as much money out of a broken iPad than if it weren’t broken, but getting anything out of it is a good thing. Whether it’s a shattered screen, a broken button, a dead battery, or an iPad that just won’t turn on period, you can still sell it for some extra cash that can subsidize the cost of a new iPad, however much that may be.

So if you have a broken iPad just sitting in your junk drawer, that’s potentially some cash that you could get there. Here’s how to sell your broken iPad and get some extra cash in return.

Try to Repair it First

More than likely you don’t have the knowledge to bust open your iPad and fix some things yourself, but it’s possible that some of the problems are still under warranty and Apple can fix them for free. From there, you can now sell your iPad for even more money.

For instance, your iPad might still be under AppleCare, which lasts a year from the date that you bought the iPad, and if you have AppleCare+, it lasts two years. Check to see if your busted iPad is still under that warranty, and if so, you can get it repaired and not worry about having to buy a new unit.

If it’s no longer under AppleCare, you’re not completely out of luck. Surprisingly, there are some iPad repairs that you can do yourself, even if you’re not particularly handy.

For instance, iFixit has a guide on how to replace the battery in an iPad 2. You’ll need the right tools, but if you follow the guide correctly, the process is fairly painless — don’t let all of the steps scare you!

Use a Trade-In Program

You might think that trade-in programs only accept fully-working devices in order for them to accept them, but that’s not always the case.

Gazelle, for instance, will buy your broken iPad off of you. Granted, it won’t be for much money, but you’ll at least get something for it, and the company makes it really easy to send the device to them and get your money.

In fact, they’ll give you $100 for your broken iPad Air 2. That’s not bad at all.

Sell it on eBay or Craigslist

If you want to reach a wide audience of buyers willing to buy your broken iPad, eBay and Craigslist are good options.

The best way to sell anything is to sell it locally, though, so Craigslist might be your best bet, that way you don’t have to deal with annoying selling fees and hassle with shipping the device across the country. You always risk losing the package if you don’t have insurance for it, and buyers can always try to rip you off and say they never received it.

Then again, selling locally can be kind of a crapshoot as well, but it’s a lot easier than selling online for a lot of people, and you can get paid in cash straight up without having to pay any fees.

Arguably, the most popular local selling option is Craigslist, but you can also send a shout-out on Facebook and see if any of your friends would be interested in buying your broken iPad. This is where networking can come in handy.

Perform a Factory Reset

Before you sell your broken iPad, though, it’s important that you perform a factory reset if it still powers up. We have a thorough how-to guide on how to do this, but simply put, to reset all settings and erase all the data on your old iPad, open up the Settings app and navigate to General > Reset. There are six options to choose from, but you’ll want to select Erase All Content and Settings.

You’ll be asked to enter in your passcode, and then you’ll get a final prompt confirming the action. Tap Erase iPad to begin the wiping process. Let the iPad do its thing, and if completed correctly, you’ll eventually see the iOS Setup Assistant upon startup. Your broken iPad is ready to sell, and from there, you can just shut the device off by holding down on the power button and then sliding the on-screen prompt to shut it off.