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Instant cash: How to turn your iPhone into $1,353

Jessica Yun
·3-min read
Two colleagues swapping contact information after finishing eating lunch together in a vegan cafe in te city.
Want a quick cash boost? If you have any old devices lying around, they could fetch hundreds in cash. (Source: Getty)

If you have an old phone lying around and there’s nothing actually wrong with it, you could be sitting on hundreds of dollars of potential cash.

Trading in your old device can fetch up to nearly $2,000 on major Australian online retailer Catch.com.au through its Catch Trade In scheme.

“We're looking to buy thousands of different devices: everything from smartphones, iPads, Macbooks and cameras to game consoles and tablets,” states Catch’s trade-in website.

Devices from mobile phones, laptops, desktops and tablets are all acceptable through the scheme.

Apple phones are in demand, as well as Samsung, Google, Huawei, Microsoft, and Oppo.

But older models will fetch you far less than newer devices that have been well-cared for.

A 16GB Apple iPad 2 will only get you $18, and a 16GB iPhone 5s will see you just $9 up.

Meanwhile, sending in your Mac Pro Twelve Core 2.7GHz (;ate 2013 model) submitted in excellent condition can get you $1,980.

A functional iPhone 11 Pro Max you might have lying around could get you $1,353 back.

Recent data from eBay revealed that Australians are sitting on more than $7.8 billion in old, unused mobile phones.

eBay’s best-selling tech items are old mobile phones, with 11 handsets are sold every hour on the platform.

How does Catch Trade In work?

All you have to do is check Catch’s list of devices that you can trade in, and find yours.

There’s just two questions you answer: “does your device power on” and “is your device fully functional”.

Depending on your answers to these questions, the value of your phone can increase or decrease.

You’re then given a quote for how much your device is worth. You can either get paid in cash, or receive a greater amount via Catchback, which is Catch.com.au credit.

Catch will wipe data from your phone, and then reuse it, refurbish it, repair it and redistribute it.

“When we receive items in either working or broken condition, they can be reused for parts and resold,” Catch’s website states.

You can send in your device completely free of charge thanks to Catch’s Reply Paid account it has set up with Australia Post.

“When you ship your order using our shipping labels, our account will automatically be billed and it won’t cost you a thing.”

When your device arrives at Catch’s facility, it’ll take around 2-4 days for payment to be processed and sent through. Sometimes if they’re busier, it might take longer.

You can trade in your device at catchtradein.com.au.

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