Do I need to remove the SIM card before selling my phone?

Yes. Remove the SIM card and any memory card before the meetup — we don't need either one, and you don't want to lose them by accident.

What happens if I reset my Apple Watch without unpairing it first?

Activation Lock stays on — a reset done on the watch itself never clears it, and by now the watch may no longer show up in the Watch app to unpair. Remove the lock through Find Devices at icloud.com instead, using the Apple ID and password the watch was set up with.

Do I need to bring the original box or charger?

No. Bring the device itself, charged if you can. A box or charger is a nice-to-have, not a requirement.

BEFORE YOU SELL

Before you sell: get your device ready

A few minutes of prep before the meetup is the difference between a smooth handoff and a wasted trip. Here is everything to take care of first.

Sign out and factory reset

Factory reset every used or opened device, and sign out of iCloud, Google, Samsung, and any work or school account tied to it first. A device still signed into an account cannot be used by anyone after you, us included, so take care of this before the meetup rather than at it. Sealed, unopened items can stay sealed.

The Apple Watch unpairing trap

Don't just reset an Apple Watch from the watch itself. Unpair it from the Watch app on the paired iPhone instead — open the Watch app, select your watch, and choose Unpair Apple Watch. That's the simplest route while the phone is still in hand, and it turns off Activation Lock as part of unpairing. Resetting the watch alone leaves Activation Lock turned on, and Activation Lock is tied to your Apple ID, not to the phone — selling, trading in, or wiping the phone does not make the lock unremovable by itself. If the paired iPhone is gone, the watch can still be removed through Find Devices at icloud.com as long as you know the Apple ID and password it was set up with. The case that is genuinely hard is losing access to that Apple ID itself — without it, there is no way left to remove the lock. It's an easy step to skip, so unpair before you touch anything else.

What to bring

Bring the device charged if you can. If you're selling a phone or tablet, remove the SIM card and any memory card first — we don't need either one on those devices, and you don't want to lose them by accident. A camera's memory card is different: bring it along with the camera. Back up anything you want to keep before you come, since a factory reset is part of getting a device ready.

If a device won't reset

If a device is damaged, stuck on a lock screen, or won't complete a reset, tell us before the meetup rather than at it. We may still be able to look at it in person, so don't rule it out on your own — just let us know what's going on ahead of time.

Manufacturer sign-out steps

iPhone and iPad: https://support.apple.com/en-us/109511
Apple Watch — unpair, don't just reset: https://support.apple.com/en-us/108372
Mac: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102773
Samsung and Android: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS10002030/

Questions we get

Do I need to remove the SIM card before selling my phone?: Yes. Remove the SIM card and any memory card before the meetup — we don't need either one, and you don't want to lose them by accident.
What happens if I reset my Apple Watch without unpairing it first?: Activation Lock stays on — a reset done on the watch itself never clears it, and by now the watch may no longer show up in the Watch app to unpair. Remove the lock through Find Devices at icloud.com instead, using the Apple ID and password the watch was set up with.
Do I need to bring the original box or charger?: No. Bring the device itself, charged if you can. A box or charger is a nice-to-have, not a requirement.
What if my device won't complete a factory reset?: Tell us before the meetup rather than at it. We may still be able to look at it in person.

Ready for the meetup? Read how it works or contact us.