Don't ever list an iPhone for $200

My wife and I recently upgraded ourselves to new iPhone 4's, and boy were we surprised at the feeding frenzy that ensued when I listed them both on Craigslist for $200 each.  What a mistake!

They were listed 90 minutes ago, one picture, and the phones were complete with original headset, cable, box, Etc.  Both were 16gb white 3GS's as well.  I thought "hey, my new ones cost this much, I'm happy breaking even..."...  Right after listing them on Craigslist, I went to make a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids, only to have my phone ring as I was getting ready to put butter on bread for sandwich #2.

The first caller waffled a bit - he was at work, had to take a break, hold them, Etc.  During that call, I got another call - this guy learned I had two, wanted them both, was ready to pay cash, was nearby, and on his way, when I flipped back to the original caller, he decided to come as well.

By the time I managed to get the second sandwich onto the pan, I'd handled 10 calls, and the second caller had gotten here with more cash than I was asking to take both phones!  While the guy was here I got 5 more calls, and had to deal with 10 text messages too - since I'd taken the ad down off Craigslist, another 10 calls came in.

Holy crap!

I know iPhone's are immensely popular, in spite of what the hypnotized android using masses say, and I must admit, I'm shocked by just how popular these things are.  I should have realized this when my wife and I got the last two iPhone4's the AT&T store at the mall had.

I'm not going into the business of selling iPhones, but in case you're considering selling an iPhone, here's what I suggest you do;

The Piratefish Guide to How to Sell Your Old iPhone

1. Be sure you have a backup of the phone, complete with all your applications backed up and happy on the replacement iPhone.
2. Don't give the buyer any excuse to bid you down on price.  Remove all covers, skins, Etc. from the old phone and wash it up nicely with a little window cleaner.  Use a q-tip to get the gunk out of the switch and bottom holes if you prefer.  If you have the original box, get all the bits and pieces together, and clean the box with a little window cleaner as well.  
3. Go into the phone, do a complete RESET and WIPE of the phone's data.  After it's wiped, plug it into your computer and tell it this is a new phone (don't restore it) - this will allow folks to test it, but whatever you do, don't reload any contacts or anything.
4. Take a picture of it - just one will do.
5. List it on CraigsList if you dare, eBay will get a similar price, but take much longer.
6. Take only cash.
7. Make them come to you!  Don't offer to meet anyone anywhere - these are expensive phones.  You're safer in your home.
8. Be prepared to de-list the Craigslist posting within 30 minutes of listing.
9. Don't offer to "hold the phone" for anyone - if they're not ready to leave now to get to your place and they don't say that, wait 5 minutes and someone else will be ready to come over and get it.  Anyone waffling on the phone should be told this outright.  This is rude, but frankly, you're getting rid of a phone here and the act of selling is an inconvenience - they shouldn't call if they're not holding cash and are ready to drive over immediately when they call you.

Now, I don't think I've left anything important out, but there is one more thing I've learned in this process, and that's what a successful buyer did, and what someone should do if they want to buy one.

The Piratefish Guide to How to Buy a Used iPhone

1. Get the sufficient cash needed to purchase the phone - then get $40 more for the "just in case" scenario.
2. Gas your car up.
3. Get your "map" on.
4. Be ready to drive immediately after you make the phone call.  The guy selling the iPhone isn't going to sit around and wait all day - when you call, you want to be first.
5. Get into Craigslist and start searching for the iPhone you want.
6. Keep on clicking refresh until you see a listing respond with something you like - plan on doing this for an hour or two.  It's worth the effort to take your time and wait - the number of people who contacted me proves this.
7. Once you see it, call the person if you can - don't text them, don't email them - CALL THEM.
8. If they have the phone, tell them you're ready to go now - and get directions to where they want to meet and go immediately.  If you can, bring a friend, but don't delay or tell them you'll be a "couple of hours" - if you delay, you will loose the sale.  If you must delay, offer them more money for it - the "just in case" fund is for this - to get them to wait, you gotta pay.
9. When examining an iPhone, be sure to look for cracks on the edges, scratches in the metal on the corners, scratches on the Apple Logo on the back and scratches on the screen.  Also, check to make sure it works a bit - if the phone is in "itunes" mode (displaying a "plug me in" screen) then you won't be able to test it - I'd request that they plug it into their computer and get it past that screen so that you can test the speaker.

Why bring a friend when buying an iPhone?

Please take note: I'm a security guy by trade, so it's my job to think of worst-case scenarios, and one disturbing one came to mind after this experience.

The reason I advise folks to bring a friend when buying an iPhone is to hold your extra money and sit in your car, and to be ready to call 911 if something goes down.  Sounds paranoid, but I've realized that all it takes is one Evil SOB with no morals whatsoever to figure out how to rob potential iPhone buyers.

Cheers!