11/25/2025
There’s a special kind of optimism that comes from finding an old phone in a drawer and thinking, “Hey, maybe this thing is worth something.”
Then you remember the screen is cracked. Or it’s still tied to a carrier. Or you forgot the iCloud password three phones ago.
The good news: some locked or damaged phones can absolutely still be sold. The less-good-but-important news: not every type of lock or damage is the same.
At GoRoostr, whether we can buy a phone depends on the exact model, its condition, its carrier status, and whether any security or ownership restrictions are still attached to it. So instead of pretending every cracked or locked phone is fair game, here’s how it actually works.
“Locked phone” gets used to describe several completely different situations. One may be perfectly fine. Another is a hard stop.
A carrier lock means the phone is restricted to a specific wireless carrier.
That does not automatically make the phone unsellable.
For iPhones, GoRoostr currently accepts eligible devices that are unlocked, AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, assuming there isn’t another restriction such as an unpaid financing balance.
If your phone is locked to another carrier, it may need to be unlocked before we can purchase it.
If the device is fully paid off, it’s worth asking your carrier whether they can unlock it before you sell. It may make the phone easier to sell and could affect its value depending on the model and current market.
Notice we didn’t give you some magical “unlocking adds exactly $87.43” number. Phone prices don’t work that way.
This is the big one.
If a phone is still protected by Apple Activation Lock, Find My, Google Factory Reset Protection, a firmware lock, or another account-level security lock, we cannot purchase it while that lock is active.
These protections are designed to stop someone other than the rightful owner from taking over the device. That’s a good thing—even when it makes selling an old phone slightly more annoying.
Before shipping your phone, remove the account and security lock completely.
If you’ve forgotten your password, work with Apple, Google, or the appropriate account provider to recover access and remove the lock. If the device arrives still locked, the issue has to be resolved before we can purchase it.
In short: carrier locked may be okay. Activation locked is not.
If money is still owed on the phone, clear that up first.
GoRoostr cannot purchase a device that still has an active financing balance or carrier restriction attached to it.
Paying off the phone and resolving the carrier restriction before you sell prevents a much bigger headache later—especially because financed devices can eventually become restricted or blacklisted.
This one is straightforward.
We cannot purchase a phone with a blacklisted IMEI or a device reported lost or stolen.
If the phone was blacklisted by mistake, contact the carrier and get the issue resolved before selling it.
Once the blacklist is actually cleared, you can come back and get a quote.
“Probably cleared” does not count. Phones are not big on optimism.
Damage is where things get more interesting.
There is no universal rule that says “GoRoostr buys broken phones,” because we don’t buy every model in every broken condition.
Instead, broken-device eligibility is model-specific.
Some phones have a Broken condition available in our quote system. Others don’t. The amount we can pay also depends on the exact phone and the exact condition—not a generic percentage deduction from some imaginary perfect-phone value.
The easiest rule is this: use the condition choices shown for your exact model in the GoRoostr quote flow.
If the quote form gives you an option that accurately describes the phone, use it.
If your particular problem is not represented, don’t choose something “close enough” just to get a number. Contact us first.
That saves everyone from the awkward revised-offer conversation later.
A cracked screen and a phone that cannot connect to cellular service are not the same kind of problem.
Some cosmetic or damaged conditions may be supported for certain models. More serious functional problems may make another model ineligible altogether.
That’s why we don’t publish a chart saying “Cracked screen = minus 27%,” “Bad camera = minus 19%,” or “Phone survived three minutes in a swimming pool = good luck.”
Real pricing depends on the device.
Our quote system reflects the conditions we are actually willing to purchase for each supported model.
For Apple devices, this is important.
Under our current purchasing policy, we cannot purchase Apple devices that have been previously tampered with, have had attempted repairs or replacement parts, are missing required parts, or display replacement-part warnings.
That includes situations where the repair looks perfectly fine from the outside.
If you know the phone has aftermarket or replacement components, contact us before shipping it rather than assuming it qualifies.
We don’t start with one perfect-phone number and then subtract random percentages for every scratch and dent.
Your quote is based on the actual model, configuration, carrier where applicable, condition options we support, and current market pricing.
When the phone arrives, we inspect it to make sure it matches what was submitted.
If the condition is different and the value needs to change, we send you a revised offer with an explanation. You can accept it or decline it. If you decline the revised offer, we return the device at no charge.
So the best way to avoid surprises is also the simplest: describe the phone accurately the first time.
Maybe.
Broken back glass does not automatically mean we can or cannot purchase the phone. It depends on the exact model and the conditions currently supported in our quote system.
Check your model’s quote options. If you don’t see a condition that accurately describes the damage, contact us before sending it.
We buy the models that are currently supported by our live quote catalog.
There isn’t a universal “five years old” or “seven years old” rule.
If the exact phone is listed, you can quote it. If it isn’t listed, contact us rather than submitting it as a different model.
If the phone is tied to an unsupported carrier, it may need to be unlocked first.
For iPhones, our currently supported carrier options include unlocked, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
If you’re unsure, ask us before shipping it.
No.
The financing or carrier restriction needs to be cleared first.
Once the phone is fully paid off and any related restriction has been removed, you can get a new quote.
Not while the lock is active.
Remove Find My and the associated Apple account lock before shipping the device.
The same basic rule applies to Google FRP and other activation or firmware locks: the security lock must be removed before we can buy the phone.
Possibly.
A cracked screen does not automatically make a phone worthless. A carrier lock does not automatically make it worthless either.
But some things really are deal-breakers: active activation locks, financing restrictions, blacklisted or lost/stolen status, and damage or repair situations that are not supported for that particular model.
The easiest way to find out is to quote the exact phone you actually have and answer the condition questions honestly.
No guessing. No mystery percentages. No pretending the phone “only has a tiny crack” when the back looks like a spiderweb.
Get a quote from GoRoostr and see what your phone is worth.
Have a weird situation that doesn’t fit the quote form? Contact us. Weird phones are more common than you’d think.