iPhone 7/Plus Selling an iPhone that is network locked?

[HBOC]

Here is the deal. My wife and I both have iPhone 7 plus. She bought hers on launch day (128GB version), and I bought mine last June (256GB version). I want to upgrade phones when the new ones come out, and obviously I would need to pay mine off to get it unlocked via AT&T.

My question is can I sell a phone that is networked locked, then pay it off once i sell it? Easiest way to go about upgrading would be to sell my wife's phone and give her mine and upgrade, but she may not like that...
I checked eBay and see that some listings state unlocked, while others just say what carrier they are on.

 

[charlyee]

You can sell a phone that’s network locked although you will get more bidders if it is unlocked of course.

However, what you cannot and should not do is sell a phone that is not completely paid for.

 

[geoff5093]

You can sell it network locked, but the market is going to be much smaller and you'll get less money for it than if you sold it unlocked. If you sell it unlocked and wait until they pay to unlock it, you may have an issue with AT&T unlocking it in a timely fashion, and you'll have issues with the person who bought it.

 

[HBOC]

Thanks for the replies! I think what I will do it is give my wife my phone and then get a new phone. Then sell her phone to pay off mine - if that makes sense. Plus mine is newer then hers

 

[charlyee]

Thanks for the replies! I think what I will do it is give my wife my phone and then get a new phone. Then sell her phone to pay off mine - if that makes sense. Plus mine is newer then hers

Good plan and good luck. Just to give you an idea I just sold my 128 Gb, 7 Plus for $475 + Shipping. It was an AT&T device bought 02/2017, paid for and unlocked by AT&T.

 

[HBOC]

that is a good price. I am sure the price will drop once the new ones come out - oh well. From now on, I am just going to do the AT&T Next

 

[Reno Raines]

You can sell a phone that’s network locked although you will get more bidders if it is unlocked of course.

However, what you cannot and should not do is sell a phone that is not completely paid for.

I agree 100%. Pay the phone off completely before selling. It is the most fair thing you can do for the buyer. Too many horror stories out there about people buying phones still under finance then ending up with a paper weight. Plus you should get more prospective buyers for it.