Buying guide
How to buy a used iPhone without guessing
A trustworthy used-iPhone listing should tell you the phone’s actual condition, battery health, carrier status and what was tested before you pay. Revivo publishes those details when they are available and pairs them with photographs of the device being sold.
Reviewed October 2026
What should I check before buying a used iPhone?
- Physical condition
- Look for scratches, dents and cracked glass on the front and the back, and make sure the photos show the phone actually being sold rather than a stock image.
- Battery health
- iOS reports battery health as a maximum-capacity percentage in Settings. Ask for the figure, and whether the battery has ever been replaced.
- Activation and carrier status
- Confirm whether the phone is unlocked or tied to a carrier, and that it is not still signed in to someone else’s Apple Account with Activation Lock on.
- IMEI and blacklist
- An IMEI check shows whether the phone has been reported lost or stolen, or blacklisted by a carrier. A blacklisted phone may not connect to a network.
- Display and touch
- Check for dead pixels, discolouration and burn-in, and that touch responds across the whole screen.
- Cameras
- Every rear and front camera should focus, and the flash should work.
- Face ID or Touch ID
- Biometric unlock should work on models that have it.
- Charging
- The port should charge the phone and the phone should hold its charge.
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular signal, the speakers and the microphones should all work.
Why real photos matter
For a single-unit listing, Revivo photographs the phone that is for sale, so the wear, marks and colour you see belong to that device. When a listing holds more than one unit, the product page says so, because one set of photographs cannot honestly describe several phones.
A grade is not enough
Grades such as A, B or C are a useful shorthand, but sellers define them differently. A grade means most next to the facts behind it: the battery figure, the carrier status, the tests that were run and photographs of the phone itself. Revivo shows the grade alongside those facts rather than instead of them.
Battery health
Battery health is different on every used phone, so there is no single figure that applies to all of them. Revivo records the battery health of each phone when it is known and shows it on that listing. Where it could not be read, the listing says Not available rather than estimating one.
Locked or unlocked
Not every used iPhone is unlocked. Each Revivo listing states its carrier status, for example Unlocked or the name of the carrier it works with, so you can check it will work on your network before you buy.
Buying a used iPhone in Los Angeles
Revivo is based in Los Angeles. Every order is placed through this store’s normal checkout, where shipping options and any tax are shown before you pay.
Why Revivo built the Revivo Report
The Revivo Report on each product page lists what is known about that phone: its device details, battery health, verification status and recorded test results. A test that was not run is shown as Not tested, and a blank is never shown as a pass. These pages explain how each phone is checked and listed:
Public buyer history
Revivo also sells on Facebook Marketplace and eBay, where buyers have left public feedback. You can read it on those profiles directly.