To avoid purchasing a "paperweight," you must verify several settings in person before handing over money:
: Sellers who won't meet at a carrier store often have something to hide [10, 11]. buying iphone 7 on craigslist
Buying an on Craigslist in 2026 is generally not recommended due to its age and the high risk of scams. The device is now a decade old, and while it may still handle very basic tasks, its software is outdated (capped at iOS 15), leading to slow performance and limited app compatibility [23, 27, 33]. To avoid purchasing a "paperweight," you must verify
: Uses PayPal for buyer protection and manually reviews listings to prevent scams [8, 10, 16]. : Uses PayPal for buyer protection and manually
does not support iOS 16 or later [23]. While it still receives occasional security updates (like iOS 15.8.6), it cannot run many modern apps that require newer software [27, 33].
Craigslist lacks the buyer protections found on sites like eBay or Swappa [4, 10, 16].
is extremely low. Current estimates suggest an average market value of , though some "excellent" condition units might fetch slightly more [26, 34]. Paying significantly more (e.g., $100+) is likely a bad investment [6]. Software Limits : The