How To Get The Most For Your iPhone When Apple Releases A New One

You may have heard Apple will release the iPhone 6 on September 9.

You know it's going to be cool. The rumors say it will be available in two screen sizes, have a longer battery life and lots of other new features.

If you're an Apple fan, you're probably going to want one right away. But you already have an iPhone!

Fear not. Here are the best ways for you to cash in on your old device when trading up to a new one.

Sell Your iPhone To A Trade-in Company

Believe it or not, lots of companies want your old iPhone. Depending on what condition it's in (i.e. whether or not you kept it in a case), you could actually make a decent amount off of it.

One such iPhone-purchasing site is Gazelle. There a 32GB iPhone 5 on an AT&T contract will fetch $165 in "Good" condition. Gazelle will even take your broken iPhone, though you won't get as much for it.

Gazelle isn't the only company buying old iPhones. There's also Glyde, NextWorth and others. These sites guarantee you'll get something for your old phone and you'll know that amount going into the trade.

Sell Your iPhone To An Individual

Unless you've got a relative waiting to get their hands on your old device, finding a person to buy your phone can be challenging.

Selling your iPhone on eBay is riskier than handing it over to a company that buys smartphones, but you may get more for it.

One lucky seller got $380 for his 32GB iPhone 5. But not everyone gets so lucky on eBay. Another seller is looking for around $250 for his iPhone 5.

Both stand to make a fair amount from the iPhones, but the eBay market is less stable. And needless to say you're responsible for photographing, listing and shipping your phone if it sells.

Craigslist is a similar gamble. Prices vary widely from $500 to around $150 based on condition and functionality. You might think selling on eBay or Craigslist seems like a no-brainer but remember two things: the impetus to sell the phone is all on you, and only the "like new" phones are fetching on the high end of that range.

Even if you treat your iPhone with love, it might not really be in "like new" condition.

Take Your iPhone To A Big Box Store

If you don't want to deal with the hassle of Craigslist but want more for your money than the trade-in sites offer, there's always stores like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Apple, and others that offer specific trade-in deals.

Best Buy will give you a better relative value than Gazelle, but you get Best Buy credit, not cash.

Radio Shack will also take your trade-in, but won't give you as much value as other vendors.

Apple's Reuse and Recycle Program will also get you credit for your smartphone if you want an Apple Store gift card.

Amazon will also trade-in your device for a gift card, if you're so inclined.

These offers are only appealing if you had already planned to buy your next iPhone on Amazon or at Best Buy. But they're still more convenient than selling your device yourself.

To sum up:

Trade-in sites: Less value and less hassle than selling on Craigslist

Craigslist/eBay: More value and more hassle than going to a trade-in site

Big Box stores: More value than a trade-in site, less hassle than Craigslist

Now go fourth and prepare yourself for the iPhone 6.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.