How to get my 3GS ready to sell

[jonmark]

ok, so now that I have the iPhone 4, I'm going to be selling my 3GS soon. I want to unlock it so that the value can go up a little bit, but my question is this - since there is not a working sim card in it, how can I clear all my info from the phone (photos, contacts, music, apps, etc) without iTunes locking it to the "Connect to iTunes" screen? This way I can clear it and still be able to jailbreak/unlock the device. And about how much could I ask for it? Perfect condition, black, 16GB and a few cases - once unlocked I was thinking $300, is that about average? Thanks in advance.

 

[anon(4698833)]

$300 is pushing it...but its not impossible, especially if it's in mint condition. It might take a while to sell at that price though...$250 and you're pretty much good to go quickly on eBay or Craigslist.

As far as the sim card issue...you can pull the SIM (as long as it was activated at one time) and it will still work through WiFi and the iPod will still function. You can simply erase all of your information from the phone manually and do the jailbreak/unlock through WiFi.

 

[jonmark]

You can simply erase all of your information from the phone manually and do the jailbreak/unlock through WiFi.

I was afraid of that, lol manually. That's a lot of contacts to delete one by one. And how would I erase my pics on there? The albums I've synced on there that aren't in the camera roll?

 

[maxburn]

Settings, general, reset, erase all content and settings. This is what you want. When done it goes to the connect to iTunes logo just like it was new, nothing left on it after that.

 

[jonmark]

Ah, nevermind, I took a chance and plugged it in to iTunes and was able to delete all my music, contacts, photos, etc and not have it locked to the "Connect to iTunes" screen. So now to rejailbreak and unlock. Thanks!

 

[jonmark]

Question: How do I jailbreak now that I have 4.2.1? What does this tethered/untethered jailbreak mean? Will none of the normal jailbreaking methods work now?

 

[anon(4698833)]

Redsn0w is pretty much your only option right now...you have to download that and your 4.2.1 firmware (as a separate file) and then follow the instructions...FYI, redsn0w's tethered JB means that anytime the phone is powered down, reset (through cydia or whatever), or the battery dies...cydia wont work (rendering the JB useless) unless it is reset through redsn0w (the program has the jailbreak process AND a tethered reset process within the download).

Its honestly a pain in the ass...which is why so many are eagerly awaiting the untethered JB, rumored to be coming any day now.

 

[jonmark]

Oh dang .. what the crap is that junk? lol .. Well, I'll wait around for that untethered jailbreak then lol

 

[maxburn]

If you just flashed the official 4.2.1 than the chances of getting unlocked and keeping the GPS aren't good. Just sell it as is with no jailbreak either. I have been tracking these on eBay and the 32gb ones are easily getting in the $300's. You aren't adding any value jailbreaking so just list the iOS version, baseband and if it has any shsh available so people can come to their own decisions.

 

[BryanTheRed]

I sold my 3GS 16GB on eBay back in the summer and got $330 for it. It was NOT unlocked either...

 

[BLiNK]

actually, i have noticed that devices titled jailbroken seem to go for a little bit more.. if the buyer is unaware or does not want to mess with jailbreaking it themselves they'll pay for it

i sold my 3G for $235 (jailbroken) it was over a year old, crack by the charging port (like most used iPhones) and had some minor wear from a case

i have a feeling it shouldn't have sold for that much

 

[cardfan]

Didn't leave mine jb or unlocked and it had a few hairline scratches. It sold for 300 a few months ago. I'd throw it on ebay and not worry about it.

 

[FXC]

I suggest craigslist if you're looking to get a better price than eBay would yield. This would only work if you're in a large metro area, though.

 

[andrewp23]

ye $300 is too much id rather spend a little bit more and get the iphone 4 so id lower the price but maybe if ur lucky theres some fool out there who will do that

 

[FXC]

$300 is less than half the price of an iPhone 4; I wouldn't call anyone a "fool" for buying a 3Gs and I actually think it's a sweet deal. Not everybody throws out their cellphone as soon as a new model hits the store.