Canada man buys $100 broken iPhone from Facebook Marketplace to see if he can flip it for an easy profit
Buying a broken iPhone on Facebook Marketplace feels like nothing but a gamble, but one Canadian man decided to take the risk in the hope of making some easy money.
Rather than picking up a fully working device, he found a damaged iPhone 14 listed for just $100 and believed there was enough profit left after repairs to make it worthwhile.
There was just one catch – the seller wanted payment before he even arrived to collect it.
He was worried that he’d gambled too close to the sun.
Why did he buy a $100 broken iPhone from Facebook Marketplace?
Everyone’s favorite gadget flipper, Kristian Kumric, came across a blue 128GB iPhone 14 listed on Facebook Marketplace for just CA$100.
According to the listing, the phone was fully functional despite having a badly cracked screen.
After checking recently sold prices on eBay, he estimated the repaired phone could fetch around CA$350, while a replacement display would cost about CA$60.
That left plenty of room for making some money, provided the repair went according to plan, but before he could even think about replacing the screen, the purchase took an unexpected turn.
The Facebook Marketplace seller explained that her son was sick and asked if he could send the money before collecting the phone.
Even Kristian admitted this was something buyers should never normally do on Facebook Marketplace, but he decided to trust the seller because she had excellent reviews.
He transferred the money, drove 45 minutes to the pickup location, and thankfully found the phone waiting for him exactly where the seller had promised.
Luckily for him, the risky purchase had paid off.
Having previously repaired a broken iPhone 16 for a profit of just CA$36, he was determined to do much better this time.
The gamble ended with a surprisingly big payday
The repair itself wasn’t entirely straightforward.
Removing the original display required plenty of care because the damaged screen could be recycled for money if the OLED panel stayed intact.
One wrong move would have ruined that extra cash.
Fortunately, the screen survived removal without any damage, allowing him to transfer over the proximity sensor, clean away the old waterproof adhesive, fit the new display, and reseal the phone.
Once everything was tested, the broken iPhone was no more and worked perfectly.
To help the listing stand out, he even found an original iPhone 14 box to include with the sale before listing it on both eBay and Kijiji for CA$350.
It didn’t take long before a buyer named Steve agreed to meet and purchase the phone at the full asking price.
The numbers worked out even better than expected.
He paid CA$100 for the phone, spent CA$60 on the replacement screen, then received CA$26 back by recycling the original display.
That meant his total repair cost came to just CA$34, bringing his total investment to CA$134.
After selling the repaired iPhone for CA$350, he walked away with a total profit of CA$216 – comfortably beating the CA$150 target he had set himself before starting the repair.
While it turned into a successful flip, it’s worth remembering that sending money before collecting an item is generally considered one of the biggest risks when buying through Facebook Marketplace.
In the majority of cases, this tactic can lead to scams rather than profits.