Locked vs unlocked: what the lock costs you
A locked phone trades in for less than the same phone unlocked. Enter the unlocked value and the discount buyers apply to locked stock, and see the gap. Add what the unlock costs you to see the net.
WORTH LOCKED$204
THE GAP$96
NET AFTER UNLOCK+$96
Enter what the unlock costs to see the net gain.
Where 32 percent comes from
Swappa compared trade-in offers for locked and unlocked phones in October 2026 and found locked devices discounted by 25 to 57 percent, typically about 32 percent. On list prices between private sellers the gap was about 5 percent. Source: Swappa blog, October 2026. Your buyers will differ; type their number in. The model by model table, worked examples and when not to unlock are on locked vs unlocked value; the devices to leave alone are on financed and blacklisted phones.
How to use it in the shop
- At the buy counter: the gap is the most you should ever pay to unlock the phone, minus the margin you want.
- In stock: sort locked devices by gap, unlock the ones where the gap beats the price, leave the rest locked.
- Inside The STACKS App this runs on live buyback prices per model and storage, with the unlock price already subtracted, on every IMEI check.