Some companies put sensational comments in the subject line to entice you and me to open their emails. It’s a legal, but shady practice some companies use to increase their open rates.

You might be wondering if the subject line of this email is another instance of that very marketing trick. The answer, I assure you, is a big, fat NOPE! You absolutely can get the newest iPhone for F-R-E-E!

Most of you are probably thinking you have to do something illegal or time consuming to get a free iPhone, but you don’t! The most time consuming part will be when you have to stand in line to get the phone.

The newest version of the iPhone was released last Friday and it’s Apple’s biggest home run yet. In just the first few days Apple sold over 9 million units of the iPhone 5S and 5C. That number blew past Apple’s previous sales record of 5 million units for the iPhone 5.

Sales also topped Wall Street’s expectations. They had predicted Apple would sell between five and eight million units of the new phone. Even If you try and get a new iPhone today, nearly a week after its launch, you most likely won’t be able to, nearly all stores are sold out of the iPhone 5S version until October.

When stores finally do get more units in stock you won’t need to pull out your credit card to pay for Apple’s newest tech innovation. Although the 5S will run you $199 (with a new 2 year contract) or $99 for the 5C (also provided you sign up for a new contract), you don’t necessarily need to pay those prices.

If you are an AT&T or Verizon customer, Sprint will give you a free iPhone 5C if you sign-up for a new contract with them (just make sure you are not breaking your contract with AT&T or Verizon to switch, or you will face huge termination fees). Even if you are not interested in switching cell phone providers there are ways to get the new iPhone without coming out of pocket.

Consumer’s fascination with having the latest, greatest iPhone model, no matter if they are under contract or not, has created a large secondary market for old iPhones. Trade in web based stores like Gazelle.com, NextWorth.com, and ProtectCell.com, as well as brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-Mart and Apple will give you cash for your old iPhone. That’s cash you can put towards the purchase of a new phone.

Most consumers expect to get just pennies for their old phones so a lot of times people don’t consider this option. But iPhones hold their worth better than any other smartphone on the market today. As of this past Monday Gazelle was offering $200 for an iPhone 4S and $310 for a 16 gigabyte iPhone 5 in pristine condition. While rival site NextWorth.com offers $210 for an iPhone 4S and $316 for an iPhone 5 in perfect condition.

Even if your old phone has a cracked display you can still get a pretty decent amount for it. Gazelle will give you $75 for the 4S (NextWorth will give you $63) and $125 for the 16 gigabyte 5 (NextWorth will give you $148.51).

Most people’s phone will fall into the normal wear and tear category, in which your phone has some minor cosmetic damage but is in full working order. If this is you then you can get up to $190 for the 4S and $300 for the 16 gigabyte 5 from Gazelle.com.  Both of which are more than enough to get you the newest iPhone 5C for free! Remember the 5S will run you $199 with a new 2 year contract so if you have a 4S you can also get that version for nearly free!

I’ve used Gazelle before to trade in an old iPad so I know it’s trustworthy. They bill themselves as an Eco-friendly website that will either give you cash for your electronic or recycle your items to keep them out of landfills.

To get a quote on how much cash you can get for your old phone go to their website and choose the phone you want to trade in with them. They’ll make offers on iPhones as outdated as the 3G and 3S. Answer a few questions about the condition your phone is in and they’ll instantly provide you with a quote.

And if you thought this deal couldn’t get any sweeter, you’d be wrong! Both Gazelle and NextWorth will provide you with a shipping label to send your phone to them for free! Now you don’t even have to incur that cost. Plus if you want Gazelle will provide you with a box to mail in your phone.

Once you ship your phone to them you can expect to get your money in two weeks or less. Both trade-in sites offer payment via PayPal, check, or in the form of an Amazon.com gift card. If you opt to get paid via a gift card you’ll get a 5 percent bonus!

Now of course you could try to sell your old iPhone yourself for more money. Gazelle and NextWorth are essentially brokers and they have to make money too. But I like selling to these sites better than trying to sell it on my own on a site like Ebay.

Ebay is a great site, don’t get me wrong, but the user has to invest time and effort to sell their items. A seller must research what a fair price for their items are, post detailed pictures, and write persuasive descriptions that entice buyers. If any one of those elements is missing an item is much less likely to sell.

Another thing I don’t like about Ebay is figuring out how to ship the items I sell and how much to charge buyers for it. I never know if I am charging too little or too much until I take the items to the post office. When I sell an item to Gazelle I eliminate this problem as well. Gazelle is the one who figures out shipping methods, transit times and correct shipping charges.

Once you agree to sell your old gadget to one of these online re-seller sites they give you about a month to send in your phone. That gives you plenty of time to get a new phone before you have to send in your old one, which is good in the case of the newest iPhone that won’t be back in stock until October.

These sites will also make you an offer on other types of phones. If you have another type of smartphone or Blackberry you can get a cash offer to put towards the purchase of a new phone. You can also get quotes on other tech gadgets like the iPad or other tablet, the iPod, and Macbook.

My advice is to get a quote as soon as possible. Every day that goes by is a chance that these and other re-seller sites will lower the price they’ll offer you. So get a move on and see how much cash you could get!

Good luck!

Keeping Money in Your Pocket,

Nancy Patterson