Bought an iPhone at an estate sale, but Apple’s security is making it e-waste. Any way out?

Hey everyone,

I’m hoping to get some real-world advice on this.

I bought a second-hand iPhone at a local estate sale. The phone itself is in great shape and turns on normally, but when I try to set it up, it’s locked behind an Apple ID from the previous owner. I don’t have any of their account info, and there’s no way to contact them.

I understand the usual advice about signing out or using the original account, but that’s not an option here. I’ve looked through Apple’s support pages, and most of the solutions assume you still have access to the original Apple ID, which makes this kind of situation pretty confusing.

I’m not trying to do anything shady. I just want to understand what people realistically do when they end up with a second-hand iPhone like this. Is there any legitimate path forward, or does it usually just end up being unusable?

I’m also curious what a device like this can actually still be used for. Since I already bought it, I’d like to understand what’s possible and what’s basically off the table once it’s locked like this.

If anyone has dealt with something similar, I’d really appreciate hearing how it turned out.