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iPad iPad 3 or 4 Dillema Please Help. Which is better Resale?

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narutoninjakid

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
302
0
New Jersey
I had an iPad 2 64gb Verizon and I used it for a while but I always wanted the Retina Display. I guess you could say I'm a technology fan so I like to have the latest and the greatest. I recently sold it on eBay:confused: for about $400 dollars and was looking to upgrade. I don't use cellular but I bought it just for resale value. Now I was faced with the decision whether to get the 3 or 4 .

I was reading some reviews and I saw that the 3 is pretty good but its just like the iPad 2 but with better graphics performance. I'm a little weird as ill usually download a lot of games but I won't even play them that much. Usually my brother or sister play them and I just have them to have them. The iPad has recently become my companion in school though. (Freshmen in college :)) I usually download the power points for class to study from. On the 64gb iPad I had about 35GB free and I don't want to waste that much space and Money.

My real dilemma is the resale values for iPads as good for wifi Only models. I was aiming to get a 64gb iPad 3 on verizon for about $500 but I was thinking I might as well get an iPad 4 with lesser space, and then sell the 4 as 5 comes out. ALSO I'm aiming for used at these prices LOL Also, I don't really mind waiting to get the greatest I just like to casually update may be in the middle of the life cycle so I won't be selling the new iPad I get immediately as iPad 5 comes out.

Basically should I just Get iPad 4 32gb Wifi or does the Wifi +4g have much greater resale Value? I don't use cellular data I just want to be able to recoup most of the cash I spend on the device.

Also, for any of you guys who have bought or traded up which do you think is better iPad 3 or 4? Thanks Guys I really appreciate the responses.
 
rockyroad55

rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
So confused at your post. You bought cellular, didnt need it and only got it for resale. Now you're saying you might casually upgrade but want to know which one is best for resale.

It's one thing to buy the latest and greatest by reselling your old items. It's another thing to buy something you don't need and hope to resell it.

Rant over, iPad 4 for best resale. Go with the 16GB. That sells better to a majority of consumers.
 
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barkomatic

macrumors 601
Aug 8, 2008
4,520
2,821
Manhattan
Rather than just focus on the resale value, you should consider how much you are paying up front. Apple is selling cheap iPad 3 refurbs in their online store right now. While the 4 will command a higher resale value -- you'll also be paying full price for it to start with.

In other words, if your intent is to sell it when the iPad 5 is released then I'd just go for the refurb iPad 3. Most users do not report a huge difference in performance between the two--and they look almost exactly alike.
 
EDH667

EDH667

macrumors 65816
Nov 25, 2009
1,035
278
Northern California
You should purchase the iPad tailored for your current and near future needs, not resale value. Since no one knows what Apple plans for the next upgrade cycle, it is not smart to purchase any IOS device on the premise of resale value.

Look what happened to the iPad 3. Six months after release, Apple released the iPad 4, instantly reducing its resale value (currently $299 new at Target).
 
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jenzjen

macrumors 68000
Aug 20, 2010
1,734
6
Agree with the others, focusing only on what you get at resell ignores your cost, i.e the best resale value would be the 128Gb iPad 4 LTE. This is the worst SKU to get if you're thinking about reselling every cycle, though.

The right question is where will I lose the least amount of money. By far, you'll lose the least amount of money buying a mint used or refurbished 16Gb iPad 3. If you want a 4, buy a mint used 16Gb iPad 4.
 
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Infinite Jest

macrumors 6502
Nov 2, 2011
282
14
Harrisonburg, Va
If I were you, I would go on the hunt for a cheap, used iPad 3. I managed to snag one locally a few months ago via Craigslist for $325 (32 GB) with a warranty until August of this year. I'm fairly certain I'll be able to get at least that out of it if I turn around and sell it when the next generation is released. Now, that may not be representative of all deals to be had, but if you're worried about resale value, I think the key is to buy cheaply, at least to the point where depreciation won't catch up with what you paid by the time you go to sell it.
 
ucfgrad93

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,532
10,820
Colorado
I would go with the 4 over the 3. It is new and will be better able to take OS updates. Not to mention it has the lightning connector.
 
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Breaking Good

macrumors 65816
Sep 28, 2012
1,449
1,225
Just my opinion here. You are currently invested in some way in the old 18/19/20/2000 whatever it is pin connector. Buy an iPad 4 now would mean you would have to invest something in the lightening connector.

Since is seems that an iPad 3 WiFi 32GB will meet all your needs for at least the year, I recommend you buy a refurb unit off of Apple's ebay refurb store. That way you will avoid having to pay sales tax.

Sell your ipad 2 and start saving so you can get an iPad 5 when they are eventually ready for sale.

As far as resale value goes, from what I've noticed on ebay by watch iPhone 4S auctions, I only see about a $25 difference in price between the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models in similar used conditions. This leads me to believe that people buying use Apple products are usually trying to get the cheapest price possible and capability/features is second. So I'd recommend getting the least expensive version you can and avoid additional memory or cellular if you don't need it as neither adds much to resale value. This is just my $0.02.
 
N

narutoninjakid

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 6, 2012
302
0
New Jersey
I already have 4 lightning cables for my iPod touch 5th generation and a few 30 pin which are useless how. I never invested in other Peripherals that were pin only. Anyway I just bought an iPad fourth-generation 32 GB Wi-Fi only on eBay for about $ 567 so I'm pretty happy. Hopefully Apple keeps signing 6.1 so I can jailbreak

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Breaking Good said:
Just my opinion here. You are currently invested in some way in the old 18/19/20/2000 whatever it is pin connector. Buy an iPad 4 now would mean you would have to invest something in the lightening connector.

Since is seems that an iPad 3 WiFi 32GB will meet all your needs for at least the year, I recommend you buy a refurb unit off of Apple's ebay refurb store. That way you will avoid having to pay sales tax.

Sell your ipad 2 and start saving so you can get an iPad 5 when they are eventually ready for sale.

As far as resale value goes, from what I've noticed on ebay by watch iPhone 4S auctions, I only see about a $25 difference in price between the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models in similar used conditions. This leads me to believe that people buying use Apple products are usually trying to get the cheapest price possible and capability/features is second. So I'd recommend getting the least expensive version you can and avoid additional memory or cellular if you don't need it as neither adds much to resale value. This is just my $0.02.
Click to expand...


Yeah got the iPad 4 ☺
 
A

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,362
546
The best cost basis resale value is always the lowest end wifi model. Say iPad 3 16gb. I think $299 target.com (probably sold out now). U can easily resell for $200-250 when new iPad comes out. So taking only a $50-100 hit

Vs. iPad 4 929 128gb LTE model.

You maybe lucky to get $750 for it when iPad 5 comes out. Maybe $700. U would be taking close to a $200 hit for resell.
 
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