Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Advice on on selling my i5?
- Thread starter ICON5o2
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'd avoid them. I'd give you $350 myself. Find a forum to sell on. You'll get much more.
Thanks for the replies!! It does have a few dings cause I carry it around naked except for a SGP crystal screen protector. I'll upload some pics of the condition of the phone when I get the chance.
Gazzelle just seems so convenient.
Gazzelle just seems so convenient.
Gazzelle is not worth it they just make money off of you, put it on auction on eBay and you should get 450-500, a lot of buyers don't care about dings cause they receive the phone and get it replaced at apple store
I agree with the suggestion to use eBay. You'll get around $500 (unless it's the Sprint model, then you'll get closer to $425).
eBay is going to take upwards of 12% of your cut. On top of that, you pay shipping, and if you're smart, insurance, which will be another $20 or so. If you're lucky to sell the phone at $500, you might be left with $400 when all is said and done. Then, unless you sell often, you don't have access to those funds until the buyer leaves positive feedback or a few weeks pass (whichever comes first). Finally, you run the risk of the guy claiming you sent him an empty box. Not as big a problem if you are a frequent seller, but if you only sell once in a while, eBay will almost certainly side with the buyer.
Despite what people are saying, a safe $350 isn't horrible. There are also places in malls that will buy used phones. There is also Craigslist. Unfortunately I don't feel eBay is worth the risk anymore. It used to be great. Now there are too many scam runners and ebay keeps on taking a bigger and bigger cut of your sales.
Despite what people are saying, a safe $350 isn't horrible. There are also places in malls that will buy used phones. There is also Craigslist. Unfortunately I don't feel eBay is worth the risk anymore. It used to be great. Now there are too many scam runners and ebay keeps on taking a bigger and bigger cut of your sales.
The iPhone 5 was only unveiled 7 months ago, are you ending the contract early or just replacing the phone early?
Insurance isn't $20. I ship with USPS priority on eBay all the time. Selling an iphone for $500 will cost you about $6-8 for insurance and no more than $10 to ship. Add $10 or $15 to the listing for shipping n that should cover the shipping. Or just pay the shipping yourself to attract more customers. I sell on ebay all the time n never had an issue. Of course my experience differs from others. I never had someone claim I sent them an empty box. The eBay fees tho, that can be the issue. I don't know what the percentage that eBay takes but it can be expensive.
I also do Craigslist but I make sure I go with a buddy to make sure nothing happens and I also bring a counterfeit marker with me to check the money to make sure I don't get any fakes. If you got a friend that can tag along with you, I'd do Craigslist if I was you. Also buy a counterfeit marker from Staples to make sure the bills are real n post that you will be bringing the marker in your ad so the buyer doesn't feel some type of way.
Sell on a forum or on Craigslist. Gazelle will horribly lowball you. Ive bought and sold tons of phones on forums and had zero issues and always got just about the asking price.
Usually I give mine to a family member or friend that would appreciate it.
That said, if no one needs a phone, I use Gazelle and highly endorse them.
They have paid me exactly what they quoted, except for twice when I rated the phone as average and they gave me the "like new" price... because that is indeed how I keep my phones. I rated those two as average only because they each had just one, very tiny smudge near the edge of the housing.
Oh sure I could get a bit more selling it myself, but my time is far too important to me than to mess with strange buyers one on one. The transaction could go smoothly, or like some of my friends have experienced, their are those buyers who change their mind, or play games with the payment, or other annoyances, which burn up ones time.
Gazelle gets the check to me in record time, a very satisfying experience, and well worth it.
I always sell my iPhones on craigslist.. usually gone within a day or two, so simple. Just put up a nice ad up, 3-4 pictures, and meetup at a local Starbucks. You'll make more money than Gazelle too!
This is the schedule you need to follow...
Year 1 - Sign up for your 2yr contract at $199
Year 2 - Sell your iphone for $400-$500 and buy the new one for $600. You are almost guaranteed to be able to sell your old phone for at least $400. I have done this every year since they have been released and on top of that sold an additional 15 or so iphones in that price range. The first couple years I sold them a few days before the new one was announced, but after that I realized it does not matter. There are so many people out there looking for them that the resale value is not so much as it used to be.
Year 3 - Sign up for your 2yr again..Buy new iphone for $199, Sell your old one for $400-$500...Once you go through this 3yr cycle you will break even or actually have made a couple hundred dollars which will result in you having paid nothing for 3 new iphones
Year 1 - Sign up for your 2yr contract at $199
Year 2 - Sell your iphone for $400-$500 and buy the new one for $600. You are almost guaranteed to be able to sell your old phone for at least $400. I have done this every year since they have been released and on top of that sold an additional 15 or so iphones in that price range. The first couple years I sold them a few days before the new one was announced, but after that I realized it does not matter. There are so many people out there looking for them that the resale value is not so much as it used to be.
Year 3 - Sign up for your 2yr again..Buy new iphone for $199, Sell your old one for $400-$500...Once you go through this 3yr cycle you will break even or actually have made a couple hundred dollars which will result in you having paid nothing for 3 new iphones
The $20 I stated was including shipping and all. I was just throwing up rough estimates, bud. My point, from the beginning, was that people saying "you can get $450 on eBay" aren't seeing the whole picture. You actually see a whole lot less than that through eBay, and on top of that you deal with the multitude of other risks.
The fact that YOU haven't been scammed on eBay is wonderful. Scams tend to revolve around the "once in a long while" sellers with a small handful of feedbacks. But... In repeating myself and this is pointless. Good on you that you've had zero issues. That doesn't mean that it doesn't happen... More frequently than it should.
Gazelle is good if you are not comfortable with eBay or craigslist. I advertise that I buy phones on CL by linking to the gazelle website. I offer sellers $10 _ $20 over gazelle prices and I'm getting offers every day. I then sell them on eBay for an average profit of $120
Well I went ahead and purchased a Lifeproof case. I recently checked Gazelle and the price has dropped from $330 to $310 dollars. eBay kinda scares me. I might just end up keeping this phone and saving up for the next one. I guess at this it all depends on what the next iPhone will have.
go on craiglist.... the minimum I bought my i5 there was 400 dollars 2 weeks ago.... I think if you start with 500 you will get that amount... be sure to meet in a public place and carry a friend and you are ok. Watch all around before and after the transaction in order to not be followed.
Easy and safe money without ebay commissions and paypal and so on.
Easy and safe money without ebay commissions and paypal and so on.