Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

[sdfox7]

Distinction without a difference.

People/corporations respond to incentives. In this case as you state, the incentive for Apple is to induce/facilitate a new purchase.

Apple has determined that all of:

• Offering trade-ins
• Paying for them
• Dealing with them
• Wiping them
• Cleaning them
• Refurbishing them
• Selling them
• Re-selling them
• Recycling them
• Junking them

Is worth the effort for the desired outcome. They do want the stuff back (and also want all of the associated elements above, too) because of the incentive that doing those things provides. The incentive creates the desire. Wanting the devices back for completely self-serving, ultimately net profit-generating reasons and wanting the devices back for completely benevolent selfless reasons or any other reasons are all still wanting the devices back.

What would the alternative even be? A corporation/person taking devices back for no benefit?

I agree that selling more devices is the primary, most heavily-weighted reason for the program, but the only reason? No.

The other, secondary reasons include, but are not limited to:

• The PR value of being a “green” company in the eyes of eco-conscious consumers
• The ability to harvest metals and other materials from recycled devices to lower future manufacturing costs
• the brand equity of Apple providing a “we’ll take care of it for you” premium experience by taking the cognitive load + time of having to deal with an old device off the consumers’ hands
• In service of their corporate goals for carbon neutrality

Do any/all of these (and others not listed) outweigh the reason of selling more devices? No, but that doesn’t make them completely irrelevant to the calculus the company is making. The secondary reasons are still additional reasons.

Unless you don't want to deal with selling something privately, Apple trade-in (and probably a trade-in anywhere) is a bad deal for the consumer, if you are trying to be financially wise.

Right now, Apple trade-in on an M1 Macbook Air is $250--yes, the same laptop Walmart is selling brand new for $600.

When you trade-in to Apple, they get what I call "triple-dipping":

1) they made margins on selling the device to you,
2) they will give you very little for your trade-in,
3) and then they'll turn around and sell it on the refurbished store with at least a 100% markup ($500).

Right now they are selling refurbed M1 MBA's for $1,249! Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air Apple M1 Chip with 8‑Core CPU and 8‑Core GPU - Space Gray

...And that doesn't include their margin if you decide to buy a new device! Capitalism at its finest.

The only people who should trade-in are those who have disposable income to flush down the toilet. You don't get rich by wasting money.

 

[goldmac2006]

Right now, Apple trade-in on an M1 Macbook Air is $250--yes, the same laptop Walmart is selling brand new for $600

Walmart’s M1 MacBook Air deal isn’t worth it, even though they’re selling it for $600 new. It won’t last long in a couple of years. They only sell the basic 8-16GB base models. If you need a MacBook Air, why not just get the M4?

 

[sdfox7]

Walmart’s M1 MacBook Air deal isn’t worth it, even though they’re selling it for $600 new. It won’t last long in a couple of years. They only sell the basic 8-16GB base models. If you need a MacBook Air, why not just get the M4?

I got one before they were "discontinued". The silver wedge design is classic, and the M1 is the one that started it all!

(I have way too many Apple devices)

 

[goldmac2006]

I got one before they were "discontinued". The silver wedge design is classic, and the M1 is the one that started it all!

(I have way too many Apple devices)

It’s understandable, but why did Walmart sell something that has been discontinued for quite some time, especially when people are already trading in their M1 Macs? They should be up to date with discounting newer Macs, just like other Apple authorized resellers are doing!

 

[Silverstring]

Unless you don't want to deal with selling something privately,

This is the entire fulcrum.

As someone who used to privately sell all their old devices, and has dealt with untold numbers of annoying emailers with 20 questions who never followed up after I answered them all, lowball hagglers, people standing me up on in person meets and/or showing up with less money than agreed upon to try and strongarm me into taking less, attempted PayPay chargebacks/eBay complaints when everything I sold was exactly as pictured and described, and miles on the car/traveling to meet a buyer who couldn’t travel…you literally couldn’t pay me (enough) to go through all that again.

You call it “wasted money”, I call it “valuing my time”, “protecting my peace”, and “closing the loop with minimal friction”.

I wouldn’t call either approach objectively better than the other, it’s all relative. Some people need to squeeze every penny out of every stone. Others rather accept less money to go through life with minimal BS, under the principle that “one can always make more money, but will never be able to make more time.” Just different strokes.

 

[sdfox7]

This is the entire fulcrum.

As someone who used to privately sell all their old devices, and has dealt with untold numbers of annoying emailers with 20 questions who never followed up after I answered them all, lowball hagglers, people standing me up on in person meets and/or showing up with less money than agreed upon to try and strongarm me into taking less, attempted PayPay chargebacks/eBay complaints when everything I sold was exactly as pictured and described, and miles on the car/traveling to meet a buyer who couldn’t travel…you literally couldn’t pay me (enough) to go through all that again.

You call it “wasted money”, I call it “valuing my time”, “protecting my peace”, and “closing the loop with minimal friction”.

I wouldn’t call either approach objectively better than the other, it’s all relative. Some people need to squeeze every penny out of every stone. Others rather accept less money to go through life with minimal BS, under the principle that “one can always make more money, but will never be able to make more time.” Just different strokes.

Good points. I can totally understand the “time is money” argument. There are many times that I’ve spent a little more to not have to deal with shenanigans. I also do mobile “order ahead” for Dunkin’ on my iPhone so I don’t have to sit in the drive-thru for 20 minutes!

I guess selling isn’t what it used to be. I keep all my Apple stuff and repurpose it so maybe I’m uninformed on the current environment.

I assume people selling cars either go through the same nonsense, or they lose thousands of dollars to trade-in and not deal with the hassle.