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

UltimateSyn said:
What Apple provides as a trade-in value has no bearing on what the device is actually worth on eBay, Swappa, Craigslist, Facebook, etc.
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I wouldn't necessarily say NO bearing since Apple is a player/factor in the resale market. Apple increasing or decreasing its trade-in values can influence how many people put their devices up for sale on eBay, Swappa, Craigslist, Facebook, etc. (versus trading to Apple) which therefore can influence the supply on those sites which therefore can influence prices/values.

Also, some may look to Apple as the wholesale "blue book value" for devices and use those figures to help set their buying/selling expectations. Apple increasing or decreasing trade values could lead to people increasing or decreasing the expected device value in the market.

Apple therefore can potentially have a bearing on the overall market.
 
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I always sell on craigslist. I tend to sell at a good price to where people don’t even haggle. Generally the stuff is older and has zero trade in value so I get many times more from craigslist.
 
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katbel said:
I thought it had to go up, not down
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Some trade-in values did go up. Look at the Macs. Mac mini's value went up $35

MacBook Pro: Up to $670 (vs. $630)
MacBook Air: Up to $460 (vs. $440)
MacBook: Up to $110 (vs. $100)
iMac Pro: Up to $600 (vs. $600)
iMac: Up to $530 (vs. $530)
Mac Pro: Up to $1,250 (vs. $1,250)
Mac mini: Up to $340 (vs. $305)

Maybe the M1 Mac mini value went up because it doesn't have a crippled (single NAND) SSD drive like that found in the M2 Mac mini 🤣
 
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jayducharme said:
It's interesting that the iPhone minis are holding their value better than Apple's other products.
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Higher end/higher priced products (such as Pro and Pro Max) generally don't do as well resale-wise. However, comparing "regular" iPhones to minis, the regular phones can do somewhat better.

64GB iPhone 12 is worth about 36.2% of its original launch retail price.
64GB iPhone 12 mini is worth about 34.3% of its original launch retail price.

128GB iPhone 13 is worth about 48.3% of its original launch retail price.
128GB iPhone 13 mini is worth about 48.0% of its original launch retail price.

In these examples, the regular iPhones have the higher resale percentages.
 
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webkit said:
I wouldn't necessarily say NO bearing since Apple is a player/factor in the resale market. Apple increasing or decreasing its trade-in values can influence how many people put their devices up for sale on eBay, Swappa, Craigslist, Facebook, etc. (versus trading to Apple) which therefore can influence the supply on those sites which therefore can influence prices/values.

Also, some may look to Apple as the wholesale "blue book value" for devices and use those figures to help set their buying/selling expectations. Apple increasing or decreasing trade values could lead to people increasing or decreasing the expected device value in the market.

Apple therefore can potentially have a bearing on the overall market.
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I would agree with this if Apple wasn't also in the business of reselling refurbished items on their website. They are currently giving $280 for an iPhone 11 Pro Max (regardless of storage capacity) and in the same breath charging $649 (64GB), $729 (256 GB), $899 (512 GB) for the same phone on their website. Quite another profit margin there. Apple iPhone 11 Pro
 
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citysnaps said:
That makes sense.

Apparently some people are truly gobsmacked that electronics tech (phones, tablets, computers, TV, radios, watches, etc.) decrease in value over time.
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Hold it long enough and it can go up in value.

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UltimateSyn said:
That's wild, I've sold less than ten but on nearly every item I've had scammers win the first pass at the auction and send me fake 'Your PayPal Payment Has Been Received' emails, hoping that I would be fooled into thinking I'd been paid and mail the item to them. One of them almost got me - it looked nearly identical to a real email from PayPal.

I've solid 'higher-profile' items like shoes and PS5s that probably attract more of that scammer attention, though.
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NEVER run anything you sell as an auction. It's a fool's game. Always run it as a buy it now based on market value and then check "require immediate payment". In fact I tend to list stuff for about 10-15% more than it's worth, wait for watchers then drop it 5%. Someone always buys it and they won't be a scammer because their card has to clear at the point of sale.
 
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Well, it's clear that Apple no longer wants you to trade in your device. My fully maxed out M1 Max MBP 16" (with 8TB storage) gets a value of $1550. I suspect the labor costs for processing and refurbished devices have gotten so high they deem it's no longer worth it. This will result to people holding onto their devices longer and less sales in the long run.
 
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doboy said:
Past performance not indicative of future performance :) eBay favors the buyers way over the seller so it's very YMMV.
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That is correct.

If you're a new seller then it's best to start with low value items until they trust you enough to pay the money out immediately. I won't send anything above 50GBP unless it has cleared into my 100% separate "mule account" and then transferred to my current account. This clears in next day in UK.

You won't be a scammer target if you sell as "buy it now" and check "require immediate payment" as that means the buyer has to foot the risk up front.
 
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cocky jeremy said:
It's almost like Apple realizes the older technology gets, the less it's worth.
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Touché

I think some of the perceived frustration for some longer term users is that Apple products 'seemed' to hold their value more in the past than they do today. As a result of perceived greater depreciation, users feel that they cannot purchase or do not want to purchase the latest item due to the relative increase in cost.

***Disclaimer*** I say perceived because I do not have specific data to back up the claim above. I am basing this claim upon reading opinions in the Macrumors comment sections.
 
I've recycled plenty of devices through Apple over the years but never traded anything in. I'd rather just keep the device and use it until it dies than trade it in for lesser value.
 
Not sure why people are upset here. The trade-in amount has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE VALUE of your device.

The trade-in process is purely a convenience offering for folks that don't want to deal with a private sale. The trade-in amount means that Apple doesn't really want your phone, however, they know that by taking a trade-in they might incentivize someone who might need a new phone to stick with Apple or to buy a new phone sooner.

Also - people think that Apple makes a killing taking trade-ins. My guess is that they aim to run it at break even. There are all sorts of issues with used phones, many don't work, many have hidden damage. Wiping, reconditioning and selling is a low-margin business and these are palmed off to 3rd-parties. Apple wants high margins from selling new devices.

Apple's refurb site comes from retail returns, cancelled orders etc. These are not devices that are traded in.
 
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Apple should change the name to recycle service, that’s what it is today.
Nothing else!
As such, it’s a good service to get rid of old devices and let Apple get their old crap back.
 
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