Apple Cuts iPhone Trade-In Values as iPhone 12 Launch Nears

[MacRumors]

With just two months to go until the usual timeframe for Apple's iPhone launch events, Apple is cutting back on maximum trade-in values of previous-generation iPhones for those looking to upgrade to a new model.

Maximum values on more recent models have dropped by $30–$50, while older models have generally dropped by $5–$20 with a few models seeing no change in value.

• iPhone XS Max: $500 to $450 (down $50)
• iPhone XS: $420 to $370 (down $50)
• iPhone XR: $300 to $270 (down $30)
• iPhone X: $320 to $280 (down $40)
• iPhone 8 Plus: $250 to $220 (down $30)
• iPhone 8: $170 (no change)
• iPhone 7 Plus: $150 to $130 (down $20)
• iPhone 7: $120 to $110 (down $10)
• iPhone 6s Plus: $100 (no change)
• iPhone 6s: $80 to $70 (down $10)
• iPhone 6 Plus: $50 to $45 (down $5)
• iPhone 6: $30 (no change)
• iPhone SE (1st generation): $30 (no change)

Apple uses a trade-in of an iPhone 8 Plus as its benchmark for advertising the net cost of the iPhone 11 on the front page of its website. As a result, the $30 decrease in value of the iPhone 8 Plus has increased Apple's advertised net price of the cheapest iPhone 11 models from $449 to $479. The iPhone 11 starts at $699 without trade-in.

Article Link: Apple Cuts iPhone Trade-In Values as iPhone 12 Launch Nears

 

[nburwell]

These prices are a joke. You're better off just privately selling your phone to get more money. But I suppose for those who don't want to deal with the hassle of selling their devices privately, trading in to Apple is the easier route to take.

 

[ouimetnick]

Best bet is to sell privately. No different than the hit you’d take if you trade your vehicle in at a dealership rather than selling it yourself.

 

[thadoggfather]

Lol @ even 300 for XR before the drop

sold my 128 XR for 525 when I got an SE2, quick and locally

 

[xnsys]

Why anybody would trade them in is beyond me, you get more on eBay for a used iPhone.

 

[BaltimoreMediaBlog]

Unless there is Touch ID under the screen, I'm waiting another year in the current COVID environment.

Pretty sad scam selling $1000+ FACE ID iPhones that don't even work with a mask.

 

[thadoggfather]

Why anybody would trade them in is beyond me, you get more on eBay for a used iPhone.

convenience sometimes. I got 525 for my carrier locked X when I got XR. Still haven’t used the funds and it’s on a gift card

sometimes the trade in pricing is criminally low though. Who would give up an se1 for $30 frigging dollars.

 

[mattopotamus]

This was the exact reason I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the 2020 SE. I figured my X would lose value and what I get for the 2020 SE when the 5.4" 12 launches will be the same (prefer smallest form factor).
[automerge]1594134063[/automerge]

Why anybody would trade them in is beyond me, you get more on eBay for a used iPhone.

Hassle free. The second hand market is nothing like it was 4-5 years ago. You can probably get $100 more going eBay or craigslist (not including the XS max), but that isn't worth it to me personally.

 

[johannnn]

Pretty sad scam selling $1000+ FACE ID iPhones that don't even work with a mask.

You’re using “face” in caps, yet you’re hiding half of your face and still expect it to work? If you don’t care about having a safe authentication I recommend just disable all security on your phone.

 

[triangletechie]

The trade in prices are lower vs selling privately, but there's no risk with trading. Apple or Best Buy gives you a gift card and you're done. No packing/shipping, and possibly dealing with a flaky buyer on ebay. When I do sell privately, it's always to cashforyourmac.com. Those guys are extremely easy to deal with.

 

[deeddawg]

How come people seem to think Apple would offer anything more than wholesale pricing for trade-ins?

You'll always net more cash in pocket via private sale.

There are tradeoffs of course, so which option is "best" depends on the individual.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

You’re using “face” in caps, yet you’re hiding half of your face and still expect it to work? If you don’t care about having a safe authentication I recommend just disable all security on your phone.

Can’t use the NFC payment method with your phone if you don’t have a password though.

 

[redneckitengineer]

deleting

 

[citysnaps]

Unless there is Touch ID under the screen, I'm waiting another year in the current COVID environment.

Pretty sad scam selling $1000+ FACE ID iPhones that don't even work with a mask.

And of course you'd similarly demand that Touch ID screen work with gloves and with undiminished security? Right?

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Screw the product (and the customer) - maximize the profit!

If there is a company better at it than Apple, I don't know what it is.

 

[frankdogg]

I’d much rather choose convenience then have to deal with the people on offerup or have to worry about being scammed on eBay where they side with the buyer, not the seller (is that still a thing?). I’ve had great experiences on swappa but now that they have to charge sales tax, you end up having to sell for less than what you would normally get.

 

[DTphonehome]

Why anybody would trade them in is beyond me

Convenience, eBay fees, PayPal fees, potential for fraudulent buyer ripping you off, etc. Yeah you’ll usually make some more selling it on your own but for a lot of people it’s not worth the hassle.

 

[TantalizedMind]

Unless there is Touch ID under the screen, I'm waiting another year in the current COVID environment.

Pretty sad scam selling $1000+ FACE ID iPhones that don't even work with a mask.

A passcode works. I’ve been passcode only for years. I have an XR and never even set up Face ID.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I keep my old Apple devices as collectors items. So, won’t make a difference for me. But wow, knowing I spent 1200 on my iPhone X maxed out and now it’s only worth $280. Well I’m gonna squeeze it to the very end with iOS updates so I can get the full value for my money. Sure, gonna miss out new technologies, but for what I do on a smartphone, it’s just fine.

 

[Apple Macintosh 128K]

These prices are a joke. You're better off just privately selling your phone to get more money. But I suppose for those who don't want to deal with the hassle of selling their devices privately, trading in to Apple is the easier route to take.

You answered your own question there. Selling it yourself is a huge pain. Everyone wants to nickel and dime you and then you have to deal with meeting up with someone and all that silliness. My time is worth far more than the little bit of extra money that'd bring.

 

[deathcab]

iPhone 8 retail is $399. Apple gives you $170 on trade-in. I'm confident I'm in the minority on this, but I really don't think paying 42.6% of MSRP for trade-in on a phone released almost 3 years ago is bad at all.

The biggest good / bad of Apple trade-in values is that storage is irrelevant. If you buy the max storage version, trading into Apple will almost never make sense. If you buy the minimum storage variety, you can often get a decent trade-in value.

 

[newyorksole]

Why anybody would trade them in is beyond me, you get more on eBay for a used iPhone.

Think about how many people are in this world. Think about how many of those people are still scared/apprehensive about the Internet.

Trading in at Apple gives the average consumer peace of mind giving their device back safely/securely to the source. A lot of people know they can get a better value elsewhere, but they don’t want to go through the hassle.

 

[justiny]

These prices are a joke. You're better off just privately selling your phone to get more money. But I suppose for those who don't want to deal with the hassle of selling their devices privately, trading in to Apple is the easier route to take.

All three sentences in this post are absolutely, 100% accurate.

Count me in as one who will gladly trade in an iPhone to Apple, simply to avoid the hassle of a private sale. I know I’m taking a big hit on the resale value; that’s the price I pay for the simplicity and convenience.

 

[newyorksole]

With just two months to go until the usual timeframe for Apple's iPhone launch events, Apple is cutting back on maximum trade-in values of previous-generation iPhones for those looking to upgrade to a new model.

Maximum values on more recent models have dropped by $30–$50, while older models have generally dropped by $5–$20 with a few models seeing no change in value.

• iPhone XS Max: $500 to $450 (down $50)
• iPhone XS: $420 to $370 (down $50)
• iPhone XR: $300 to $270 (down $30)
• iPhone X: $320 to $280 (down $40)
• iPhone 8 Plus: $250 to $220 (down $30)
• iPhone 8: $170 (no change)
• iPhone 7 Plus: $150 to $130 (down $20)
• iPhone 7: $120 to $110 (down $10)
• iPhone 6s Plus: $100 (no change)
• iPhone 6s: $80 to $70 (down $10)
• iPhone 6 Plus: $50 to $45 (down $5)
• iPhone 6: $30 (no change)
• iPhone SE (1st generation): $30 (no change)

Apple uses a trade-in of an iPhone 8 Plus as its benchmark for advertising the net cost of the iPhone 11 on the front page of its website. As a result, the $30 decrease in value of the iPhone 8 Plus has increased Apple's advertised net price of the cheapest iPhone 11 models from $449 to $479. The iPhone 11 starts at $699 without trade-in.

Article Link: Apple Cuts iPhone Trade-In Values as iPhone 12 Launch Nears

What’s funny about this is that Apple will also BOOST the values during the holiday season or back-to-school time to entice people to upgrade. They’ve done that a couple times over the past few years.

 

[Stephen Reynolds]

These prices are a joke. You're better off just privately selling your phone to get more money. But I suppose for those who don't want to deal with the hassle of selling their devices privately, trading in to Apple is the easier route to take.

yeah that whole concept really seems to have worked out for ford in the long run