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I don’t really care about the trade-in prices, like I said prior, the money isn’t important to me at all making ‘top dollar’. I don’t have a need for these products once I replace them, and I’m disinterested in selling to strangers on Facebook marketplace who won’t show up, and/or not looking to get scammed on eBay or Swappa. That’s a hard pass. So that means if I can send my phone direct to Apple for a trade-in, then I’m all for it.
So you're saying you don't like money and can't spot a red flag when it's waving right in front of you?

I've sold and purchased multiple devices on Swappa with zero issues. Is absolutely braindead simple and no hassle.
 
Ugh. $830 max for my 2019 27-inch iMac with 9600K, 64gb of ram and 1tb SSD. It cost me $3000 and is like new. I expect depreciation. But it's three years old and not even worth a grand on trade in.
 
Ugh. $830 max for my 2019 27-inch iMac with 9600K, 64gb of ram and 1tb SSD. It cost me $3000 and is like new. I expect depreciation. But it's three years old and not even worth a grand on trade in.
The upgrades never really work to increase trade-ins. You're getting only slightly more than the base model probably.
 
Just for the heck of it, I was checking out the new M2 MacBook Air on their website, and I checked how much Apple would give me as a trade in for my 2021 M1 Pro Macbook Pro (512GB/16GB).

$570.

I almost spit out my coffee on my MacBook when I saw that (which, ironically might have made it actually worth that ridiculous amount, if it had coffee all over/in it). I double checked that I entered everything correctly, and even copied the serial number correctly. Yup. I did. The same laptop that was $2000 new 6 months ago, and is selling used for roughly $1500 on eBay.

Not that I'd likely trade it in anyways, as I think think the M1 Pro is still a better machine than the M2 Air, but OK, sure thing, Apple....
 
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Not sure this is how inflation is supposed to work. Or maybe it is: the little guy gets screwed, the corporations get more revenue.

It's how modern inflation works, mostly because "the little guy" seems to have forgotten their greatest power as a consumer: choosing NO. One universal & eternal truth at the intersection of capitalistic buying & selling propositions: the seller wants the money MORE than the buyer should want the stuff. If buyers as a group ever get around to (re)flexing that power, inflation ends. And if they decide that the money is worth more than that new peak, prices will deflate.

The big (modern) problem is mass consumer "I'll just pay" or "I am forced to pay up" mentalities. Reality is that by doing that, capitalism is working as it should. The task of sellers is to get as much as they possibly can for their stuff. The (normal) task of buyers is to get as much as they can for their money. As is, the latter group seems to not believe in the value of their money enough to flex that immensely powerful muscle. Until they do- as a group- prices will only rise, rise, rise. Why? Because people choose to just pay, pay, pay. Yes, they may gripe. Yes, they may whine. But when they then pay up, they reward the sellers for asking for those higher prices.

There is this illusion that the FED manages inflation... that the FED needs to do something to get inflation under control. But that's only a little true. The FED can make debt more expensive by raising rates. Debt is used to buy lots of stuff and putting the pinch on it "forces" some to think more carefully about "just paying." However, "the little guy" tends to simply think in terms of monthly payments, and whether rates are 3% or 30%, if the payment is able to fit in with the rest of their payments, they may "charge it" anyway.

Ultimately what pauses inflation is consumers as a group deciding their money is worth more than ask prices for new stuff. With a lot of "NO", sellers feel pressure to bring prices down to try to find the "YES" level again.
 
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Much like trading a car back to a dealership, you have to be incredibly dumb or lazy to do this. There will be plenty of people who do though! Macs hold their value quite well in the second-hand market I've bought and sold many over the years.
 
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I mean, Swappa is great for getting scammed, if that’s your thing.

Any evidence of that?! Did *you* have one bad experience and are now making it universal?

All over Macrumors, including in this thread, people praise Swappa as safe and secure and providing decent value. In contrast, lots of people have reported being “scammed” with Apple's trade-ins, a situation that's apparently improving, but was terrible for several years.

I'd only go with Apple, if the trade-in price was good, and I did it in a store…
 
Nah.

I’d rather play the saftey card of just trading in with Apple direct. No hassles, straight-forward and not dealing with shady tactics from unknown buyers. I don’t need to make ‘top dollar’ for my electronic products.

I mean, Swappa is great for getting scammed, if that’s your thing.
Here’s how Apple took me for a ride magnitudes worse than any buyer has given me in over a decade and hundreds of sales on eBay, Swappa, Amazon, and others.

I’m in the iPhone upgrade program. Apple sent me a box to trade in my old iPhone 12 mini after I got my 13 Pro. I packaged it as instructed, and put my iPhone in the indent which was definitely larger than my phone.

I figured — as one might — this is Apple. They do millions of these monthly. Sure, the phone is a little loose, but there’s still lots of padding surrounding it. I took pictures before sealing the box.

About a week later, I get an email from Apple saying my trade-in was rejected, providing little other info, other than that it would be returned to me in the condition it was received.

Soon after, I got my old iPhone back in the same box that I sent it in, and it is shattered front and back. The display panel itself was cracked too.

After this, it was about a two month process for me to work with Apple to arrange a new “trade in” where they would basically ignore the damages.

I think it’s particularly important to note that they sent it back in the same box that I sent it in — so I have no clue which damages occurred en route to them as opposed to en route back to me. Also, when I sent it, it was in a thin styrofoam sleeve, which wasn’t there when they sent it back. So, technically, my packing job was more secure than theirs.

Overall:
- I spent about five hours on the phone with Apple Support, never getting promised callbacks, which led me to calling the main AppleCare line and starting from scratch several times because nobody could get me to the right department.
- Paid an extra $35 monthly payment because my phone wasn’t returned on time (because they broke it and sent it
back to me). Apple Support told me to contact IUP/Citizens bank to try to get that refunded. I never bothered because I was so done with the situation and if they have me one bit of hassle, I would’ve screamed at somebody.

Anyway… Looking forward to upgrading to the 14 Pro this year and sending my phone back to Apple!

9BB44A69-434B-4AD1-BCB1-CC217ABCE7DC.jpeg02271422-5BEF-4788-8920-9615B12D81A5.jpeg
 


Apple has once again adjusted the maximum trade-in values of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac models, lowering the amount customers can receive when trading in their existing devices for one of the company's newer products.

iphone-trade-in-store.jpg

The old and updated iPhone trade-in values can be found below.
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max: Up to $600, down from $650
  • iPhone 12 Pro: Up to $500, down from $550
  • iPhone 12: Up to $400, down from $420
  • iPhone 12 miin: Up to $300, down from $320
  • 2nd generation iPhone SE: Up to $140, down from $150
  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: Up to $400, down from $420
  • iPhone 11 Pro: Up to $300, down from $350
  • iPhone 11: Up to $230, down from $300
  • iPhone XS Max: Up to $220, down from $250
  • iPhone XS: Up to $170, down from $200
  • iPhone XR: Up to $160, down from $200
  • iPhone X: Up to $150, down from $170
  • iPhone 8 Plus: Up to $140, down from $160
  • iPhone 8: Up to $90, down from $100
  • iPhone 6s Plus: Up to $40, down from $50
  • iPhone 6s: Up to $25, down from $30

Apple also updated trade-in values for the Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch, which can be seen below.
  • iMac Pro: Up to $1350, down from $1500
  • iMac: Up to $830, down from $850
  • Mac Pro: Up to $1800, down from $2000
  • Mac mini: Up to $400, down from $450

  • iPad Pro: Up to $555, down from $655
  • iPad Air: Up to $275, down from $290
  • iPad: Up to $180, down from $190
  • iPad mini: Up to $185, down from $200

  • Apple Watch SE: Up to $105, down from $120
  • Apple Watch Series 5: Up to $115, down from $120
  • Apple Watch Series 4: Up to $75, down from $85
  • Apple Watch Series 3: Up to $40, down from $50

As a reminder, the prices listed on Apple's trade-in websites are only estimates. The actual trade-in value will vary depending on device condition. Apple periodically changes trade-in values and more information can be seen on Apple's website.

Article Link: Apple Cuts Trade-In Value of iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, and iPad Models
That’s funny I went in the day they changed these to get a new iPhone. The kid in the store called me a idiot when I told him the day before my iPhone 11 was priced at 300. He said I didn’t know what I was doing and continued that when I questioned because I didn’t know they got lowered. He told me he worked everyday and that’s what they have been. So needless to say apple lost a good customer. Many other phones out there. Looking right now to upgrade.
 
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...Anyway… Looking forward to upgrading to the 14 Pro this year and sending my phone back to Apple
Reading your post I fully sympathized with you until I came to your last sentence.

You are staying with Apple, iPhone and the upgrade program!!?? Do you enjoy abuse and being scammed? This is why Tim gets away with the crap he does. Customers (victims) get whacked with a big stick and then obediently hand over lots of money and ask to be hit again. Wow...
 
Reading your post I fully sympathized with you until I came to your last sentence.

You are staying with Apple, iPhone and the upgrade program!!?? Do you enjoy abuse and being scammed? This is why Tim gets away with the crap he does. Customers (victims) get whacked with a big stick and then obediently hand over lots of money and ask to be hit again. Wow...

My situation was — probably almost literally — a one-in-a-million scenario.

Am I supposed to transform my entire digital lifestyle because of a logistical nightmare? In the end, this cost me 5 hours of time (while I was doing other things) and $35. It cost Apple well more than $35 in labor costs, plus the cost to fix their broken phone.

So yeah, I should have really gone full ham and started the multi-week process of switching platforms, getting new devices, etc. That would show TIM!!!

Lol grow up.
 
In times of inflation used sale prices should also go up. I don‘t understand this service anyway. You will always get more money just selling it to everyone but Apple.
 
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If you have a "digital lifestyle" based on any platform, I feel truly sorry for you. Grow up...

I use other platforms for different purposes. I just don’t see the benefit to further fragmenting my devices in order to prove a point (which not a single human on earth other than me would be affected by). I’m supposed to spend more money and time to prove a point to nobody? That’ll show ol’ Timmy!
 
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Here’s how Apple took me for a ride magnitudes worse than any buyer has given me in over a decade and hundreds of sales on eBay, Swappa, Amazon, and others.
My guess is they dropped it when unpacking and tried to stick you with it. Who knows. Thats a shame.
 
I mean, Swappa is great for getting scammed, if that’s your thing.
I've bought and sold 20-30 devices on Swappa. I dont like that they're now overran with 3rd party resellers but the experience has still been mostly OK.

I do have one Swappa fail though. The phone had a balance on it (despite Swappa saying the IMEI was "good") and couldn't be unlocked (or paid off). It was useless and Swappa offered ZERO help other than file a claim with PayPal. Funny enough, I traded it to Apple and recovered 100% my costs that way.

I only buy from individuals now - no resellers.
 
My son's MBP 13' 2017 was in mint condition (taken care of really well). It's a base model (8G, 256G SSD, no touchbar). Just sold on Craiglist for CAD$650 last week. Checked Apple web site, the trade-in value was CAD$190. That's too much a gap.
 
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