Trading in an old iPhone, iPad, or Mac can get you some extra cash to spend on a new device. Depending on where you decide to sell your device, you can get cash back or a gift card for a specific company like Apple, Amazon, or Best Buy.
What's most important to know when trading in a device is that there's no one best site or service. There are so many options out there and prices vary based on device and promotions that might be running, so your absolute best bet if you want to do a trade-in using a trade-in site is to spend 15 to 20 minutes doing price checks on some of the most prominent trade-in sites listed below.
Using a comparison site like Flipsy, uSell, or SellCell to compare trade-in prices can also be beneficial when you want to do some shopping around to get the best price for your particular device.
Trade-in Options
There are generally three options when you have an old device you want to get rid of: Trading it in through a company like Apple or a service like Gazelle, selling it in person via a service like Craigslist, or selling it to a person online through a service like eBay or Swappa.
Using a trade-in service is always going to be more simple than selling to a person, but the convenience of doing so will cost you. You're never going to get quite as much money from a trade-in service as you can get from direct sales, but there are some tips and tricks worth knowing before considering a trade-in.
Device Condition
Device condition is going to make a huge difference in the amount of money that you're able to get back for an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Most trade-in sites offer tiered payback based on condition, like Good, Fair, and Poor.
A functional device in good condition with no scratches or other damage is going to fetch the most money. Some sites will let small wear and tear issues slide, while others will deduct cash if a device isn't in perfect condition.
All trade-in sites will ask you specific questions about the condition of your device, making sure it powers on, is fully functional, has no display issues, and no cracks.
Cracks, display issues, and other problems will drastically lower the amount of money you can get for a device, and some trade-in sites will refuse to take broken devices at all.
Services that receive your device will inspect it on their end to make sure the quality of your device matches up with how you described it. Most services have an option to pay less if the condition doesn't match up or send it back to you.
Activation Lock
You'll also be asked to make sure Activation Lock has been disabled by turning off Find My iPhone, which is standard operating procedure when trading in a device. Companies ask this to make sure the device will be usable after it's turned in.
Apple Trade-ins
If you're trading in an Apple product and want to upgrade to another Apple product, going the Apple trade-in route is a great idea. As seen in the price comparison listings below, Apple offers fair prices -- sometimes much higher than other trade-in sites -- and provides money for your old products in the form of an Apple gift card.
There's a caveat, though. To get Apple's top prices when trading in an iPhone, you need to do the trade-in when purchasing another device. For example, Apple offers $349 for an iPhone X in good condition when using the standard trade-in site, but when purchasing another device, you can get $450 for that same iPhone.
There are no special trade-in prices for Macs, iPads, and Apple Watch devices, so this only applies to iPhones. Apple sometimes shifts the trade-in prices that it offers, so it's worth shopping around.
The Apple gift card you receive for a standard trade-in can be put towards a purchase from the Apple online store or an Apple retail store, but Apple trade-ins are limited in scope because there's no option to get cash. Apple will send you a full trade-in kit so you can box up your device properly and send it in conveniently without having to hunt down a box and shipping materials.
If you don't want to hassle with sending a device in, you can also do trade-ins right in Apple retail stores.
Major Retailer Trade-in Programs
Companies like Best Buy, Amazon, and Target have trade-in programs, but they're generally not as good as Apple's trade-in program and are not the best for Apple devices.
Best Buy's trade-in program offers Best Buy gift cards, Amazon's offers Amazon gift cards, and Target's offers Target gift cards or cash via PayPal.
If, for some reason, you prefer to do a trade-in in person to get a gift card or cash right away, Target and Best Buy both offer in-store trade-ins. Other big box retailers like Walmart, Game Stop, and all carrier stores offer trade-in options. With carriers, you can often trade your device in when purchasing a new smartphone to get a discount.
There are so many that we can't go through them all, but it's worth knowing that all of them offer similar prices for devices, though some stores will sometimes do promos.
Other Trade-in Sites
There are dozens of trade-in sites that want to buy your old gear. We'll list a few of the most popular below, but remember, as noted above, it's a good idea to shop around and visit a few sites to get price comparisons for your specific device... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: Apple Trade-In Guide: Getting the Most Money Back
- Article Link
- https://www.macrumors.com/guide/apple-trade-in/
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