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Do iPhones hold their price well?

B

bp1000

macrumors 65832
Original poster
Jul 7, 2011
1,504
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I'm due to buy a black and white iPhone 4s for me and my wife but I know I will want to 5 next year.

What do you think the 4s will be worth if I sold it just before the launch of the 5?

This is my first iPhone so I don't know what they sell for a year old. This will be sim free unlocked 16gb on each phone.
 
bp1000 said:
I'm due to buy a black and white iPhone 4s for me and my wife but I know I will want to 5 next year.

What do you think the 4s will be worth if I sold it just before the launch of the 5?

This is my first iPhone so I don't know what they sell for a year old. This will be sim free unlocked 16gb on each phone.
Click to expand...

iPhone 4 prices are still holding at around 300 roughly for a 16gb. You find exceptions here and there, but that's what I'm seeing, and this is after the 4s release
 
You could look on ebay filtering for recent completed purchases of similar iphone4 sales as a guide.
 
I just sold an iPhone 4 16GB for $400 about 60 days ago, but I have always sold it for more than I paid for it.

In June I sold a mint condition White iPhone 3GS 32GB with original obx and accessories for $300, which is basically what I paid for it in June of 2009.
 
I would say so. I sold my black iPhone 4 (16GB) on Craigslist for $350 after the iPhone 4S was announced. If you're looking to sell it you want to make sure you keep it in pristine condition. Scratches, dents, and scuffs are the first thing people want to know about.

I'd also stay away from websites like Gazelle. I know a lot of people use them but if you're wanting to get the most for your phone, you're better off waiting to sell on eBay, Craigslist, etc. Those sites don't give you anywhere near as much.
 
For perspective: a co-worker of mine took his iPhone 3GS to Sprint the day after launch and walked out with a 4s. He paid $31 for it, because his phone was valued at $170. I took my EVO 4G to Sprint 2 days after launch, they would only give me a $50 credit for it. iPhones hold value ridiculously well.
 
I have bought every iPhone since they have become available starting in 2007! Every year I have sold my year old phone for more than I paid for it and now on the 5th edition and I have bought only one. We are are a family plan with 4 phones and get the advantage of a the discount upgrade every year.
 
I bought my 1st iPhone (3GS) in 2008 and I've since upgraded to the 4 and last month to the 4S. I sold both my 3GS and my 4 on eBay, and currently I'm $50 ahead of the "game," having sold both for more than I paid for them.

When the 5 comes out, I'll sell my 4S as well.

Seriously, there aren't many things that you can purchase, use for a year or more, then sell for more than you paid for them. :cool:
 
I have a hard time finding a used (not mint) locked 16g iphone 4 for under CAD$ 400 locally or on ebay. After watching almost every local classified ads for about a month, finally found a mint factory unlocked 16g iphone 4 that a seller is willing to sell me for $400, he was asking $450, then before we meet, he told me he had to back up his word because another buyer offered him $500, I was like WTF....

I gave up, it is good for seller to sell their iphone, not good for buyer to find a decent priced (outdated) iphone to be used on cheaper plans.
 
They hold their value really well. Like somebody else said, you can't find a used one for under 300. Android phones on the other hand.. they don't hold value at all because they go outdated after 3 months..
 
I think if you buy the 4S now you should be able to sell it for enough next year to buy a full price iPhone 5 and just be out what the upgrade would be. For example I sold my Iphone 16GB iphone 4 for $350 and bought a 32GB 4S. Next year I should be able to sell my 4S for about $450 and if prices hold the same pay the difference of $300 to get the full retail iPhone 5. The $300 I'll be putting out would be the same as the upgrade price so I'm ok with that. If you ask me not doing it this way does not make any sense. Every other year you will get an upgrade and be able to sell your phone for more then you'll pay for the replacement. I bought my iPhone 4 for $200 and sold it for $350. Seems like a no brainer to me.
 
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Sprint was mentioned, Verizon also buys back phones. You can check the value on their web site. I checked an old 3G 8gig and they would give $55 trade in.
 
I find Apple products to hold their value really well.

I sold my iPod touch 4 a month before the October event anticipating a 5th gen (which didn't happen and now I'm buying a 4S) for $375NZD. I bought it for $470 NZD.

$95 to use it for 1 year isn't too shabby
 
People who say their sold their iPhone for more than they bought it seem to forget that their contract includes paying back the carrier subsidy. If you wanted the same plan without a phone, it would be significantly cheaper.

You're never going to make money on your iPhone, but like all Apple devices, yes they do hold value well. This is because the mobile market isn't saturated with a million different Apple phones, unlike say Nokia, Samsung or HTC.
 
I would say 4S should hold it's value since it has the Siri feature...

If anyone who has a choice of a 4 or 4S, then 4S should have a higher demand for it.

Also, I believe WHITE has a more demand for it....easier to sell too...

just my opinion.
 
Dangerous Theory said:
People who say their sold their iPhone for more than they bought it seem to forget that their contract includes paying back the carrier subsidy. If you wanted the same plan without a phone, it would be significantly cheaper.

You're never going to make money on your iPhone, but like all Apple devices, yes they do hold value well. This is because the mobile market isn't saturated with a million different Apple phones, unlike say Nokia, Samsung or HTC.
Click to expand...

I understand what you are saying but my monthly bill would be pretty much the same whether i had an iPhone or some other smartphone so I really don't include my monthly payment into the equation. Its a constant whether on a contract or not or have an iPhone or not the payment would be the same so whats the difference?
 
bp1000 said:
I'm due to buy a black and white iPhone 4s for me and my wife but I know I will want to 5 next year.

What do you think the 4s will be worth if I sold it just before the launch of the 5?

This is my first iPhone so I don't know what they sell for a year old. This will be sim free unlocked 16gb on each phone.
Click to expand...

Yes
 
mkrishnan said:
That's quite a price premium over going US market rates!
Click to expand...

Bear in mind they cost more brand new here in the first place so it's all relative. I bought my iPhone 4 32GB sim free and unlocked from Apple here in the UK for £600 and sold it a week after the iPhone 4S launch for £400. That's approximately 66% back on my original outlay. I bought the iPhone 4S 64GB for £700 sim free and unlocked. That's almost $1100 for a phone that costs $749 in the US. We get a premium in resale value over the US but we also pay a premium for them brand new in the first place. This goes for pretty much everything here especially consumer electronics.
 
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