iPhone 16 Pro Max Does anyone trade-in devices with Apple vs private sale?

[adam1080]

Out of curiosity, I logged in to look at S10 Hermes and other titanium watches/bands as I want to try out the Ultra Milanese loop on my Ultra 2 and the natural titanium Milanese loop or link bracelet on my mint S7 Titanium with AC+ to see if one or all are preferred.

Of course Apple shoves "trade-ins" down you through when selecting any device from the Apple Store and when this screen below popped up I Laughed Out Loud....

The 1TB iPhone 15 Pro Max is perfect with AC+ till late 2025, the AW S7 edition Titanium is brand new with 100% battery and AC+ until late 2025, the AW Ultra 2 is mint with O2 sensor and AC+ until late 2025.

My 2023 16" MBP with M2 Max chip/ 64GB RAM / 1TB SSD with AC+ until mid 2026.


Private sale on these would easily be double or triple with the mint titanium Edition watch with transferrable AC+.

I have never once sold or gotten rid of any of my 13 or so generations of iPhones since the 3G. I give them to parents, family or someone in need. ( last couple years I have switched to Apple IUP since everyone had late enough versions to last a long time )


Why is ANYONE doing trade-ins to Apple vs private sale or other 3rd party resellers with these laughable discrepancies?????

(I do see a bit of the irony to just rent a phone each month so I can give my phone back and get the 16 Pro Max/latest phone each year. That is easy for me without any significant price difference if I made the effort to sell every year... but trade-ins to Apple vs IUP or just private selling to then upgrade seems crazy.)

 

[azhava]

I do it because it's easy and hassle free. I'd rather take what they give me, put it in a box and mail it off to them rather than messing around with listing them privately and dealing with scammers and lowballers. It's just a 'me' thing - I've always hated wheeling and dealing, and I basically don't trust people. I'd make a lousy salesman. 🤣

 

[Yuuuki]

Apple trade in value is really bad - at least here in Germany. But we have a lot of other resale websites which give a lot more money. Current example: Apple gives 420€ if I remember correctly for my 15 Plus. While other sites offer around 650€. So I always sell my stuff there.

 

[itsmefudge]

This year I am also trading in to apple vrs. selling via 3rd party. I usually use a particular site which always pays very well (15PM 256G) for some reason this year on the day of the new iPhone announcement, the price offered was only $600. Apple will give $650. I think what's crazy is you have a 1TB and they will only offer you what they will give me for a 256.

 

[flynz4]

I used to buy a new phone for myself each year, and then hand my 1 year old phone to my wife.

When the IUP started, for about the same amount, I could buy two half phones vs one full phone each year. This way we both get new phones, and she can get whatever she wants. I lose a little on not selling a two year old phone every year, but I really don’t care, nor would I probably even bother. Also, we buy two cases annually, and once again, I don’t care.

 

[Harmonious Zen]

I do it because it's easy and hassle free. I'd rather take what they give me, put it in a box and mail it off to them rather than messing around with listing them privately and dealing with scammers and lowballers. It's just a 'me' thing - I've always hated wheeling and dealing, and I basically don't trust people. I'd make a lousy salesman. 🤣

That's why I do it. Hassle free. You don't even have to do it the same day you get your phone. If I went the resale route, I'd have to do the listing myself, wait for a buyer, pack it all up, ship it out.

 

[FlyingTexan]

I had an OG m1 MacBook Pro 13” and after almost three years traded it in for $630 in store credit. Had a small ding or two, it was heavily traveled. Bought it for $999 originally so $630 was a hell of a deal to me. Bought a refurb 14” m1 MacBook Pro. Much better unit and since it’s a daily driver I don’t use it for any of its potential. I sat with a M3 pro chip and couldn’t tell ANY difference. Paid $1150 for the M1 Pro 14” refurb on Amazon then bought AppleCare for it. I probably didn’t really need AppleCare but it’s nice piece of mind having it on everything. The real benefit hadn’t been the replacement or warranty aspect but the software support. Calling Apple and instantly getting a nice English speaking human to talk to that can walk me through any issue and get things setup (like making calls from my MacBook) is definitely worth the price to me. Being a working professional those things matter.

 

[Lyshen]

Apple trade-in is nice in it's simplicity but the value you get isn't that great.

That said, I was originally going to do a Apple trade-in, but since there was ample time before release, I tried 3rd party sales and was able to sell it, so no need for trade-in. Yes more work and some risk but I got about $300 more from private sales than what Apple offered, so all-in-all, worked out well. (However if it didn't, would be pretty terrible LOL)

 

[mavis]

I posted my iPhone 14 Pro Max on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago, but the amount Apple offered on trade-in was only about $13 less than the two offers I got. So I just did the trade-in - safer, and more convenient. That said, if I was interested in a new Apple Watch (which I'm not) I could get a LOT more selling my S7 Edition online than Apple's laughable trade-in offer.

 

[1096bimu]

I'm not going to trade in my iPhone 14 Pro because I am a professional seller on Facebook Marketplace anyway lol.
The price difference will be about $200, if I wasn't a pro seller or if I'm advising someone else, I'd say to just trade-in in this case.

 

[A.R.E.A.M.]

people say the value in trading into apple is not "that great" - meh, depends on what your priorities are.

for me i dont want to take time taking photos, dealing with wishy washy people , dealing with fleabay customers who want to say "ooh well this doesnt work right, so i want some money back or ill tattle tale to fleabay..." plus if you sell on these sites ( excluding craigslist, facebook, offerup) you have to pay fees on the sale, so you may get a slight bump if you sell private, but you spend money in time to post it up, deal with people, fees, etc..

for me, i want to get on with my life and take the easy way out. that convenience will cost you though ( in the form of a lesser trade in value, which is worth it to me)

 

[turbineseaplane]

Did Apple trade in before, and the value has been "stuck" in Apple Gift Cards for years now, as they've yet to release anything I'm interested in buying (especially at their first party rip off pricing).

Airpods 4 might be a way for me to use some of it

An updated iPad Mini could be the other

tldr -- not using Apple Trade In again

 

[cihag]

Apple trade in value is really bad - at least here in Germany. But we have a lot of other resale websites which give a lot more money. Current example: Apple gives 420€ if I remember correctly for my 15 Plus. While other sites offer around 650€. So I always sell my stuff there.

Also Germany... Apple offers 230€ for my iPhone 12 Pro... Resale websites vary between 270 and 210 (and also some not buying at all, I gess because of the 76% battery health)... So it's not that big of a difference.

Also, the 270 is for devices "as good as new on the outside". Now, even though I have 100% used my device with case and screen protectors, I don't want to deal with a website that pulls out its microscope and claims there were some micro-scratches that I didn't see...

So yeah, going for the Apple Trade In this time...

 

[Yuuuki]

Also Germany... Apple offers 230€ for my iPhone 12 Pro... Resale websites vary between 270 and 210 (and also not buying at all)... So it's not that big of a difference.

Also, the 270 is for devices "as good as new on the outside". Now, even though I have 100% used my device with case and screen protectors, I don't want to deal with a website that pulls out its microscope and claims there were some micro-scratches that I didn't see...

So yeah, going for the Apple Trade In this time...

Well I take good care of my devices so I can always sell them as almost new. and that makes a big difference as I explained in my previews post. Also my battery health percentage is always good (never below 95% so far) because I never keep a phone longer then 2 years.

Had always good experience with 2 specific sites here why I sell to. But if your iPhone is not in the best condition or has not the best battery health anymore maybe Apple is the better choice. I definitely want the 200€ more I get from other websites.

 

[kupkakez]

Trade In or Mac Me an Offer. I have 0 patience to private sell anymore.

 

[Lotuskid]

i've mostly switched to trading in as well. used to always go private sale, but lately the used market is saturated and the offers are usually below what apple's own trade in is.

good to keep in mind too that apple's trade in includes tax, which means your sale amount needs to beat apple's by a bit more than face value

usually the hassle isn't worth it just to make 40-50 dollars more than what apple would have given

 

[Taco1933]

I just filled out the form with Gazelle, and it was $5 less than what Apple is giving me.

I could also trade into Verizon for double the return but their fine print isn’t great. The credit is trickled out over 36 months and if you upgrade before that, the credit just ends. I don’t want to bind myself to a carrier if I can help it and I’m definitely not going to have this phone for 3 years, so that’s out.

eBay? The return is definitely better, but I just don’t want to deal with that. The extra couple hundred dollars I’d get aren’t worth the time it’d take me to deal with it.

So… Apple it is.

 

[nparmelee]

We used to do private resale as well, but tired of the fees from the sites, low-ball offers and the hassle factor of shipping. I'm happy with the Apple trade in offer and no hassle or worry about some scammer lying about what was actually sent to them.

 

[Ntombi]

I used to sell my phone privately every year, but when the IUP started, I just went with that.

The private sale thing is a lot of hassle, and you have to wade through so many potential scammers. It’s just not worth it to me anymore.

 

[4sallypat]

Is it still possible to trade in after I get delivery even if I didn't specify at the time of order?

Can I walk into an Apple Store for credit against my Apple Card account ??

 

[noteple]

Is it still possible to trade in after I get delivery even if I didn't specify at the time of order?

Can I walk into an Apple Store for credit against my Apple Card account ??

You can trade in anytime.

If it's not done at the time of purchase
You'll get an Apple gift card for the amount of the trade.

It is not valid for IUP, Apple card account, or cash back

 

[4sallypat]

You can trade in anytime.

If it's not done at the time of purchase
You'll get an Apple gift card for the amount of the trade.

It is not valid for IUP, Apple card account, or cash back

Thank you!

Never traded in before, except for AW so this is good info!