Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How to Sell Your 1st Gen iPhone

Realizing that I could sell my unlocked 16GB model for 450, buy a 3G model, and actually get a hundred bucks back out of it is tempting.

...but now I have to decide. Do I really want a plastic version of my nice phone? Hm. I kinda like this solid, shiny, metal and glass job. It's a formidable piece of equipment to hold in your hand. It matches my iMac. The new ones seem a little like cheap plastic knockoffs.

But, erm, do is having a metal back worth $100?

Hm.

3G is nice I suppose, but I rarely sit on the thing surfing the web. The GPS might come in handy once in a while, but the locateme function has been spot on since they fixed it. The battery life was never an issue for me either. If the new model had a front-facing camera and could video chat, we'd be talking a major paradigm shift, but I can't help feeling like the new one is just a cheapening of the experience with a couple minor performance tweaks.
 
I got all excited about the 3g and sold mine on sunday for $385 (8GB) and now im kind of sad because i wont have an iphone for a month and the only thing added (for me at least) is the GPS. i live in alaska and there is not 3g and im going to have to be paying for it, im kinda pissed i sold mine. they better change the extra $10 in alaska at least since there is not 1 3g spot in alaska since att just got here in jan.
 
JoshJosh117 said:
I don't know why they didn't keep the old backing. It was nice.
Click to expand...

A few good reasons:

Reception - A plastic case is probably very necessary for GPS, which is an extremely weak signal

Drop resistance - Plastic reduces weight as well as has some rebound to it, unlike metal which dents or bends

Price - Come on guys, its a PHONE after all - and phones are updated VERY quickly - I want a new phone every 2 years minimum, and I don't want to pay 599 each time. I am glad they reduced the price. Remember, its a PHONE. You carry it EVERY day. It needs to be a little dosposable. And the market moves so fast they need to be flexible.

And to the guy who said the metal back may be more important to him than 3g, gps, and saving 100 dollars? DUDE - Its a PHONE! Not a museum piece.
 
Will prices stay up because of new activation policy?

Hey guys,

Do you think the price of iPhone 2Gs will remain high on eBay because of the fact that you can't active the new iPhones outside of the AT&T store? I figured there would continue to be a demand for the old iPhones from people who refuse to use AT&T...
 
I was following the advice of the Cult of Mac tutorial, and I put my iPhone on eBay for a 1-day auction, since they recommended short auction times. However, after I did that, I read on eBay that it may take up to 24 hours before the item will be listed. It has been 5 hours now, and it is still not listed and you cannot search for it.

The actual listing is:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...61955&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab=Selling

But if you try to search for it, or look for it in through the listings it is not there. I am afraid its not going to be listed until the very end or not at all. Any ideas on what I can do?
 
GameMusicMaker said:
Hey guys,

Do you think the price of iPhone 2Gs will remain high on eBay because of the fact that you can't active the new iPhones outside of the AT&T store? I figured there would continue to be a demand for the old iPhones from people who refuse to use AT&T...
Click to expand...

I think they will stay up, but not until the 3G comes out and people realize the higher data cost and no SMS's. At that time will the true value of the 2G iPhone be realized. Now isn't a good time to sell, IMO. Wait until the "cheap" 3G version comes out that will cost you $360 more over a 2yr contract ($15/month for 24 months).

The 2G is a much better value at $20/month. It works great.
 
Sorry, I just have to ask...

OK, so I'm sure I can find my answer somewhere in here, but I just want to lay it all out there and hear someone respond directly to these questions.

I have a first gen iPhone that I've used officially with AT&T for 10 months. I've had it jailbroken on and off during that time and am comfortable with the whole process, but I don't know much about jailbraking as means to activation. Anyway, I found someone on Craigslist willing to buy it for $300. So, here are my questions:

1. If I use PWNAGE tool to unlock, jailbreak, and activate, will the buyer be able to just pop in his SIM card and start making calls?

2. If I put my (iPhone) SIM card into some super basic GSM cell phone, will I be able to make calls with my normal phone number?

3. When I buy the new iPhone 3G, will I be able to just pop my SIM into it? or, do I have to resign a contract with AT&T?

4a. I don't mind signing up for another two years, but will the contract cost me more per month?

4b. Can I just pick any plan, or do I have to get the equivalent of my current plan? (The reason I ask is that I currently have is way too many minutes and would love an opportunity to get a lower plan.)

Thanks in advance to whomever responds to this post. Like I said, I'm sure these questions aren't new, but I like the reassurance of a final thumbs up. Thanks!
 
ThunderSkunk said:
Realizing that I could sell my unlocked 16GB model for 450, buy a 3G model, and actually get a hundred bucks back out of it is tempting.

...but now I have to decide. Do I really want a plastic version of my nice phone? Hm. I kinda like this solid, shiny, metal and glass job. It's a formidable piece of equipment to hold in your hand. It matches my iMac. The new ones seem a little like cheap plastic knockoffs.

But, erm, do is having a metal back worth $100?

Hm.

3G is nice I suppose, but I rarely sit on the thing surfing the web. The GPS might come in handy once in a while, but the locateme function has been spot on since they fixed it. The battery life was never an issue for me either. If the new model had a front-facing camera and could video chat, we'd be talking a major paradigm shift, but I can't help feeling like the new one is just a cheapening of the experience with a couple minor performance tweaks.
Click to expand...

everyone talking about the metal back as opposed to the plastic back is a sadly st-pid, im not saying, im just saying...think about it...plastic doesnt = retarded, im sure there is a very good reason..it will be slicker, have you held it in your hands yet.....no....you're a..mistaken...sorry, much love, but rethink your theoretical strategy, its wrong, the plastic back, im sure, will be slick, not like plastic, but more like a hybrid...my guess...

p.s. minor performance switch, you are, sadly wrong, what is wrong with..., 3g gps is much different from 2g..........location retarded........when 3g comes out you will buy it and realize how wrong you are, sorry, but true,
 
ALittleDrive said:
everyone talking about the metal back as opposed to the plastic back is a sadly st-pid, im not saying, im just saying...think about it...plastic doesnt = retarded, im sure there is a very good reason..it will be slicker, have you held it in your hands yet.....no....you're a..mistaken...sorry, much love, but rethink your theoretical strategy, its wrong, the plastic back, im sure, will be slick, not like plastic, but more like a hybrid...my guess...

p.s. minor performance switch, you are, sadly wrong, what is wrong with..., 3g gps is much different from 2g..........location retarded........when 3g comes out you will buy it and realize how wrong you are, sorry, but true,
Click to expand...

Is there a complete sentence in this mishmash of crackhead-spew? Seriously. Put down the pipe and formulate a thought.

You're sure there is a very good reason, but you have no idea what it is? You're right, there is a reason, but I'll let you hunt around for it. hint: it has something to do with the price, and the 3G.

I'm wrong, because you have a "guess" that the plastic is "more like a hybrid"? It's not composite, it's the same plastic as the old easily-scratched iPods. ...that I cracked two of.

And what is that at the end there, some sort of hypnosis routine? No, I probably will not buy it, because the marginal internet speed increase has been retarded to 1.7Mbps anyway, and the retarded GPS function still requires internet access to function. Useless out in the woods where I would need a more accurate service than than the iPhone I's cheesy cell-triangulation. The only other benefit to the 3G is that it's cheap. Whoopde do. Trade my expensive one for a cheaper one. Yay.

So, I have a perfectly durable $600 metal iPhone (that still hasn't a scratch on it after months of use), which does 100% of the things the new model does, at nearly the same performance level of the new, more fragile, cheaper model.

No, I think you will buy one, and probably love it, and go on to continue writing eloquent prose extolling its virtues.

And I'll wait for the next version, to see if by 2010 they've figured out that people want friggin copy & paste.

rant over
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back