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All iPads Please note that you will not be able to trade in your device at the Apple Store

thefriendshipmachine

thefriendshipmachine

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 14, 2017
308
215
Hello!!

I wanted to order the new iPad and trade in my old one, but I'm going to be travelling to a different city on May 15th when the pickup window is.

I thought I could just pick a store in that city and take my old iPad in (like I did last time 😅) and to the trade for the new one, but I noticed on the ordering screen this time that it says:

> Please note that you will not be able to trade in your device at the Apple Store

😭 I already placed my order (but i guess I can just cancel it if i need to) but i was just wondering if im really not allowed to bring it into the store since it seems so weird they would mail a return label anyway since I chose in store pickup?
 
It sounds like you initiated a trade in online cause you referenced a return label. Once you do that you’re locked in and can’t trade it in at the store, it’s been this way for a long time.

If you cancel the order/trade in then you can place a new order online for pickup, bring your old iPad, and they’ll apply it there.
 
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Sheepish-Lord said:
It sounds like you initiated a trade in online cause you referenced a return label. Once you do that you’re locked in and can’t trade it in at the store, it’s been this way for a long time.

If you cancel the order/trade in then you can place a new order online for pickup, bring your old iPad, and they’ll apply it there.
Click to expand...
If you buy online and you do the trade in at the store, do they give you a gift card or they credit the payment method you used to buy the iPad?
 
I can’t speak for now but back in November , I did an online order for a MBP for delivery and finished the trade in , IN an Apple Store . I’ve asked before and they told me it’s 50/50 chance it would work and it would credit to the card I provided them (it was not that one I used for the order lol ) YMMV
 
G46&Fbnth5 said:
If you buy online and you do the trade in at the store, do they give you a gift card or they credit the payment method you used to buy the iPad?
Click to expand...
It’s been a couple years, but I seem to recall the store cancelling the original order and re-ringing everything up to use the in-store trade in instead of mailing it in and getting a gift card balance for a future purchase.
 
If you order for in-store pickup, but don't submit a trade at the time of order, can you still initiate a new trade at the store when picking up the new one?
 
G46&Fbnth5 said:
If you buy online and you do the trade in at the store, do they give you a gift card or they credit the payment method you used to buy the iPad?
Click to expand...
Whatever you prefer just show them your web order #. I do this all the time and usually buy an Apple product 1-2 yr with my most recent purchase the current MBA.

I get my online discount and set for pickup in store, DON’T mark trade-in when purchasing, pay with whatever method you prefer or payment plan. Then when my order is ready I take my trade in and they give me the value quoted on their website.

I even traded in a MBP with a swollen battery (got full value) that I thought needed to be repaired first, that would never happen shipping it in. I think the sales person was being nice but he said they basically recycle trade-ins so whatever. Additionally, you don’t have to do a trade-in immediately just before the return period ends on the new product.
 
Sheepish-Lord said:
It sounds like you initiated a trade in online cause you referenced a return label. Once you do that you’re locked in and can’t trade it in at the store, it’s been this way for a long time.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect sir Lord.

Last year I initiated MBP trade in online. I was annoyed that I saw no option to trade in in-store. When I went to the store to pick up MBP they told me that after I purchase the new machine they will trade in the old machine and send the money to bank account. That went smoothly.
 
My, this is clear not.

One person says don't imitate a trade-in when you buy it? This is questionable, and are we suppose to take your word for it? Then, there's the guy that says if you do when you buy it, you have to send it in, as the store won't take it.
Then, there's the guy who says "Well, they took mine at the store"

What I do know is you can trade in your stuff after the fact, but only as a gift card option. But I would imagine they would honor the price they give you online with your serial number, so that's good.

Then there's the issue of initiating the trade-in online when you buy, and then being stuck with sending it in unless you cancel the order, which might depend on the Apple Store you go to, and the manager on duty, etc.

I didn't do the trade-in with my purchase, so I'm free to get at least the gift card value at the store for certain. No need to send it in, which I dread as it's then a third party.
 
Last edited:
I just bought two ipad pros online, One with a mail in trade in and one without a trade in. Can I still initiate a trade in for that second order? Does it have to be in store or can I contact Apple for a trade in box? Is there a time limit for trade ins — must they be associated with a purchase?
 
purplerainpurplerain said:
That is incorrect sir Lord.

Last year I initiated MBP trade in online. I was annoyed that I saw no option to trade in in-store. When I went to the store to pick up MBP they told me that after I purchase the new machine they will trade in the old machine and send the money to bank account. That went smoothly.
Click to expand...
That’s interesting to hear. Once you initiate a trade online it flags your serial number because it’s expecting your trade-in. Been there done that and the Apple store was told me I would have to cancel the order because of that.
 
For what it’s worth, Gazelle gave a few hundred more than Apple, I gave 30 days to send it in which allows me to see if the device differences are great enough to keep the M1 or ship it out.
 
Macalway said:
My, this is clear not.

One person says don't imitate a trade-in when you buy it? This is questionable, and are we suppose to take your word for it? Then, there's the guy that says if you do when you buy it, you have to send it in, as the store won't take it.
Then, there's the guy who says "Well, they took mine at the store"

What I do know is you can trade in your stuff after the fact, but only as a gift card option. But I would imagine they would honor the price they give you online with your serial number, so that's good.

Then there's the issue of initiating the trade-in online when you buy, and then being stuck with sending it in unless you cancel the order, which might depend on the Apple Store you go to, and the manager on duty, etc.

I didn't do the trade-in with my purchase, so I'm free to get at least the gift card value at the store for certain. No need to send it in, which I dread as it's then a third party.
Click to expand...
Screenshot 2024-05-13 at 11.13.28 AM.png


It's going to be too much to redact the whole document but from what I can tell, they did a trade in and just applied it to the card I had on hand . No where in the document did it mention my order, etc.

Screenshot 2024-05-13 at 11.17.31 AM.png


After I did the transaction, I was still getting emails about the trade in but I just ignored it . So to recap, I did a CTO order for home delivery with trade in, trade in kit was sent to me but I went to the Apple Store anyways and did the trade in / refund. Your experience might vary but this was as of 12/02/2023 .
 
I just did two in-store trade ins this weekend and applied the credit towards my new iPP. What I did this time was went into the store and had the employee put the trade un value on a gift card (2 in my case - 1 per trade in).

I did this before ordering, so I could then apply the balance of both to my order and finance a lower amount via ACMI. Everything went smoothly.
 
ProbablyDylan said:
I just did two in-store trade ins this weekend and applied the credit towards my new iPP. What I did this time was went into the store and had the employee put the trade un value on a gift card (2 in my case - 1 per trade in).

I did this before ordering, so I could then apply the balance of both to my order and finance a lower amount via ACMI. Everything went smoothly.
Click to expand...
This is probably the best way to do it. Unfortunately, most of us already ordered. But for me it's not an issue, as the money on a gift card is just the same in the end. Also, there's some uncertainty as to whether I which one I will keep.
 
I ordered a 512 GB which is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow but I think I want a 1TB instead. I also have a trade in scheduled and I purchased it using the apple payment plan. I think once I get it I will go to one of my local apple stores to return the one I ordered, the trade in sort of mucks things up.
 
IMG_2523.png
Ok to recap my experience . Placed online order with trade in announcement week . Received the iPad Pro on the 15th . Today (17th)I took my trade-in to the Apple Store
And they did the trade in and then credited the amount to the card I used . They did this by using my web transaction and applied to the physical card I used which I had on hand . It can be done at your Apple retail store easily if needed (not in a gift card
But to the card used or card in hand). This process did not involve a gift card or returning the iPad Pro I received .
 
When I picked up my iPad Pro on Wednesday, I was able to trade in my old one in store, even though I didn’t select the option when I placed the order (the shipping box actually arrived today :)). Apple credited my Apple Card (which I used to place the original order).
 
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A post-mortem update for anyone interested.

I had preordered Silver because that was the only color I had. Went to pick up Wednesday and asked if they had black, the rep took initiative and quickly and effortlessly handled the color swap. No issue with refunds, cancellations, credits, balances. A clean swap.

Say what you will about the company or products. Their in-store staff are 10/10 class acts.
 
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