Refurbished iPad Air 2 / iPad Mini Way Overpriced

[krause734]

The 4 year old iPad Air 2 in the Refurbished Store is only $10 off ($289) the Black Friday brand new price of 2 years ago ($299). The Mini is also very overpriced ($339: more than the new iPad) and they only offer 128GB. These are the two iPads I would be interested in. They are worth IMO $199 for 32 GB versions and would sell well at that price for 4 year old refurbished tech. I have a feeling that would cannibalize a significant amount of their new iPad sales however and it of course keeps resale values higher. Thankfully there is eBay and craigslist.

 

[macfacts]

Have to take one with the other: good resale value and high MSRP for multi year old products.

The reason resale value is high is because the only other place to buy is from Apple and Apple controls the prices.

 

[acorntoy]

The 4 year old iPad Air 2 in the Refurbished Store is only $10 off ($289) the Black Friday brand new price of 2 years ago ($299). The Mini is also very overpriced ($339: more than the new iPad) and they only offer 128GB. These are the two iPads I would be interested in. They are worth IMO $199 for 32 GB versions and would sell well at that price for 4 year old refurbished tech. I have a feeling that would cannibalize a significant amount of their new iPad sales however and it of course keeps resale values higher. Thankfully there is eBay and craigslist.

Highlighted the important part for you. The market decides the price. If apple wasnt moving any of them, they’d discount them more. The air 2 still offers features the 2018 iPad doesn’t, and that has obviously kept the price up as people obviously appreciate what it offers. The mini is still being sold, and expecting a massive discount on that is simply wishful thinking.

Ebay and craigslist do not come with a standard 1 year warranty and the option to add AC+ to that, that alone also allows Apple to sell the devices for more than the other second hand options.

 

[krause734]

Highlighted the important part for you. The market decides the price. If apple wasnt moving any of them, they’d discount them more. The air 2 still offers features the 2018 iPad doesn’t, and that has obviously kept the price up as people obviously appreciate what it offers. The mini is still being sold, and expecting a massive discount on that is simply wishful thinking.

Ebay and craigslist do not come with a standard 1 year warranty and the option to add AC+ to that, that alone also allows Apple to sell the devices for more than the other second hand options.

I see your point but I don't think you're entirely correct. Apple is thinking of axing the Mini due to low sales. It's oddly priced higher than the regular iPad and only with 128 GB. Apple also doesn't always discount more if they don't sell well, they usually just quietly drop the product. Also, not dropping the price on a product that is four years old is kind of a fishing for suckers strategy when it comes to technology. Something that a naive buyer might feel angry about if they found out about it.

 

[acorntoy]

I see your point but I don't think you're entirely correct. Apple is thinking of axing the Mini due to low sales. It's oddly priced higher than the regular iPad and only with 128 GB. Apple also doesn't always discount more if they don't sell well, they usually just quietly drop the product. Also, not dropping the price on a product that is four years old is kind of a fishing for suckers strategy when it comes to technology. Something that a naive buyer might feel angry about if they found out about it.

Eh. Too many people are thinking about these devices as if the year was 2008. Are they improving as fast? No. No they are not. Because of that a device made in 2014 can handle 2018 way way better than a device in 2008 handled 2012. Also don’t get your “people wont know” - Apple clearly states when the product was released on its refurbished site, and the refurbished page is a little tricky to find, I doubt anybody would accidentally stumble on to it while looking for a brand new device with cutting edge technology.

+ your correct Apple does drop prices silently, the Air 2 refurbished prices were cut when the 2018 was announced. The 16GB used to be $319 about a week ago. Apple is obviously finding buyers at these prices.

Apple has not announced any plans to kill the mini officially, for all we know the studies have shown its sales are slow because it simply hasn’t been updated, and Apple might just be fine with at their current profit margin.

 

[krause734]

Eh. Too many people are thinking about these devices as if the year was 2008. Are they improving as fast? No. No they are not. Because of that a device made in 2014 can handle 2018 way way better than a device in 2008 handled 2012. Also don’t get your “people wont know” - Apple clearly states when the product was released on its refurbished site, and the refurbished page is a little tricky to find, I doubt anybody would accidentally stumble on to it while looking for a brand new device with cutting edge technology.

Apple has not announced any plans to kill the mini officially, for all we know the studies have shown its sales are slow because it simply hasn’t been updated, and Apple might just be fine with at their current profit margin.

Okay but you said yourself the iPad Air 2 is better than the current iPad in some ways. I would also feel bad buying the current iPad at this price if I found that out. Thinner, lighter, better screen. The "New" iPad is inferior to a four year old device? It seems odd to me.

https://www.phonearena.com/phones/c...-inch-2018,Apple-iPad-Air-2/phones/10852,8948

 

[rui no onna]

The fully laminated displays on the Air 2 and mini 4 cost more than the non-laminated displays on the 2017 or 2018 iPads. All the 2017 iPads are out of stock in the refurb store now but iirc, they were $50 less than an Air 2 with comparable configuration.

It's a compromise. If you want both the latest technology and all the bells and whistles, then there's the Pro 10.5 for $500+.

Quite honestly, most of the average Joe types I know are more than happy with the compromise Apple took to get an iPad at $329 as opposed to $399/499/649. They all run the same apps anyway.