Sell Back Your Old Device(s)

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well. After seeing the thread posted by Philippe, I noticed a plethora of comments saying if their device was going to work even though its “x” years old or a certain model. For those that aren’t familiar there are alternatives if your device does not make the cut of devices listed in the link provided in that thread.

The point of this thread is to give those who don’t know a work around of their current issue if the so desire to pursue getting a new/used device. I will list two websites that I’ve worked with as a customer. As an Apple diehard, I can assure you that both of these companies are not scams and were highly recommended by multiple Apple personnel.

The first website called Gazelle, specializes in Trade-In Cell Phones and other Electronics for cash. Again, I have only traded in Apple devices so I will only speak in terms of what I know and have experienced. The website is pretty self explanatory. You select that you want to Sell your device. What this means is that you are not selling it to an individual but rather to the company who will either refurbish your device and sell it back on their website for profit or they will scrap it based on the condition that the device is in and use it for parts. I will drop a link below for easy access if this is something that you wish to pursue. When I traded in my iPad 4 a little more than 2 months ago I got $90 for it. Once I sent it out to their facility, through following their detailed instructions, it took between 2-3 weeks to get an emailed Apple Store (In-Store) gift card. Keep in mind that this is not an iTunes or App Store gift card.

Link to Gazelle


The next site is directly from Apple. Very similar process to Gazelle, except this is strictly for Apple devices. iPads, iPods, iPhones, and Macs. I sent in an old 2013 MacBook Pro through the link provided on the Apple site, and got $390 in return. Again this monetary value was sent in the form of an electronic gift card emailed to me about 3 weeks after sending it in the mail. Similar to Gazelle, the device(s) is either refurbished to be put back on the market if the condition is as you say or better, or the device will be scrapped for parts/materials. If you are redirected to either of these companies: Brightstar, Phobio, or Sims Recycling Solutions, you are on the right track. Those three companies have contracts with Apple.

Link to Apple

Hopefully this will give some relief to those that are worried about their device not making the cut. Keep in mind you can sell back as many devices you wish to “trade-in”. After I completed these transactions, I ended up getting myself an iPad Pro 10.5" for about 1/2 the cost of what it would normally cost. Now you don’t have to get the 10.5" as I was using that as my personal example, but you could essentially get a brand new 2017 iPad for free by trading in old devices sitting around the house.

I am not responsible for you trading in your parents phones, tablets, or computers. 😁

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Yes Apple are a big fan of making their company “greener”. Quick Question: do they only trade in Apple store gift cards or do they give you cash in certain times?

They only do store gift cards.

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I personally probably am never going to use a site like this due to knowing friends who have had bad experiences with similar companies like not getting their money etc. One even had to end up taking it to small claims court. However, I do think it’s a good idea. I’m just not too sure…

I’ll just sell my airplane seats for $800 then buy a new iPad Pro.

I’ve heard of similar instances, hence the reason I didn’t include those ones in here. 😉

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Yeah I haven’t heard of bad reviews from Gazelle. I mean they advertise like crazy, more so than any other similar company. I think y’all would be fine

To kinda go along with this but also to contradict it, it’s not always the best idea to sell back to the company or sell it to a resell sight, it’s often best to sell it on your own (eBay, Craigslist, bookoo, etc.) as your get a higher value for your product.

For example, this occurs in the golf industry a lot. I play a lot of golf, and I once bought a new driver (915) and didn’t like it. I tried to sell it back to a website called 2ndswing.com, and they offered me $110 for my basically brand new club. I proceeded to sell it on eBay for $400. A similar thing happens when selling a car.

Just a tip for selling your device. You sell it back to Apple for $500, Apple will turn around and sell it for $750. Not trying to steal your thunder, just putting it out there it’s not always the best way to make the most money.

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Not a problem. Just wanted to make this post as a quick, easy, and safe way to make some money. Wasn’t looking for it to be the “greatest” way to get the most cash out of an older device. 🙂

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That’s true. Selling via Craigslist isn’t always the “safest” option, if you know what I mean…

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Or just use your country’s classifieds website. Australia and the UK’s largest one is Gumtree: https://www.gumtree.com/. I sold my iPad Mini 1 with a case on there for around AU$250. eBay (the owner of Gumtree) is often free to use as well.

they take a 10% commission of any profits (at least in england), not sure about gumtree

In Australia it’s all free to use.

eBay in Australia also takes 10% of your profit made by selling your item.

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Just want to say I’ve used the Apple Recycle Program and it’s truly amazing! You get your voucher within minutes of giving your Apple Product in. Gave 3 old iPads I had lying around the house that no one needed and got enough to get Beats Studio headphones that they sell at Apple … pretty much for nothing. Also used it to upgrade my 6s to a 7 in January. Well worth your while, recommend :)

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I shall check these out. Shame that my iPod Touch 5th gen which has allowed me to use Infinite Flight for nearly three years now has to go into retirement. Shall consider this and try to get it done before Global is released. Do have quite a bit of time to sell it though. Thanks for these sites

I’m pretty sure it depends on if you’ve sold over $3000 worth of items or something similar.

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Or maybe use swappa.com I’ve been using for years now, set your own price rather than someone else setting it, see who is buying it, no scams, and all secured by PayPal.

So we’re now teaching ifc members how to sell their devices? What has the ifc community come to

Wrong. The word you are looking for is Informing.

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