Apple offers buyback program for old iPhone, iPad, Macs
Apple has enhanced its recycling program to add a new "reuse" option that pays owners of existing iPhones, iPads, Mac or PC desktop or notebook computers a fair market value for their old equipment, paid via an Apple Gift Card.
Apple continues to offer a variety of recycling programs: a place to dump unwanted electronics of any kind at its Cupertino, California head quarters (which it has operated since 2002); free recycling of Mac batteries at any of its retail stores; and free pickup and disposal of any brand of computer or display contracted through WeRecycle!, which user can obtain a free prepaid shipping label from at www.werecycle.com.
Now, users who own an iOS device or a computer from any manufacturer can obtain a credit for the fair market value of that device, calculated by PowerOn, a third party company Apple contract with to run the reuse program.
While recycling old products dismantles them and harvests valuable components such as metal, plastic and glass for recycled use in new products, reuse is an even greener option, as it extends the useful life of products that have value in the second hand market.
"If your product qualifies for reuse ? meaning it has monetary value ? you?ll receive an Apple Gift Card equivalent to its fair market value as determined by PowerON," Apple states on its new recycling program website.
"You can use the gift card for eligible purchases at any U.S. Apple Retail Store or the U.S. Apple Online Store. If your product does not have monetary value, we?ll recycle it at no cost to you."
Users can get a preliminary valuation for their old devices online, then arrange to ship them to PowerOn at no cost. The company will then contact the user if the apprised value is different than what was quoted online, a figure based on the user's own description of the product's condition.
If the user chooses not to accept the final value, it will be returned at no charge. Otherwise, PowerOn will arrange to credit the user via an Apple Gift Card within three weeks of receipt. The company also securely erases all data remaining on the devices while preparing them for resale.
PowerOn's estimated value of a functional, first generation iPad in very good condition is $165, for example. Users may likely be able to find their own second hand buyer for relatively new products in good condition, and fetch a higher price.
However, for older devices with some damage or dysfunctional features, the reuse option may provide an easier, more convenient option that still recoups some value they can then reinvest in new Apple gear.
Apple continues to offer a variety of recycling programs: a place to dump unwanted electronics of any kind at its Cupertino, California head quarters (which it has operated since 2002); free recycling of Mac batteries at any of its retail stores; and free pickup and disposal of any brand of computer or display contracted through WeRecycle!, which user can obtain a free prepaid shipping label from at www.werecycle.com.
Now, users who own an iOS device or a computer from any manufacturer can obtain a credit for the fair market value of that device, calculated by PowerOn, a third party company Apple contract with to run the reuse program.
While recycling old products dismantles them and harvests valuable components such as metal, plastic and glass for recycled use in new products, reuse is an even greener option, as it extends the useful life of products that have value in the second hand market.
"If your product qualifies for reuse ? meaning it has monetary value ? you?ll receive an Apple Gift Card equivalent to its fair market value as determined by PowerON," Apple states on its new recycling program website.
"You can use the gift card for eligible purchases at any U.S. Apple Retail Store or the U.S. Apple Online Store. If your product does not have monetary value, we?ll recycle it at no cost to you."
Users can get a preliminary valuation for their old devices online, then arrange to ship them to PowerOn at no cost. The company will then contact the user if the apprised value is different than what was quoted online, a figure based on the user's own description of the product's condition.
If the user chooses not to accept the final value, it will be returned at no charge. Otherwise, PowerOn will arrange to credit the user via an Apple Gift Card within three weeks of receipt. The company also securely erases all data remaining on the devices while preparing them for resale.
PowerOn's estimated value of a functional, first generation iPad in very good condition is $165, for example. Users may likely be able to find their own second hand buyer for relatively new products in good condition, and fetch a higher price.
However, for older devices with some damage or dysfunctional features, the reuse option may provide an easier, more convenient option that still recoups some value they can then reinvest in new Apple gear.
Comments
Worth noting, however, for those that go looking, some companies offer the same service except they pay you cold hard cash. That's what I did with my Pay/Go iPhone 3GS after I was done with it - made back more than the subsidised cost of my current iPhone 4
Worth noting, however, for those that go looking, some companies offer the same service except they pay you cold hard cash. That's what I did with my Pay/Go iPhone 3GS after I was done with it - made back more than the subsidised cost of my current iPhone 4
A working iPhone 3GS is worth at least $400.
I bet you got ripped off.
A working iPhone 3GS is worth at least $400.
I bet you got ripped off.
That's pretty much the way it is if you sell to an intermediary. If you sell directly to someone that's going to use it, you're going to get more money than you would if you sell it to someone for resale.
That screenshot of the iPad price is silly. You can sell an original iPad for $300 or more on eBay. And if you are scared of eBay, you might as well give Amazon Marketplace a try, where you can net $367 before their fees. I guess both have a certain risk, but you can use delivery confirmation and take a picture of the package as you send it out for proof and no shady buyer will be able to screw you over.
Googling Amazon or eBay fee calculators will help you determine how much you will actually make.
For these low values Apple should really be giving out cash.
As a frequent buyer and seller of tech stuff... this is BS. Nowhere near 'fair market value'.
So sell it to someone or somewhere else. Pretty darn simple.
As a frequent buyer and seller of tech stuff... this is BS. Nowhere near 'fair market value'.
Exactly......an iPad 1st gen 16GB wireless only goes for around $400 on Craigslist. An iPhone 3GS goes for around $300.....you can get more if you do some work and sell it yourself....
$165 is market price? If anybody falls for that, then....
But seriously. I'll be happy to pay anybody here $175 each for as many iPads as they want to sell. They go for $250, minimum, on eBay.
And that is cold hard cash. a $165 Apple gift card costs apple about $100 in COGS. They are cleaning up on both ends - They pay too little, and give you stuff that costs them even less. What a friggin ripoff.
I'll use this for all my future purchases.
For the naysayers: it's simply an option that Apple is offering. No one has to choose it.
Like the idea, and I'm sure a lot of people will make good use of it.
Worth noting, however, for those that go looking, some companies offer the same service except they pay you cold hard cash. That's what I did with my Pay/Go iPhone 3GS after I was done with it - made back more than the subsidised cost of my current iPhone 4
Not only will other companies pay you cash, but you can probably sell your device for twice the amount that you get from this buy back program on craigslist or ebay.
A working iPhone 3GS is worth at least $400....
This is ridiculous and just not true at all. Considering they give them away free on a contract in many countries, a 16GB one would be in the 160-180 range if they are in perfect condition which is pretty much the exact price this value calculator gives as well.
Whether you can rip someone off for 400 dollars for a 3Gs or not, is not an indicator of it's actual value. People are generally kind of dumb.
These services, while convenient, pay next to nothing. $245 for my 32GB iPhone 4 in great condition??? I might as well take it to a pawn shop.
What a laugh. A pawn shop is not going to give you even a fraction of it's value.
Also, if you want to do that you'd better do it soon. In a month you will be lucky to convince someone to pay you 50 dollars for it on craigslist.
$165 is market price? If anybody falls for that, then....
But seriously. I'll be happy to pay anybody here $175 each for as many iPads as they want to sell. They go for $250, minimum, on eBay.
And that is cold hard cash. a $165 Apple gift card costs apple about $100 in COGS. They are cleaning up on both ends - They pay too little, and give you stuff that costs them even less. What a friggin ripoff.
This particular iPad is currently selling for 300-350 on eBay, but just because people are willing to pay ridiculous prices for a hot item on eBay, doesn't mean this offer is a "rip-off." A buyback program is not a retail store and the reason behind it isn't to make money or rip people off.
The price is calculated based on the actual value of the parts as a knock-down on the original retail price. The purpose is to determine the actual value of the thing, not "what it's going for" or "what I can get for it." If you want to make a ton of cash and you don't care about recycling or ripping people off ... basically if you just care about yourself ... then this program is not for you is it?
What you are looking for is a flea market, or maybe you should stand under some overpass somewhere hawking your wares.
Kind of like when you trade in a car. Yeah, if you want to sell it on your own, you probably are going to get more for it than if you trade it in, yet people trade in their cars every day. And there are people that take those cars and resell them for more than they paid for them. It's how they make their living.
For the items being traded in, there is the trade in dollars cost, plus then figure an hour of labor to clean it up and make it ready to resell, and then the time and effort to actually sell it. What they are paying isn't all that bad.
This particular iPad is currently selling for 300-350 on eBay, but just because people are willing to pay ridiculous prices for a hot item on eBay, doesn't mean this offer is a "rip-off." A buyback program is not a retail store and the reason behind it isn't to make money or rip people off.
The price is calculated based on the actual value of the parts as a knock-down on the original retail price. The purpose is to determine the actual value of the thing, not "what it's going for" or "what I can get for it." If you want to make a ton of cash and you don't care about recycling or ripping people off ... basically if you just care about yourself ... then this program is not for you is it?
What you are looking for is a flea market, or maybe you should stand under some overpass somewhere hawking your wares.
So it's sketchy and a ripoff for you to sell your ipad for $350 or $400 on ebay. However, if another "official" company offers you $165 (of which they probably pay apple less than $150 for the giftcard) for your ipad and then they go and sell it on ebay, or through a refurbished store, or whatever "official" channel they use for $350, it's perfectly fine, and reasonable? You make it sound like this company isn't making a HUGE profit on the devices they buy back from people. This is clearly not the truth, as companies are in this business to make money, and they will sell it for the most the cheapest price. This may not quite be as much as ebay because they might find lower overheads selling elsewhere, but they are not going and selling the ipad back to people for $200, or even $250.
Pretending that anyone who sells their devices for what they can get and not through apple's channels is a "bad person" is just silly. Your iphone or ipad or i whatever is YOUR device. This company is there to prey on the people who would otherwise just toss perfectly good and worthwhile devices because they don't care enough to sell them for a fair price.
Phil
A buyback program is not a retail store and the reason behind it isn't to make money or rip people off.
That's nonsense. The companies aren't charities. It IS about making money (because, you know, that's what companies try to do).
The price is calculated based on the actual value of the parts as a knock-down on the original retail price. The purpose is to determine the actual value of the thing, not "what it's going for" or "what I can get for it." If you want to make a ton of cash and you don't care about recycling or ripping people off ... basically if you just care about yourself ... then this program is not for you is it?
Um, "what it's going for" and "what can I get for it" are actually valid means of determining value. And nice work on the douchebag move of trying to turn it back on the OP. You can't rip someone off on eBay unless you lie in your listing about the item you're selling (like by saying the iMac is in perfect condition when the CD-ROM drive doesn't function and you have to pray to the Mac gods every time your computer starts up). And if you sell a working Mac on eBay, chances are it's going to be used by the purchaser meaning it stays out of a landfill or inefficient recycling program.
Basically, you are getting reamed for the convenience factor of having to click a few mouse buttons and being done. For example, rather than find a buyer for my $100 GPS (which is probably worth $50 now), I could opt to just turn it into a few bucks without any hassles (rather than having it take up my space or having to throw it away).
Now on a mac or iPad or something that is worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars, getting paid about 40 cents on the dollar IS a rip off.
Sure, it takes a bit of hassle to sell on eBay or via Craigslist, but it can be done and it could be worth the time.
I priced my Late 2009 iMac (Quad Core, i5) with 12GB of RAM and the site offered me around $600 for it. This model sold for $1,999 new, and I am damn certain I can get around $1,500 for it if I actually were to sell it and have a bit of patience (and if I priced it at $1,200 or so it would probably sell the same day on Craigslist).
So would it be worth my hassle to try my luck on Craigslist or eBay and pocket an extra THOUSAND DOLLARS? You bet.
And as other people pointed out, this place is not a charity. They are going to sell your device either new or for parts and make a profit. That's why they have to low ball you by about half of the markup.
Doesn't anyone remember Funcoland? Or heck, a modern used DVD store? They buy your used DVD for $2 and sell it for $8 or $10. That's how they make their profit.
This place will buy your iMac, which you paid $2,000 for originally, for $600 and sell it themselves on eBay for $1,500+. That's how they make their profit.
Or in the example given, they will buy your iPad for $165 and sell it for $300.
To say we are bad people because we choose to take the time to sell it ourselves (and pocket the difference) rather than let someone else do it is none sense.
I would say unless you are so pressed for time that you just can't handle running an auction or meeting with someone off of craigslist, you are probably best off selling these items for yourself.
Otherwise, this is a great service for someone who doesn't have the time or the knowledge how to sell things for themselves and would rather just get it over with and get something rather than not selling it at all and having the item rot in their basement.