Gazelle paying up to $480 cash for old iPhone trade-ins; vows to beat Apple, carrier offers until Se

Posted:
in iPhone edited September 2015
If you plan to purchase an iPhone 6s later this month, now's the time to help fund that upgrade by making plans to trade in your existing iPhone before its value plummets. And for the next 7 days, Gazelle is offering up to $480 cash for old iPhones alongside a guarantee to beat any competitive offer from Apple or its big four US wireless partners.



Gazelle, the industry's leading electronics buyback service, helps consumers quickly turn their old iPhones & iPads into cash without the hassle of managing an eBay auction or braving the craigslist handoff on a seedy corner of town (instructions below).

Best Price Guarantee on iPhone 5s, 6, & 6 plus

Between now and September 9th only, the company is running a Best Price Guarantee that not only offers up to $481 cash for old iPhones, but a promise to beat any competitive trade-in offer from Apple or its four big iPhone wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint), even though those companies offer trade-in values in the form of credit while Gazelle pays cash.

Why Now is the Time to Lock In a Payout Offer

The week leading up to this year's iPhone 6s introduction is also key to reaping the most cash for your old phone. Last year, for example, iPhone 5s trade-in payouts fell roughly 15% in the two weeks surrounding the announcement of the iPhone 6 and then dipped an additional 15% in the 3 weeks following the actual launch (see chart above). This historical pricing trend is expected to play out similarly this year.

How Much Will I Get?


These are the iPhone models for which Gazelle is paying the most.


As of press time, Gazelle was paying $461 for a 64GB iPhone 6 Plus (Verizon), $311 for a 64GB iPhone 6 (AT&T), and around $160 for most 64GB iPhone 5s models in "Good" condition. Unlocked iPhones, those in "Perfect" condition, or models with higher capacity often pay out a bit more while those with less storage or broken parts typically pay out the least. You can see Gazelle's current payout rates in the table below (or every day in our iPhone & iPad Trade-in Payout Guide).

How to Trade In Your iPhone for Cash in Minutes

Step 1: To begin the process, identify your current iPhone from Gazelle's website (by selecting your model, carrier and capacity) and then quickly assess its condition -- broken, good, or flawless. Gazelle will then spit out the amount of money its willing to pay you in cash for your device in its current condition. Click the orange "Get Paid" button to continue.

Lock in a cash offer for your iPhone 5S now


Step 2: You'll then be asked to log into your Gazelle account (if you have one) or quickly create one (with just an email, name & password). You can then select how you prefer to be paid: by PayPal, check, or in the form of an Amazon Gift Card. Alternatively, you can donate the proceeds from the sale of your iPhone to a charity of your choice.

Gazelle Trade-in Boxes


Step 3: Gazelle will then ask for your address so it can send you a pre-paid shipping box that you can use to send in your iPhone when you're ready. Alternatively, you can choose to have Gazelle email you a pre-paid shipping label and you can affix it to your own box.

Step 4: Within days, the pre-paid shipping box will show up on your doorstep. Simply place your old device in the box within 30 days of when you locked in your trade-in price and send it off to Gazelle. (You don't need to send in any chords or power plugs, just the device itself.)

Gazelle Trade-in Boxes


Once your device is received, Gazelle will completely wipe the personal data off your phone (if you haven't already) and then return it to its original factory settings. It will then pay you via Paypal, email (for an Amazon Gift Card), or issue a check for the cash value of the device you lock in today.

Step 5: If at any point before September 9th you find a better trade-in offer from Apple or one of the big four wireless carriers, simply send an email to Gazelle at [email protected] from the email account account tied to your Gazelle account with reasonable proof of the better off and they will beat that offer in cash by at least $1. However, you must have already locked in a trade-in offer with Gazelle prior to seeking a price match.

Gazelle's buyback offers in recent years has become an increasingly popular way consumers to afford upgrading each year to Apple's latest handset by offsetting the cost of those new devices with the cash they make from selling their old iPhones during peak buyback season.

Still, a study published last year found that iPhone upgraders as a whole were still leaving nearly $13.5 billion worth of devices in dresser drawers to collect dust.

Like iPhones, Gazelle also pays out hundreds for your old iPads and MacBooks. It also sells certified, contract-free & unlocked, pre-used iPhones at up to 40% discounts to buying new.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    You'll likely get the most with [B]Craig's List [/B]due to an absence of fees to pay out, and since the buyer can verify the item and in person, if everything is as advertised you can more easily get them to pay asking price due to the effort they already put out in meeting you. The downside is your market is limited to people in your area willing to meet up with you.

    [B]eBay[/B] will get the second most. Perhaps more than CL in gross, but with eBay, PayPal, and, potentially, shipping costs, it will probably be less. There is a much larger market of buyers, but of course a much larger market of sellers. You also have some protection with PayPal, like not being robbed by threat of injury if you meet someone from CL. [I]PayPal robs you through exobbabnt fees[/I]. :)

    I'd say [B]Gazelle[/B] and [B]Amazon[/B] flip back and forth on who pays the most. Amazon seems to have some crazy algorithms that will show different prices for different customers, while Gazelle has always been very consistent and fair, as well as locking you into a price much longer than I would expect. These are easy because the let you print out the pre-paid mailing label, and you get funded right after they receive and verify the device. The one caveat with Amazon, even when it does pay out more, is that it's in Amazon credit, which not everyone will use.

    The lowest payout, outside of giving it to a family member or partner[I] like a chump¡[/I], is to trade it into the [B]Apple[/B] Store. You definitely won't get the highest dollar amount but they verify the quality of the trade-in right there so you know exactly how much they will pay out which is nice if you're buying a new iPhone at the same time you're making the trade.

    For me, not having to go online to setup a sale, then box up the old iPhone, mail it off, wait for the money to come in, or go online to setup a sale, then box up the old iPhone, and meet up with some stranger is worth a little hit in the value. I'm all about convenience, but I have used all those methods at one time or another, as well as looked into it for others, so I think they all have merit and suggest: [U]Do what feels right for you.[/U]
  • Reply 2 of 21
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Pre-iPhone hype!

    Deja Vu all over again!

    I love this time of year!
  • Reply 3 of 21

    $12 for a flawless iPhone 4?  Heck, I'll pay $25 for one.  

  • Reply 4 of 21
    The fact Gazelle will buy iPhone 4S is crazy! That's a four-year-old iPhone, and Gazelle is figuring it has another year or two of life to go...

    Here's a photo of year-old Androids embarking on another 3 to 6 months of stuttering performance...

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/60605/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
  • Reply 5 of 21
    Here's a photo of year-old Androids embarking on another 3 to 6 months of stuttering performance...

    [image]

    I love the care and precision in which they are displayed¡
  • Reply 6 of 21
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,302member

    I've used Gazelle several times before, trading in iPads and iPhones, and have been very pleased with the process, the money offered, and the company as a whole. 

  • Reply 7 of 21
    uSell.com gives approximately $100 more for my phone 128 GB iPhone 6 plus ATT than gazelle ;)


    Look it up guys.

    This is probably a paid story
  • Reply 8 of 21
    rgh71rgh71 Posts: 125member
    Amazon always beats Gazelle if you are OK with their credit. 2-Sept they are offering up to $560 for an unlocked, "like new" 128GB space gray iPhone 6 ($584 for the plus gold).
  • Reply 9 of 21
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    I wonder why the iPhone 5 jumped in value for Gazelle last October.
  • Reply 10 of 21
    The fact Gazelle will buy iPhone 4S is crazy! That's a four-year-old iPhone, and Gazelle is figuring it has another year or two of life to go...

    Here's a photo of year-old Androids embarking on another 3 to 6 months of stuttering performance...

    700

    Just another day down at Best Buy...
  • Reply 11 of 21
    Just another day down at Best Buy...

    Looks like a Samsung pop up store.
  • Reply 12 of 21



    I checked the price of my iPhone 6+ w/ 128 GB and it said I would only get $388. This is the top of the line model, with the maximum ram, so where's this mysterious $480 that's mentioned in the article?!? Also note, I ran a Gazelle search an hour ago and got a different price, I believe it was around $371 or $377, still far from that $480 mark. 

  • Reply 13 of 21
    Only flawless 128 GB 6 plus from Verizon gets full $480... Go to uSell.com they offer $483 and that includes for Att
  • Reply 14 of 21
    Worst price I've ever seen. $371 for iPhone 6 128 on AT&T? Are you kidding me? I can get $550 without blinking on Craigslist.
  • Reply 15 of 21
    Why anyone would leave money on the table by selling any iOS device to a middle man is beyond me. I have sold every replaced device on Craig's List and gotten about double what Gazelle or anyone else offers. I check Craig's to find the going price, list it competitively, and it sells within a few days. I tell the buyer to meet me at a local branch of my credit union. This avoids being robbed, and I can have the teller check the cash for counterfeit before turning over the phone. Easy peasy.
  • Reply 16 of 21
    Why anyone would leave money on the table by selling any iOS device to a middle man is beyond me. I have sold every replaced device on Craig's List and gotten about double what Gazelle or anyone else offers. I check Craig's to find the going price, list it competitively, and it sells within a few days. I tell the buyer to meet me at a local branch of my credit union. This avoids being robbed, and I can have the teller check the cash for counterfeit before turning over the phone. Easy peasy.

    Do you feel that method is suitable for all people of all ages in all situations?
  • Reply 17 of 21
    You got me there. No. But I think many people who could do this, don't.
  • Reply 18 of 21
    This article is a total lie. I just sat and put in every carrier of iPhone 6 Plus with 128 gig and never got anything higher than $371 this is called bait and switch where they say one thing then give you another.

    Do yourself a favor call your carrier if you have had your phone more than three months and don't owe anything on it and can prove you own it they will unlock the phone for you for free. You don't even have to bother jailbreaking it or doing anything else to it. AT&T has done this for me every year but you must show its paid off or own it out right.

    Then put an ad on Craig's List, turn off "Find My Phone" meet the buyer at Starbucks and get $650-$750 right now. In fact I don't erase it until money is presented so I can not only show it's working, but that the gyro is working and the camera is functioning too.

    WARNING: If you purchase a phone that the seller has not turned off "find my iPhone" you bought yourself a brick. they absolutely cannot be erased or reinstalled if that's active. This is something Apple implemented two years ago to stop theft and people selling stolen phones. Make they show you "find My iPhone" turned off before you hand over your cash
  • Reply 19 of 21
    I went to Gazelle the day this article was posted and I got a pretty fair deal. My offer for an iPhone 6 128gb locked Verizon phone was $435, plus the 5% Amazon credit for a total of $476.75. The best Verizon was willing to offer me was $318.

    I've always found Craigslist to be too much trouble when selling electronics. You never know who you're dealing with and what they have planned. Too big a risk for me.
  • Reply 20 of 21

    Or, donate your old phones to your nearest domestic violence shelter, or through http://nnedv.org/getinvolved/donatephone.html

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