Gazelle is ending its used device trade-in program

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited December 2020
Gazelle is ending its entire device trade-in and buy-back program, with the closure effective February 1, 2021.

After 14 years, Gazelle is ending its device trade-in program
After 14 years, Gazelle is ending its device trade-in program


Founded in 2006, Gazelle had been one of the most popular online services for trading in used iPhones, iPads, and other mobile devices. The company announced the move today and hasn't yet stated why it is backing out of the trade-in market.

Gazelle plans to remain in business, solely focusing on its certified pre-owned device sales. The company's used-device marketplace offers inspected iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and devices from Samsung and Google at less than retail.

Customers in the middle of an existing trade-in process will still receive their agreed-upon compensation as planned, and they can log into their trade-in account to check on the current status.

The firm will reach out to customers who have a Gazelle Rewards account, allowing them to claim their rewards points by January 31, 2021.

Gazelle is recommending ecoATM as an alternative service that offers instant cash for used devices while eliminating e-waste. The ecoATM kiosks dot the U.S., and are often found in malls, Walmart locations, and grocery stores.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 14
    normangnormang Posts: 118member
    This seems odd, where do they garner used devices for re-sale other than through the trade-ins?  Perhaps there is another source I am unaware of..  
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 14
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,879member
    Their prices were not competitive with eBay anyway. Easier, sure. But so is Apple's trade-in, which was also better for me than Gazelle.
    bshankcornchipwatto_cobrajimdreamworx
  • Reply 3 of 14
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,950member
    I’ve never known of anyone who uses them.
    watto_cobrajimdreamworx
  • Reply 4 of 14
    mmainsmmains Posts: 1member
    I used them a few years back, prices were competitive at one point (was a much easier experience than using eBay) despite Bering $100-$200 less. Sometimes it was just not worth the hassle. 

    Today I’ve been super pleased with Buyback Boss... good prices and same seamless process. 

    Give it more time, I’m sure these will all fail. Makes you wonder how much inventory they are sitting on and now people are holding into electronics longer. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 14
    jasonfont426jasonfont426 Posts: 5member
    I suspect that with the carriers offering $700 for trading in iPhone X or later, the supply of good, late model devices dried up for Gazelle. I used them a few years ago to sell an old iPad but recently have used itsworthmore because they’ll Zelle the payment straight to my checking account. Still good for older devices IMO. 
    bageljoeywatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 14
    Mac512userMac512user Posts: 23member
    The consumer buy-back world is pretty competitive and very little profit margin. They probably have some big corporate accounts for taking in used devices. Companies are constantly keeping their employees components updated.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 14
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,040member
    normang said:
    This seems odd, where do they garner used devices for re-sale other than through the trade-ins?  Perhaps there is another source I am unaware of..  
    They have a number of possible non-consumer sources.

    Examples might be corporate equipment recycling services, major retailers (such as Best Buy, B&H, Costco, etc.) as well as the major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, etc.

    Those are ones off the top of my head. I'm sure there are others that I overlooked.

    From an operational standpoint, it probably cuts costs since they don't need to deal with individual consumer transactions. They can stick with larger organizations that offer volume.

    Thus Gazelle works with some corporate used equipment broker. "We have 350 used iPhone X units from Corporation Z [Fortune 100 company] and 800 iPads from Los Angeles Unified School District. Are you [Gazelle] interested?"
    edited December 2020 anantksundaramwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 14
    XedXed Posts: 2,566member
    cornchip said:
    I’ve never known of anyone who uses them.
    I did years ago. Now I just use apple for the convenience without even checking Gazelle’s prices.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 14
    mwhitemwhite Posts: 287member
    I used Decluttr recently sold them my 2018 iPad Pro great price and quick pay.
  • Reply 10 of 14
    XedXed Posts: 2,566member
    mwhite said:
    I used Decluttr recently sold them my 2018 iPad Pro great price and quick pay.
    I hadn't heard of them but I liked the "notion" of the name enough to check them out. They are offering me $30 less than what Apple (via Phobio) is offering me for a 2013 MBP… which I just erased, reinstalled Mavericks, and boxed up with the box they sent me to ship out tomorrow.

    If you want cash that's surely worth something, but if you are find with an Apple Store GC (which I am since I'm going to buy another M1 MBA) then via Apple may be the way to go.

    I'm not sure if it's a one-off option, but Decluttr does say they'll give you an extra 10% if you sign up with an email. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
    edited December 2020
  • Reply 11 of 14
    siromegasiromega Posts: 29member
    I used Gazelle a very long time ago. Now I use swappa to sell my used phones. 

    This will be bad for my company though, as we sell our 2 year old iPhones back to Gazelle in bulk. Will have to find a new vendor to buy them back. 
  • Reply 12 of 14
    mwhitemwhite Posts: 287member
    Xed said:
    mwhite said:
    I used Decluttr recently sold them my 2018 iPad Pro great price and quick pay.
    I hadn't heard of them but I liked the "notion" of the name enough to check them out. They are offering me $30 less than what Apple (via Phobio) is offering me for a 2013 MBP… which I just erased, reinstalled Mavericks, and boxed up with the box they sent me to ship out tomorrow.

    If you want cash that's surely worth something, but if you are find with an Apple Store GC (which I am since I'm going to buy another M1 MBA) then via Apple may be the way to go.

    I'm not sure if it's a one-off option, but Decluttr does say they'll give you an extra 10% if you sign up with an email. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

    The reason I went with Decluttr was I also purchased a M1 MBA but I traded in my 2020 Air to Apple on it and wanted the cash to go on the M1. I checked with Gazelle and Decluttr gave more money.

    edited December 2020
  • Reply 13 of 14
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,037member
    I used them way back and they offered decent prices. The Apple upgrade program is a much better deal.
  • Reply 14 of 14
    jimdreamworxjimdreamworx Posts: 1,095member
    Over a year ago, I found a program in a Toronto mall (that didn't have an Apple Store) promoted by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind called Phone It Forward.

    It seems you can donate your old (qualifying) smartphone, which gets refurbished and given to someone with a sight impairment, since the phones have the ability to dictate information while on the go.  And you get a tax receipt for the full-value of the device.  If I got the most out of it, why not give it away to something worthwhile instead of hassling with trying to maximize a used sale?


    Any other places have things like this?
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