AppleInsider Staff
Trade-in service Gazelle on Monday launched a new resale service backed by a quality guarantee, allowing shoppers to buy used iPhones and iPads at heavily discounted prices, without having to worry about the condition of their purchase when it arrives.
The new Gazelle Certified store offers discounts on "gently used" devices with no contracts or strings attached. AppleInsider partner Gazelle ensures the condition of devices with a 30-point quality inspection, and all purchases are backed by a 30-day risk-free return policy.
For example, customers can find a "certified like new" 64-gigabyte AT&T iPhone 5s for $379. A brand new, full-price iPhone 5s contract-free with just 16 gigabytes of storage sells for $549 from Apple.
Certified iPhone 5 units start at $274, while used iPhone 4 models can be purchased contract-free for $159.
At first blush, the used iPhone prices offered by Gazelle appear to be comparable to selling prices for iPhones on other reselling sites, such as eBay. But the difference is the Gazelle Certified store is backed buy a quality guarantee that the company hopes will earn consumers' trust, with Gazelle pitching its storefront as being akin to BMW's certified preowned program.
While its iPhone prices are competitive, Gazelle's iPad selection isn't as compelling, with "certified like new" 16-gigabyte iPad Air units selling for $399 — the same price that Apple sells the units for brand new. The same can be said for the iPad mini with Retina display, which sells used for $299, also the same as Apple's brand-new pricing.
For now, the Gazelle Certified store only offers iPhones and iPads, though specific sections for generic "cell phones" and "tablets" are available, suggesting that other devices will be offered over time. The company boasts that 9 out of every 10 customers who have used Gazelle say they had an "excellent" experience.
While Gazelle's certified preowned sales are new, the company continues to offer trade-in services for users looking to upgrade to new models. Prices and exclusive bonuses, including an additional $20 cash for iPad trade-ins, can be found in the AppleInsider trade-in guide, also included below:
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12 Comments
Nice, but the link isn't working for me.
I thought I would share an experience I had with Gazelle. I purchased two iphone 5's from Gazelle last December 2013, for a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law and one for my wife. A few days ago, my mother-in-law contacted me to tell me the phone was no longer receiving service. After trying everything I could find about fixing it, I finally contacted T-Mobile, and discovered that the phone's IMEI has just been blocked due to non-payment by the original owner(!) Just to clarify, this phone has been in daily use since Xmas Day 2013 (~11 mos)! The T-Mobile rep told me that the original owner had been making payments all this time, but recently closed their account, and were sent a final bill. The bill was 10 days past due and at that time T-Mobile automatically blacklists the IMEI. I bought these phones specifically from gazelle and paid more for them as a result, as I believed they were essentially guaranteed against this sort of thing. I even contacted them before my purchase asking them if their phones were checked: "Thank you for your interest! We do test all items to confirm availability for activation by you upon receipt. Unless otherwise noted in the listing, this item has been tested and is clear." It turns out, this doesn't mean the device will remain that way after you receive it. An important fact that they continue to omit in their eBay listings. I contacted their support yesterday and was told that the unit is outside of their 30-day return window and they can not help me further. As far as I'm concerned, they didn't actually sell me anything. They sold a device that still had a lien against it, and now that it is blacklisted, I basically paid $400 to rent it for the past 11 months. Technically, this iPhone is still the property of T-Mobile... I've since opened a complaint with the BBB and am hopeful they will come to a resolution on this issue. Moral of the story is: Don't think that just because you're buying from a bigger operation, that your phone is free and clear and ownership has been legally transferred to YOU. As a matter of fact, you can even read Swappa's TOS and you will find a very loose policy on blacklisted IMEI/ESN's. They basically say you're only recourse is PayPal's 45-day dispute window. Buying from these sites is really not any different than craigslist or a random seller on eBay. The only way to really guarantee your device is free and clear forever is to buy a new one.
Thanks for the info.
Only if I were completely lazy I'd sell my device to Gazelle, they're a complete rip-off. Just do the math and you'll see. What's worse is that people seems to be falling for it. About they selling used stuff, I went ahead and got a quote for an Apple iPhone 5S 16GB (Unlocked) new in its box, they offer 230, yet they sell it "gently used" for 379. An 128GB iPhone 6 Plus costs 949 from Apple, and Gazelle in the same flawless condition will give you only 580, 560 in "Good" condition. It's basically a scam.
Meanwhile Waste Management are the only people that will to collect your Android devices.