Gazelle Ending Used Device Trade-ins
Gazelle is ending its entire device trade-in and buy-back program, with the closure effective February 1, 2021.
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.
Over the years, I’ve traded in most of my old iOS devices using Gazelle. I always thought it worked smoothly and had fair prices until I tried to trade in my iPhone XR this fall. After receiving the phone, Gazelle decided to offer $76 less than promised, on account of “more than the acceptable amount of scratches,” which I think is bogus. It had only a couple of very minor ones. I’ve still not received the device back yet, but while waiting I looked for other companies that accept trade-ins and found:
- Apple (low offers, only pays with gift card)
- BuyBackWorld (what I will probably go with)
- It’s Worth More
- Mac Me an Offer
- Sell Your Mac
Previously:
Update (2021-01-01): Tim Hardwick:
In future, Gazelle intends to focus on its in-store ecoATM kiosks, which offer instant cash for devices, although they don’t usually offer as much in return as customers would get through traditional trade-in programs.
These guys have turned into crooks. They claimed my pristine ipad I had sent in had a blemished display and offered just a few bucks. I refused. When I got it back after refusing, it wasn’t a display blemish, it had been what looked to be hammered on with the display totally destroyed with shattered glass in the bag. Payback for not taking the reduced value I guess.
Update (2021-04-07): Juli Clover:
As of April 5, Gazelle is once again accepting online trade-ins for smartphones and tablets. In an email to customers that was also shared with The Verge, Gazelle said that trade-ins were reinstated after feedback from consumers.
3 Comments RSS · Twitter
I used decluttr.com earlier in the year, got the highest value for my phone at the time, and it was very easy, got laid quickly.
Came here to suggest Swappa but it's already mentioned. Easy process and you're selling to another person so you get fair market value instead of lowballed by a service.
*high fives J*
It's not a buy-back site precisely, but I've have pretty good luck selling old iOS devices on Swappa.com. I've disposed of two iPod Touches and an iPhone 6S in the last couple of years, have gotten offers within a week, and all transactions have gone smoothly.