How to Fix a 'Text Bomb' Crashing WhatsApp
A recently discovered vulnerability with WhatsApp—and I use that term more loosely than usual, because this one doesn’t really seem like the app’s fau
Gazelle used to be a household name for phone trade-ins, but then a lot of companies sprang up to nibble at the service’s lunch. Between that and the general growth of manufacturer-driven phone upgrade programs that owners can avail themselves of rather than selling their old devices to a third-party service for cash, it came as little surprise when Gazelle shut its doors for trade-ins on Feb. 1 of this year.
But it is surprising to see Gazelle has returned. The service is back to accepting phone trade-ins after its brief closure of two months or so, and it works just the same as before. Sort-of. There’s no more rewards program, but selling your phone to the service is pretty simple otherwise.
You’ll start by picking your phone from the lineup, selecting your carrier (if applicable), and selecting your specific model from a list of provided options (namely, storage capacities). You’ll then be asked a few important questions, like whether you can power your phone on and what kind of damage it has, if any. Gazelle will give you a quote, you’ll send your phone in for a free inspection, and you’ll get paid with a check, a PayPal deposit, or an Amazon gift card.
The process is the easy part. What’s trickier is figuring out whether Gazelle is going to give you the most cash for your device. There are plenty of reseller services out there for those that want to do minimal work; if you don’t mind taking the onus on yourself, there’s always Craigslist, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or a multitude of other places you can use to make the sale on your own.
I investigated this very question last year, comparing Apple’s trade-in program with reseller sites like Amazon, Gadgetgone, Gazelle, and Swappa. Of these, I found that Gazelle generally trended toward the bottom of the pack for pricing, but that varied a bit based on which iPhone you were looking to sell. Generally speaking, though, I’d be hard-pressed to find a reason to use the service unless I absolutely needed a method that has the least amount of human interaction (and potential to be scammed) possible.
Here’s how that breaks down using an iPhone XS and XR (512GB and 256GB respectively—carrier-unlocked, so we can get top dollar):
Apple: $230
Amazon: $208
Gadgetgone: $430 (if brand-new; $330 for “good” condition)
Gazelle: $199
Swappa: $446 (average selling price)
Decluttr: $302
Apple: $220
Amazon: $198
Gadgetgone: $390 (if brand-new; $282 for “good” condition)
Gazelle: $195
Swappa: $399 (average selling price)
Decluttr: $260
To give us another benchmark, let’s jump platforms and take a look at the trade-in values for a Samsung Galaxy S10 (maxed out specs):
Samsung: $400 (instant credit to a brand-new phone purchase)
Amazon: $151
Gadgetgone: $360 (if brand-new; $260 for “good” condition)
Gazelle: $240
Swappa: $377 (average selling price)
Decluttr: $278
I could keep going, but this little exercise has hopefully taught you a few things, and they’re all related. First, the easiest, fastest solution you find to sell your device might not be the best option if you’re looking to make the most money.; Le that’s your priority, scour third-party seller sites and see which gives you the best deal for your phone. Second, a reseller that worked well for you in the past, or with different phones, might not be the best option for the phone you’re currently using. And, of course, trading your phone back into its manufacturer can be a decent option, but you’ll be stuck within that ecosystem. You’ll probably have less hassle dealing with a company than with a real person buying your phone for cash, but that’s still one of the best routes if you need top dollar for your device.
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