Gazelle, a service that buys back old tech products, says the number of iPhone trade-ins through its Website has spiked by 84 percent in the last two weeks, and is still climbing. This is unheard of, Gazelle says, because consumers typically wait until after a product is announced before selling their old gear.
Consumers must be feeling confident that the iPhone 5 launch is imminent. The latest release date rumor, from All Things Digital's John Paczkowski, claims Apple will hold an event on October 4 to announce the new phone. However, sources said Apple won't actually release the iPhone 5 until a few weeks after the announcement.
Another tech buyback service, NextWorth, says trade-in values for old iPhones have been dropping ahead of the announcement.
What's My Old iPhone 4 Worth?
NextWorth currently offers $210 for a 16 GB AT&T iPhone 4 with normal wear and tear, compared to $235 through Gazelle. eBay Instant Sale, which, in my report on tech buyback services, offered the best trade-in values on used iPhones, offers $261 for a 16 GB iPhone 4 in "Good" condition.
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