Selling A Used iPad? Consider A Recycle or Recommerce Site


Want to sell your iPad quickly and without hassle? Selling that used iPad or other device via eBay, Amazon or online classifieds may not be your best choice. You may find a “recycle your gadget” or “recommerce” website is your best bet. In the U.S., the best known sites are Gazelle and NextWorth. In the U.K., iPad-Recycle.co.uk and TabletMonster.co.uk are popular services. The example below is offered by the folks who run those two sites. The prices given are in pounds, but the results would be similar in U.S. dollars.

As an example, say you want to sell a mint condition 1st Gen 16GB iPad Wi-Fi. At the time this article was written, the going price for this iPad was about £180 on sites such as eBay and Amazon. Two recycle websites in the U.K. that deal with iPads are iPad-Recycle and Tablet Monster. The latter shows £143 for our sample iPad plus a potential for a bit more if you recommend them. At first glance, the difference between a recycler and sell-it-yourself options appears to be about £40. However, we need to consider the total transaction costs.

eBay is popular, but it has additional costs.  Let’s look at what we might expect as payment for our iPad:
·         eBay final fee £18
·         PayPal fee £6.12
·         Listing fee £0.40
·         Postage £6.35 for insured delivery.
Total payment we can expect after expenses is about £150, a difference of less than £10.

As you can see, the final price is not much more than the recyclers might offer. Another question is when to expect payment for your item. Your listing will generally run for ten days and if your item is priced fairly it may sell on the last day. If you’re new to selling on eBay, PayPal will hold onto your money for 21 days in case you delay sending the item out or there’s a problem with the transaction. Transferring the money from PayPal into a bank account can take up to five days. Overall you could be waiting weeks to get your cash. Recyclers offer you a quote and you can choose to accept it without fuss or hassle. Money can often be in your account within a few days.

Other concerns with eBay are the time it takes to compose/place the ad, communicate with potential buyers or bidders, and people who buy then haggle after sending payment. PayPal claims favor the buyer and you may incur chargebacks when the buyer has used a credit card to buy your item. With Amazon it’s a similar story regarding fees and they will also hold onto your money in case a refund is required. Online classified ads don’t usually charge any fees but the prices are normally expected to be a lot lower. You can expect haggling and don’t forget the safety aspects of selling face to face. Overall, choosing to sell an item yourself can be a exhausting experience.

Using a recycle website may not bring top dollar, but consider what your time and trouble are worth. Check with reputable recycle and recommerce sites first. In the end, they may be your best choice.


About Andy Brovey

Dr. Andy Brovey, The Portable Prof, teaches about digital tools through his work, websites and social media. In 2007, Apple Inc. recognized his work and named him an Apple Distinguished Educator. He started this iPad Academy website shortly after the first iPad went on sale. On his Freelance Teaching site you'll find the resources you need to teach like a smart entrepreneur.