Selling an iPhone to Gazelle: My Experience

We recently replaced our two iPhone 4’s, and no longer had need of them.

Although there are many ways to sell old phones (such as on Craig’s List or eBay) I think the easiest way is to use a “trade in” program such as the ones offered by Amazon and Gazelle.

I decided to use both services and send one phone to each company, comparing the experiences.

I previously wrote about my Amazon experience here.

For Gazelle I had a 16GB iPhone 4. I went on the Gazelle Website and navigated to my model of phone.

Their offer was very fair, and as a bonus, if I agreed to accept payment in the form of an Amazon Gift Card, they would give me a little more! So of course, I elected to take payment that way, because $ is $. 🙂

This was the first time I have ever used Gazelle, and the experience was excellent from start to finish. And easy. Excellent and easy.

After letting them know on their website what phone model I wanted to sell to them, I gave them my address.

Within days, I received a box from Gazelle. The box had clear instructions.

Inside the box was a return label and a cardboard base covered in plastic with a clearly marked spot for the phone. The directions explained how to slide the phone under the plastic, eliminating any need for packaging material. What a great idea!

The first photo just shows the cardboard piece covered in clear plastic, and the next photo shows the same cardboard piece after I slid in my iPhone.

To my surprise, Gazelle even supplied the TAPE to seal the box!

That was all there was to it. The only thing left was to drop off the box at the post office or in a mailbox.

To my extra delight, Gazelle “kept in touch” during the process. They let me know that they received the box, and that the phone was being examined, that the payment was approved, and finally they sent me the code for the Gift Card in the amount of $141.75.

$141.75 for the old phone.
The new iPhone 5 cost $199.
Cost of the new iPhone 5 = $57.25

I am delighted!

And so … comparing experiences, I am completely happy with both Amazon and Gazelle.

There were a few differences:

I needed my iPhone’s original box to trade to Amazon in order to get the best price. This was not needed for Gazelle.

I also needed my own mailing box for Amazon, and I had to print out my mailing label.

Gazelle not only gave me a box but they also included sealing tape. I did not need to produce ANY supplies at all. No box, no tape, I didn’t even need to use my printer ink to make a label.

Amazon has always been completely reliable for every trade in I have ever done, BUT they do not update you along the way to the extent that Gazelle does. That extra communication was kind of nice.

Bottom Line:

I was completely happy with both services. If I had another electronic item to sell, I think I’d follow through with both companies and make my decision according to which one offered the better deal. I feel equally confident dealing with both.

Both companies accept many models of phones. If you have any phone to sell, take a look. You might be surprised at the $ you can for it.