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NextWorth Swaps Your Old iPhone With Someone In Need, Gives You Cash For a Shiny New 3G
Posted by John Mahoney at 1:00 AM on August 27, 2008
Original EDGE iPhones are still going for pretty serious dough on eBay like they were back in June, but if the market is anything like it was around the time of the first launch, you're likely to go through tons of fraudulent winners before you finally get connected with someone who'll actually pay. Saving you that hassle, but at a significant premium, is NextWorth, a service that will take your Jesus Phone (now Peter Phone? Hmm) and send you a cash voucher or Circuit City gift card for your trade-in, before probably selling it on eBay themselves. But is it worth it?
A quick search of recently completed auctions shows 8GB Peter Phones still fetching anything from $250 to a crazy-high $575. 16GB models are grabbing even more, seeing a range of the same $250 to $700+ (for new in-box, unlocked phones). Over at NextWorth (which will also take iPods), a 16GB with all the accessories and with "light wear" (as opposed to the "normal wear" which is the next highest option) will net you an even $300, just enough for a 16GB 3G. My 8GB, which is soundly in the "normal wear" category after a few drops and a broken headset, will only fetch me $180, which has me thinking eBay is the answer. NextWorth does not pay a premium for unlocked phones as many will on eBay, and if you read Giz, you should be able to unlock your phone and load it with whichever firmware seems most valuable before putting it up for auction, no sweat.
Anybody sold their iPhone EDGE on eBay recently? How's the market out there? Let me know. [NextWorth via Gadget Lab]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
transzoo
Posted 1:30 AM 27/8/08
Tried selling two first gen iPhones on eBay but gave up after too many people winning the auctions and then either ignoring/pretending nothing happened or more commonly sending me a fake Paypal email. $30 in eBay fees later I've given up on eBay completely. Their support system is just asinine. Plus no negative feedback for buyers means no repercussions. I don't know what percentage of people fall for that fake Paypal email trick but it can't be that high to warrant the time spent on it. Ended up giving the phones to my brother and his wife. Pfft whatever.
transzoo
waveman216
Posted 1:18 AM 27/8/08
Good LORD that website sucks!! Get on there and just try selecting iPhone from the dropdown list. You've gotta select Shuffle 1st Gen to get it up I think.
waveman216
robot-shmobot
Posted 1:15 AM 27/8/08
As far as I'm concerned, AT&T has messed up the 3G.. The phone is actually fine. My 3G works amazing on Rogers.
robot-shmobot
synth7
Posted 1:13 AM 27/8/08
I've still got my original, haven't gotten around to selling it yet. 8GB, normal wear, upgraded to firmware 2.0.
synth7
Joseph
Posted 1:09 AM 27/8/08
Haha with all the negative publicity that the 3G iPhone is getting as far as build quality, 3G quirks, marginally better internet performance, and a complimentary HIGHER pricing plan... why would anyone want to downgrade? Great potential theoretically, but not so great in reality.
Note: I'm trying to convince myself that I don't need to upgrade
Joseph
thepeopleselbow
Posted 1:08 AM 27/8/08
Are the 3g's this bad? I haven't upgraded my jesus phone yet because I hear such mixed reviews. :/
thepeopleselbow
collider
Posted 1:08 AM 27/8/08
I just got $400 cash for an unlocked/jailbroken first gen on Craigslist. Granted, I'm in NY; it's probably difficult if you live in more rural areas. If you can meet your buyer at a Starbucks (no dark alleys in Queens) and cut out the middle man, go for it! Ebay/Paypal are just as bad as the scammers it allows on it, imho.
collider
x3r0
Posted 1:48 AM 27/8/08
If you go buy an iPhone 3G, are you able to pull the SIM card out of it at any time and slap it back in your Classic? I love my classic, but would love to have the 3G and keep it as a back up. Maybe eventually sell it on Craigslist, or if I don't like the 3G, sell the 3G on Craigslist and pay off AT&T's contract and use my Classic on a different network!! MUAHAHA.
x3r0
The5thElephant
Posted 2:07 AM 27/8/08
Cool idea but awfully designed website.
No matter how hard I try I cannot get an estimate for my iTouch. It will randomly switch to the wrong model, or give me a ridiculous estimate.
Anyone else get this to work?
The5thElephant
TideGuy
Posted 1:59 AM 27/8/08
I sold my first gen on ebay and had no problems at all. Is it really that big of an issue?
TideGuy
philesaid
Posted 2:28 AM 27/8/08
sold my gf's 16gb 1st gen on ebay like a month ago for $421 after paypal, ebay, & shippinh taxes. It also included the speck "tough" cover and invis-shield plus unlocked and jailbreaked 1.1.4
philesaid
bucho54
Posted 2:22 AM 27/8/08
@thepeopleselbow: I have a 3G and I love it. I know several people with the first generation model and the 3G seems comparable to them. Coverage in my area is fairly good, but if I loose 3G then it just goes down to edge which is the same as the first generation. Also, I get the added benefit of GPS. So, at least for my area (Fresno, CA), if the 3G and GPS bonuses are wanted then absolutely upgrade.
bucho54
bitgod
Posted 3:07 AM 27/8/08
Hmmm, might try this website, I was thinking of asking for 300 on CL. I don't do ebay anymore, I got my time wasted by some scammer the last time I tried to sell an ipod on ebay, would rather just deal with someone in person that's going to hand over cash.
bitgod
OGHowie
Posted 3:06 AM 27/8/08
3g speeds must be regional. I have great speeds in SoCal, but Im in vegas right now and it is usable but not that fast.
OGHowie
itchytooth
Posted 2:59 AM 27/8/08
After selling a few iPhones on eBay, I guess I got overconfident and succumbed to a scam. So, now someone in Vietnam has my iPhone, someone in Florida has their money refunded and neither PayPal nor eBay give a shit about sellers. Be careful. I think the best thing you can do is give the payment at least 3 days to sit in your account before shipping anything, to see if it raises any flags with PayPal.
itchytooth
TehViking
Posted 3:15 AM 27/8/08
I had 4 auctions close at $440 for 8GB (twice) and $588 for 16GB (twice). Taking a look at completed listings gives a much more optomistic view than this article suggests. I've seen New In Box (but opened to unlock) go for $800.
CRRRAZY! You could buy a 3G, break the contract, install a SIM unlock chip, and be out less than $600!
TehViking
kaikai34
Posted 3:56 AM 27/8/08
i sold a 10 month old, 1st gen 8 gig for $433.
kaikai34
sasper
Posted 4:21 AM 27/8/08
I sold my 8gb original iPhone in excellent condition for $350 on Craigslist about a month ago. Paid exactly that for my brand new iPhone 3g 16gb. I only included a USB cable and iPhone headphones, and it was not unlocked.
Always meet somewhere public (I met at Starbucks) and be willing to punch someone in the face if they try to steal it. I rode up on a motorcycle and am a big guy, so he didn't eff with me.
sasper
mdawg4624
Posted 4:16 AM 27/8/08
Sold 2 1st gen 8gb on ebay for $500 each (buy it now). Now have a 3rd to sell. I wasn't pleased with the middle man of ebay and paypal yanking almost $50 from my sale. Might try craigslist this time.
Does anyone have an answer for @x3r0 ??
mdawg4624
dukerayburn
Posted 4:55 AM 27/8/08
The original model is actually more like a John the Baptist Phone. John came first, and many people viewed him as the messiah. He performed miracles, but then it didn't take long for someone sleeker, younger, and more miraculous to show up.
The Peter Phone will be a follow-up to the 3G. It will eventually overcome the guilt of betraying the 3G, start its own church, and then be crucified upside-down. It will also have a camera flash and native copy-paste abilities. Gotta write those letters somehow!
dukerayburn
Byebyebirdie
Posted 5:44 AM 27/8/08
I listed my unlocked Gen 1 16 gb iPhone on eBay after the announcement of the 3G version, but before it was available. The first auction was won for $561, but the buyer didn't pay (or even return email). I relisted it and it sold a second time for $555, and the buyer actually paid for it(!). After shipping, eBay and PayPal charges, it probably came out at about $500 (which was only a little less than I paid for it, when you include the NYS sales tax).
eBay was freaking unbelievably unhelpful about the first failed sale though. Their policies are so anti-seller now. This needs to be more widely known...
Byebyebirdie
senator133
Posted 6:14 AM 27/8/08
The phone I sold was an 8gb. Left that out from post above
senator133
senator133
Posted 6:12 AM 27/8/08
On Friday I listed my 1st gen iPhone that was mint condition (just swapped for a refurb at the Apple store day before) on eBay. Within 3 minutes the phone was sold for my buy it now price of $330. Theh buyer paid on Saturday. I have sold 2 previous phones months ago and it was a headache selling one of those. Got lucky this time. Just picked up the 16gb white 3g.
senator133
robertseaton
Posted 9:07 AM 27/8/08
375 on CL in Seattle this past weekend. Met the buyer @ Starbucks and walked out with cash.
robertseaton
michaelleung
Posted 11:26 AM 27/8/08
Me! Me! Pick me!
michaelleung
HarcourtDevon
Posted 10:39 AM 27/8/08
Sold mine for $225 cash on Howard Forums...figuring I'd get a quick sale. After the Paypal & ebay fees at $250...probably would have been the same in the end. But I didi it in a day and the guy picked up so it all worked out well.
HarcourtDevon
BumpusHound
Posted 5:47 AM 27/8/08
I have a 1st gen 8 gb. Part of the touch screen is broken though. It's a known bug that happened to me 7 days after my 1 year anniversary. The phone is 90% functional except for a few things like turning wireless on/off or getting the cursor in the url field in safari.
They'll give me $170.
Anyone sell a broken iphone for more?
BumpusHound
amptron
Posted 3:44 AM 27/8/08
Hey Waveman, I have used that company before and they are great. Give top $$ for my iPod, and I also traded in my iPhone 2 days ago. Great customer support, and the website is simple, quick and easy to use.
Not sure where you are coming from?
amptron
NessaCadpat
Posted 3:15 AM 27/8/08
Sold my first gen 8GB with light wear on eBay for $405. Do yourself a favor and DON'T turn on international shipping. It's just not worth the hassle to deal with the rest of the world and it's crazy laws. Also, wait 3 days to ship the item to make sure Paypal/eBay doesn't change it's mind and refund the money to someone. Also, cancel any bids from buyers that don't have a long, good history as buyers (you might be able to set up the auction to exclude people automatically -- I'm not sure).
NessaCadpat
KaliHamlegs
Posted 2:52 AM 27/8/08
Recently sold 2 8Gig iPhones on Craigslist here in the bay area for $350.00 each. Definitely still a market for them, went and upgraded to 3G 16GB iPhones, which are working just fine here in the SF Bay Area.
KaliHamlegs
btowner941
Posted 12:10 PM 28/8/08
Just sold my unlocked 8GB "O.G." iPhone for $330 on ebay.
btowner941