iPhone Re-sales Soar Over 400% in iPhone 5 anticipation

Consumers have been hotly anticipating the launch of the new iPhone, and yesterdays launch marks the peak of a mobile phone recycling surge, as sellmymobile.com is seeing a record £5 million worth of trade-ins in September alone in the UK and US. 

The sheer number of consumers looking to recycle their phones has doubled over the last four months, with iPhones and iPads having accounted for 35% of all handsets traded on the site – an increase of 25% since July.

The data from sellmymobile.com reveals that Apple fans are particularly keen to upgrade their old handsets, as the iPhone 4 16GB, iPhone 4S 16GB and iPhone 3GS 16GB are currently the top most recycled handsets, and iPhone 4S sales have increased by almost 400% since July 2012. 

With the recent boom in smartphones, the average selling price for mobile phone trade-ins has risen 55% over the same time last year, from £69 per device to £107 per device. Bargain hunting Brits looking to get some extra cash before launch can fetch up to £325 for an old iPhone 4S 64 GB, £200 for an iPhone 4 16GB, and £91 for an iPhone 3GS 16GB. But the site’s UK and US site data shows that trade-in value of the most popular iPhone devices has already depreciated by almost 10% since July 2012, so cost-conscious consumers should make sure they use a mobile phone price-comparison site to ensure they get the best deal. 

Colin White, MD for sellmymobile.com, commented: “Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a real surge in traffic to the site, and it’s clear that iPhone fanatics can’t wait to get their hands on the new handset. It’s now so easy to recycle your old device that consumers don’t need to worry about being tied into lengthy contracts anymore, as they can simply pop their old phone in the post and put the cash towards a shiny new iPhone 5. You can even sell your old phone to buy your way out of a contract and pocket the cash.” 

“If you are planning on trading in your old phone, make sure you take photos of it before sending it off so you have a record of the condition it was in, and wipe it to ensure any data left on the device is deleted. Most importantly, check a price comparison site before sending to make sure you’re getting the most cash for your phone. Prices fluctuate on a daily basis – last year we saw the average selling price of handsets surge 31% after the iPhone 4S launched, and while Apple devices have a higher resale value, they do tend to depreciate quicker in value.” 

Top 10 most recycled mobile phones in the UK (based on data from sellmymobile.com, September 2012) 

About sellmymobile.com:

sellmymobile.com compares prices from all the top phone and tablet buyers in the UK to help users get the most money when selling their old mobile or tablet device. sellmymobile.com offers its customers a Best Price Guarantee; should the customer discover a higher price anywhere else, sellmymobile.com will refund double the difference.