MusicyTechGeek

So, I decided that I was going to sell or find a home for my old first generation iPhone. I was unsure what I was going to do with it when I knew that I was going to upgrade to the 3GS. So, a day or so before the announcement of the iPhone 3GS I started looking at different routes that I could go to find a home for my old iPhone.

I knew I had these options:
1) Sell it on craigslist, which was the option I didn’t really like, just because people tend to be flaky on craigslist.
2) Sell it on eBay, which is just as bad as craigslist with all the bots.
3) Give it to a family member who wanted an iPhone, even though I recommend that they just get the ‘old’ 3G for $99.
4) Find a place online to recycle it or resell it, but at least gave me some money in my pocket for a still-in-working-condition phone.
5) Give it away to one of my twitter followers

I decided to go with the recycle/resell option so that I could hopefully guarantee a certain price for it without the hassle of trying to sell it on the open market. So, I started doing research and talk to people I know and researching my options.

I found these places to do what I wanted to do (Sorry….my mind works well with lists!):
1) BuyMyTronics
2) CashforiPhones
3) Gazelle
4) NextWorth

So, I looked at each one and for many reasons, Gazelle, stood out to me. They had very clean site design, especially in comparison to some of the others, and out of all of the quotes and payment options that I had available each place, Gazelle stood out to me because of the fact that they clearly have a desire to be ‘green’ and recycle electronics. Here is a list of what they will buy from you:

So, I decided to get a quote, and this is the condition I listed it as, and because I took the screen shot after I got the final inspection rating that is here:

I filled out the condition information, filled out my address and within 2 days, I had a box sent to me that I needed to put together and pack. I sent it USPS the day after I received it, and it took me just the 5 minutes to fill out the paperwork that came with the box, pack it, and get it ready to go to Gazelle. Once at the post office, I just dropped it off. No need to sign anything, because they sent a shipping label with the box. Simple, easy, and free to the user, all a plus. The process was pretty simple overall, and they seem to really want to help out the customer. They were active with me via twitter and every time I mentioned them I had someone contact me and ask me if they could help me with anything while I wait. Unfortunately, the overall process was slower than I wanted it to be, taking about 2 weeks total, but that was due to a high number of people sending in iPhones and upgrading like me. I asked them if they would take my still working TiVo Series 2, and they said no, not right now, but they are looking into taking TiVo’s and that they will contact me when the decide to. Because of my overall experience this year with them, I’m considering upgrading to the newest iPhone next year (whatever it may be, if it is worth the price of upgrade) with going to Gazelle to offset the cost of the new phone. I think this will be a good way for me to continually upgrade while getting a good amount of money for the phones.

Pros and Cons?

+ Great customer service, with 99% of the direct contact with the company on twitter.
+ Fast shipping of box
+ Good price offered for phone
+ “Green” – they want to help reduce electronic clutter by helping people recycle working and non-working electronics.
+ Clean and simple site interface that makes their purpose clear

- It took longer than I would have anticipated, but I understand that it was due to timing and that they seem to be a popular service.

Overall great experience, and I will use them again! You can try them yourself at http://www.gazelle.com/ or follow them on twitter at @gazelle_com

-Kyle