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Inside Apple's Secretive Trade-In Program

Tech

If you’re a longtime iPhone user, you’re probably familiar with Apple’s trade-in program. Where giving Apple your old phone earns you a discount on a new one. Apple might say it’s being “recycled” or “given a second life,” but they never explain what that actually means. Like where your phone goes, or if someone’s making money off it. Apple’s trade‑in program looks like a simple discount, but behind the scenes it’s a big, global business. There are companies you’ve probably never heard of likely taking apart your old phone, reselling it, and feeding it into a second‑hand market that Apple almost never talks about. So let's take a peak inside Apple’s secretive trade-in business and find out how it really works.

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keith_davis
keith_davis 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Great information. The one thing you should have touched on. For anyone looking for the top buyback price. “How to access a used Phone’s value!” Thanks

natashabeasley890
natashabeasley890 2 weeks, 6 days ago

You got a new suscriber just for your bookshelf content. Book readers rule. Peace! And thanks for the info.

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courtneyatlas82 3 weeks ago

🤔

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vanessa_carlson 3 weeks ago

Great video, can you do one on the apple upgrade program! thanks

olivierdrift98
olivierdrift98 3 weeks ago

6:24 that’s not a 6s

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leon.mohaupt 3 weeks ago

You have _The Shock Doctrine_ by Naomi Klein on your bookshelf right behind you. That is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm subscribing because of just that! Thanks.😀

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meganmccarthy268 3 weeks ago

Great review! Thanks! 👍🏾

jamesstream97
jamesstream97 3 weeks ago

This screams of Tim Cook, supply chain is his bread and butter and lines up with his takeover

nicholas_marsh
nicholas_marsh 3 weeks ago

6:26 $650 in 2016 is, thanks to inflation, now $910. Easily enough to buy an iPhone 17, iPhone SE or iPhone 16 direct from Apple and before any trade-in.

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anastasiegermain638 3 weeks ago

Thank you for this video ! 🙏🏻 I’ve been doing this in the past 2 years, and I’m glad my older phones are being put back to good use!

keith_davis
keith_davis 3 weeks ago

Why does it seem like people always make companies seem like they’re doing something negative for operating a functional business model? Of course they have to resell the phone for more than they paid you for it. How exactly do you think a company makes the money they use to pay their staff, who takes care of their families every week from their check?

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meghana_bobal 3 weeks ago

Can you do "how John Ternus became Apple's CEO"?

diego_almeida
diego_almeida 3 weeks ago

These lower cost used products mean that Apple does not have to build and sell low cost products to compete with Android. This displaces new Android sales (and reduces waste).

francisca_gonzález
francisca_gonzález 3 weeks ago

Weird how this showed up in my feed a few days after I traded in my iPad. They actually offered me a really great price honestly. Just brought in store to get an upgraded one. I probably could have gotten a little better price on eBay but after shipping costs, waiting for it to sell, eBay fees etc, etc. I would have gotten about the same amount. Way easier this way, especially if it’s in excellent condition.

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steven.leon 3 weeks ago

I bought a 16 Pro with a Tmobile offer at the Apple store. The phone will be free by the end of the year (after two years of credits). Best decision ever. I do not see myself needing or trading in for anything else. The phone will be paid for, and I do not see how new would be much better. A keeper until the 20/21

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maríadelcarmenuribe801 3 weeks ago

I’ve checked on a trade-in value at my local carrier when it was a zero dollars and ended up selling it for around 500 Canadian.

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garry.hayes 3 weeks ago

I never trade in, i own the phone and want to keep it. I also wish Apple would stop treating MY phone like it's still thiers with all the boat and subscriptions.

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jacquelinesanchez870 3 weeks ago

Or If you trade in through Spectrum, you send in phones on two separate occasions that are in excellent condition and they send you an email saying they were broken to the point of being unusable, (even though you have photos of them in the box before shipping), and then refuse to return them when you call them out. Spoiler alert. It was me. This happened to me. 🙄

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garytaylor19 3 weeks ago

Trade in is a scam people in the comments saying you don’t gotta worry about shipping and finding a seller hope yall know they have shops that buy iPhones Apple Watch laptops games etc that will offer you more money then the trade in and don’t gotta worry about shipping cash in hand no wait time

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laurie.morgan 3 weeks ago

If you sell it online like on eBay, you’re going to get taxed at the end of the year if you’ve sold over a certain dollar amount of items for the whole year.