Trade-in Site Gazelle is Ending Trade-ins (theverge.com) 27
Gazelle, one of the longest-running used smartphone buyers in the US, has announced the end of its core trade-in program, which let phone owners mail in phones and other electronics devices in exchange for cash. From a report: The news, revealed in an email Gazelle sent to some customers this week, means any prospective Gazelle customers will have to receive a quote and initiate the trade-in process by January 31st, 2021 (allowing 30 days to mail in the phone) if they want to take advantage of the program. The service will shut down officially on February 1st, while any active trade-ins will be honored, the company says.
RIP Gazelle, survived by EcoATM (Score:3)
Gazelle isn't fully going out of business. EcoATM will continue on, paying less.
Re:RIP Gazelle, survived by EcoATM (Score:4, Informative)
EcoATM is Gazelle, in case that isn’t clear. They’re shutting down their online service to focus on the in-person EcoATM kiosks instead. The fact that the kiosks pay less and likely have a greater aggregate volume may well be why they’re choosing to do so.
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to focus on the in-person EcoATM kiosks
Gotta have a place where Jamal can monetize his recent acquisitions.
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Covid-23
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They’re shutting down their online service to focus on the in-person EcoATM kiosks instead.
In the middle of a global pandemic -- good thinking, foot traffic is now where it's at. /sarcasm
Because used phones are worth less now (Score:3)
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I was very surprised to sell my quite worn iPhone 3GS for £30 yesterday. My iPhone 6 Plus fetched £120 last week (both ebay).
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Sucks to be an Android user then. Apple is still pushing OS updates for iOS 12 so even iPhone 6 devices are still covered.
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Too bad the batteries for phones of that vintage are shit and even the replacement batteries from Apple are shit.
(I just retired my 6s for an SE because i got tired of getting a new battery every 10-16 months)
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My wife needs a new battery after that much time, too.
Because she doesn't keep it charged. If she's setting it down all day right next to a power outlet, she still doesn't plug it in until it gets low.
I keep mine charged, and it takes 5 years to get down to 80%.
Re: Because used phones are worth less now (Score:1)
Re: Because used phones are worth less now (Score:1)
Lithium batteries are more fickle than just a percentage of charge and manufacturers do a terrible job of conveying this.
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Sucks to be an Android user then.
Weird, because when Android has a problem, I can find replacement parts on Amazon, including the battery.
Even if it "isn't replaceable," it is still installed with screws and a plug, so you can replace it anyway.
I'm sure there is some exception, but I've never seen it in real life. I'm not a phone repairman, of course, so maybe my family just chooses good models.
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Yeah, last time I replaced a screen I noticed there were lots of warnings "don't lose the camera cover!"
It might be worth making a CAD model and laser cutting a replacement out of thin glass at a makerspace.
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Much of what you cite is for privacy and theft prevention. The high value of phones for resale created a huge market for stolen phones which these firms exploited. For instance, the USB lock on Apple phones not only reduces the chances that law enforcement can steal your data, but also that stolen phones can be sold.
The kiosks that remain prove this point.
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Why was "Stuck on an old operating system with a locked bootloader, no option to renew the battery" worth more previously?
For a price change to be rational, there has to be some information in the market that changed. There have always been phones that are stuck on old operating systems with locked bootloaders with no option to renew the battery, so that cannot be a reason for the prices to change.
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I am disappointed with Moto's update strategy, in that my Moto X4 Android One edition did not get updated to Android 10. They promised updates but that turned out to only be from 8 to 9 and then security updates, about which they have been fairly but not exceptionally timely. One gets the impression that they are short on personnel and when they have a big release going, older platforms get short shrift.
However, if you buy an unlocked phone, it is bootloader unlocked. And even non-unlocked phones can allege
Focus on core competencies (Score:1)
Obviously they weren't making enough money buying and selling used electronics, so this company whose tagline is "Buy and Sell Used Cell Phones and Electronics" needs to align their business to focus on their core competencies of increasing short term shareholder value. Any idea how they plan on acquiring the used items they will sell?
Kind of what the hedge fund wants Intel to do by shutting down their forges. It's like the investors have no idea why companies exist in the first place other than to enrich
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It reminds me of how the History Channel became more financially successful by ditching all that boring-ass history programming. Sad for people like me who actually *like* history shows, but what can you do? I mean, besides turn to PBS, Smithsonian, BBC, CuriosityStream, etc.
From a ruthlessly pragmatic standpoint, if your sole objective is to make money, you might as well gravitate to the most profitable venture, no matter what your name indicates. The nice thing about market forces is that, generally sp
Re: Focus on core competencies (Score:2)
I miss waking up and watching 20-30 minutes of Civil War Journal before I would have to leave for school. If you're lucky you can sometimes still catch them showing WW2 or Vietnam in HD on weekends.
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It reminds me of how the History Channel became more financially successful by ditching all that boring-ass history programming.
I remember a few years ago there was some old person at a party who had just seen a show about "Mermaids" on the Discovery Channel, and thought it was real because they had just gotten cable again after not having it for 10 years or something. And they didn't know about the changes yet.
It must have been excruciating for them when they realized. "Oh shit, that's why everybody was laughing at me."
They were way too "popular" for anybody at the party to try to explain it to them, though. LOL
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focus on their core competencies of increasing short term shareholder value
EcoATM LLC is not a publicly traded company, so there is no short term shareholder value. There is only longterm equity. If they don't make money, they didn't make money.
That's one reason why companies go public, after all; there are various ways to convert stock into money in good times and bad. (the other is that equity in public companies is worth 10x what equity in a private company is worth. But that's related to the prior point)
About time (Score:1)
I looked at Gazelle a number of times over the years when changing phones, and they were also the company store used for customer trade ins. In order for Gazelle to make any money, they refused all but the highest value phones and reliably offered about half what you could get with even the most half-assed ebay listing. Given it was a garbage value for their customers and the costs involved in shipping, checking, and reselling phones I am surprised this didn't come sooner.
Brilliant (Score:1)
Strange heading (Score:2)
"Trade-in Site Gazelle is Ending Trade-ins"
So now they're just another antelope species in the genus Gazella?