The best tech trade-in programs

Gazelle is long established as a reputable service for trading your old gear for cash or Amazon credit. After several uses of the site, there are few drawbacks to the overall pleasant experience.

Overall, Gazelle is the best trade-in service for people looking for cash (or Amazon gift cards) in a timely manner. From the amount of payment options to the devices it will purchase to the return process if needed, it is well done and is great for a wide variety of people.

Gazelle has been doing online trade-ins for a long time and quickly became the leader in how some of these online trade-in services handle their procedures, including shipping you the right sized box for your device and returning it if the valuation doesn't match.

I have used Gazelle to sell a computer, multiple phones, an iPad, and each time it has served as a worthy option. I have been satisfied and have recommended it to others as a way to get rid of electronics without (nearly) any risk.

My personal experience from sending in multiple types of devices into Gazelle is that the time it takes from start to finish is very decent. I haven't had an item completely rejected and the one time I had the price downgraded seemed fair — though of course I was hoping they'd be more forgiving and optimistic in the evaluation process.

Gazelle is not perfect, however, and one of the downsides is that Gazelle can tend to offer lower amounts. As an example an iPhone 6s traded in to Apple directly will net you $70 towards a new phone. Decluttr will offer $64 in cash for one unlocked in good quality or $12 in faulty condition. Meanwhile, Gazelle offers $51 in cash for an unlocked one in good condition or $14 in completely broken condition.

The overall process and experience is definitely one that will appeal to a wide range of people. The company will lock in a price it will pay for 30-days and it will send a box, pre-paid label, or let you print your own depending on the size and device value. While I've never seen it, the company says it will raise the price it pays if you have evaluated it too low. Also, if you evaluated the value too high it will send it back for free so you don't have to accept the lower fee. Gazelle will also remove your personal information from devices so it doesn't end up with someone else.

Pros: Check, PayPal, or Amazon gift card payments, trusted source

Cons: Not the highest amount per item

Decluttr is another well-known, rising notable option for people to get cash for their electronics, but also for other items taking up space in their homes.

Decluttr has some appealing claims for why you should use their service. First, it says it will pay 33% more than you would get from a wireless carrier if you trade-in your device there. It also offers to help remove personal information from your device and pay the day after your device arrives.

Similar to Gazelle you can request your money be sent digitally with PayPal, but it also offers direct deposit. It doesn't offer gift cards or paper checks however, which is likely one way that helps it save costs from mailing out checks.

Decluttr will buy broken phones, similar to Gazelle, which also sets it apart from other places, like Swappa which requires devices to be in working condition. You'll likely only see an offer to buy broken phones on the most popular models which will be recycled for spare parts. You won't get much money from a broken device, but it will be more than throwing it in the trash.

Decluttr goes beyond trading-in tech like phones and computers, but will also allow you to trade in CDs, DVDs, games, and books. If you're just looking to get rid of stuff — you know, declutter — then the site will buy LEGO bricks by the pound. It's not a cost-effective way to make money however, with the site offering $3 for three pounds of authentic LEGO bricks.

While I haven't personally used the site to sell items, Insider Reviews checked out the site in 2018 and was impressed with the whole experience.

Pros: Increased price over carriers, direct deposit available, free shipping, next day payments

Cons: Not as high payment as other trade-in sources, low payments for LEGO bricks

Swappa mixes the open marketplace with company-backed guaranteed trade-in models to offer a more DIY option, which will hopefully net people more money without the risk of selling directly to other people.

Swappa is a service for selling your old devices in a way that's more like eBay because you're selling (or buying) directly from other people, but still functions similarly to these other trade-in services. Because you're selling directly to other people and not companies that need to re-sell the devices, you tend to get the most amount back, but with a little bit more effort.

The way Swappa works is that you select your device from a pre-selected list of available options which helps control the inventory and have the correct specs listed for each product. Then you add in your own information about how it's been used and any flaws.

To try and verify the pictures posted to the site, you'll need to write your code on a paper that appears in the images. You can then set any price you want, but Swappa does provide helpful information around what the last prices a device like this sold for, what price it suggests to sell the fastest, and other stats to assist in the pricing. If you're someone who always wishes you could get an extra 10-20% out of your gear when selling to a trade-in service, this may be a way to eek out a few more dollars.

In my experience using Swappa a few times, I had no issues of fraud or non-payment, but your mileage could definitely vary. Swappa has narrowed in focus regarding the devices it allows to be sold as a means of eliminating all the cruft and things that make more general marketplaces susceptible to scam. This includes an employee approving a listing before it goes live. There are also public comments on each product listing so you can see if there's been an issue with the seller in the past.

The site mostly focuses on selling phones, tablets, computers, smart watches, but does also include other areas of tech like cameras and smart home gadgets, like Sonos speakers and thermostats.

The way the site makes money is by taking a cut for fascinating the sale. Shipping is also included in the price you decide to list an item for. As an example, if an iPhone 11 is being sold for $655 on the site, there's a $20 Swappa fee making the seller portion $635. The seller also needs to pay for shipping since that is factored in as well. So selling an unlocked, 64GB iPhone 11 will probably net you around $600 on that $655 listing. By comparison, selling the same phone to Gazelle will get you $290 – a sizable difference for a little more work.

There are plenty of ways you can sell a device for a higher amount, but eBay, Craigslist, and OfferUp all come with much more risk, especially those with in-person meetings. Swappa includes a lot of the protections and ease of trading in to a company, but with the added benefit of getting more cash out of the deal.

Pros: Higher payout for your gear, community-based moderation

Cons: Can take longer to sell, more work involved than other services

Best Buy's trade-in for credit is a great option for people who want to make the switch from old to new in the quickest way possible. Best Buy offers one of the widest selection of devices to trade in from either its website or at any of its store locations.

One of Best Buy's most valuable qualities is that it has physical stores around the U.S. to actually go to. Best Buy's online trade-in program will allow you to see how much money you can expect to receive from an item, but beyond the mail-in option you can also find a store to do the trade-in in-person.

You don't have to do anything online to do an in-store trade-in, but looking the item up on Best Buy's service website will give you an idea of what amount to expect. Best Buy's website will show the high price and low price depending on the physical appearance and functionality.

When you take your device into a store the employee will be using the same site to process your trade-in so the values and conditions still apply across the board. The difference will be that the employee will determine the overall quality instead of you. Ultimately the company will always determine the final value either in-store or at the processing center when you send your device in. As long as you're polite in your interactions there may be some wiggle room in determining whether the device is in good or fair condition — meaning a few light scratches that could be perceived in different ways.

Best Buy has the advantage of accepting a wide range of products to trade in. From cameras to video games to computers, there's a good chance you can trade in an electronic device you don't want anymore. While Apple doesn't yet offer credit for Apple TVs, Best Buy does — even if it's not too much money.

Best Buy can also carry over promotions from other device manufacturers. If you bring in a qualifying Sonos device, for example, you can receive 30% off a new Sonos product. This is the same promotion Sonos offers directly, but if you have a Best Buy gift card or just want to see the speakers in person, this is a good way to do that. It currently has trade-in promotions around Amazon ereaders, tablets, Microsoft Surfaces, and networking equipment. 

Pros: In-person option, expanded electronics available

Cons: Not highest payments, Best Buy credit instead of cash

Apple's trade-in option is a great value for people trading in devices in order to upgrade to new Apple products. The process is frictionless and overall speedy if what you want is Apple store credit.

Most, if not all, trade-in services allow for iPhones, iPads, and other Apple products, but Apple's own trade-in service, specifically geared toward people trading up to a newer iPhone, is particularly good at making that happen.

Keep in mind, that you don't just have to trade in an iPhone or iPad, or even an Apple product, you can trade in a Samsung Galaxy phone or a Google Pixel and get an Apple gift card or credit towards a new device. Apple's trade-in service also works for Apple Watches, which has not been the case across all or most other services. Unfortunately, Apple TVs or iPods don't qualify, however anyone can send in pretty much any old electronic device for proper recycling.

Gazelle was one of the first to do a good job with sending the proper box for returning your gadget to them, but it has scaled that back, while Apple's return process builds on that and is top notch. The instructions are included along with the correct size box for your device and stickers to seal the package back up properly.

I've used the service a few times and it has been just as fast in shipping and processing as any other trade-in service, if not more so. I haven't had any items go missing in the process or had any disputes on the quality of the item sent in — which is promising, but not all encompassing.

There are two ways to do a trade-in, either stand-alone without buying another product or when purchasing a new Apple device. The second option here is likely more common. When you're going through the phone buying process you'll select the color and storage and then select whether you want to trade in another phone to be given as a refund for the purchase. Currently, there are 13 iPhone choices available dating back to the iPhone 6, or the original iPhone SE. There are 29 phone trade in choices available in total which includes Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones.

Answer a question or two about the phone's condition and then complete your purchase. You'll be mailed a box to return your own phone within 14 days. Once it is received and checked a refund will be applied to your order. If your trade in phone is worth more than the purchased phone you'll receive an Apple gift card with the remaining balance.

Pros: High credit amount compared to other sources

Cons: Only Apple store credit, geared towards device upgrades

Trading in your tech to Amazon is simple and can provide a reasonable amount of credit in a speedy way, but you'll need to make sure you want credit instead of cash for your trade-ins.

Amazon is an obvious choice to send your used electronics because, although you only get Amazon credit, many people will consider that as good as cash. You can buy almost anything from the website and so it's a natural fit for where to trade in old devices.

One handy feature of using Amazon's trade-in service that makes it quick, beyond the shipping aspect, is that the company knows what you've bought through the site in the past and will offer those options and tell you have much they're worth without having to go look up everything separately. That works well when you forgot about the device or game or book you bought 18 months ago and didn't use like you thought you might. It might not cross your mind that certain items are available to trade in.

Amazon is a great option for speedy turnarounds from start to finish. You could select a few items you previously bought, print a label, and get them processed and have credit in your account in no time. In my experience from using the service a half-dozen times at least is that it really is a timely option for an online trade-in service. As always, you may experience hiccups depending on what you're trading in, but when I sold headphones recently there were no issues.

The few problems I have experienced with the service revolved around the evaluation process which can fluctuate quite a bit depending on the person that looks over your trade-ins at the warehouse. When stuff hasn't been given the full value, I tend to have it shipped back, and it has always been in the same condition it left in.

Pros: Fast processing, lots of promotional upgrade options for Amazon products

Cons: No cash only Amazon credit, hit or miss on accepting customer's stated conditions