Apple’s iPhone 13 is coming soon. If you want the new iPhone selling your old iPhone could help you finance the purchase – but you better hurry!
For many iPhone owners at this time of year the following pattern repeats: the new iPhone is launched, the new model is purchased, the data is transferred from the old iPhone, and the old model is resold – usually via Ebay or buying service.
However, selling your iPhone right after an iPhone keynote is actually the wrong time to sell your iPhone because the prices tend to fall after the keynote. In fact secondhand price for the iPhone X and iPhone XR fell shortly before the iPhone 11 keynote in 2019 and then fell even more drastically for a few days after the presentation – which isn’t surprising given that Apple actually reduced the price of the iPhone XR from £749/$749 to £629/$599 in the keynote.
A similar thing happened to the iPhone 11 and the XR again in 2020 when Apple reduced the price of the XR again, and reduced the price of the iPhone 11 series.
The price decreases are likely to be greater if Apple continues to sell that handset at a reduced price – if the price of a new version of the phone you are selling isn’t much more than what you are advertising your secondhand model for you probably won’t be able too sell it for as much as you would like.
If this year Apple keeps the iPhone 12 series in its range sellers may experience the same consequences. Although Apple is unlikely to keep the whole of the iPhone 12 line up on sale: we anticipate that Apple will continue to sell the iPhone 12, but that the Pro, Pro Max and mini models will be discontinued. This could make these handsets more desirable, which might drive up their prices. There will certainly be increased demand for those phones if Apple is no longer selling them.
You may also have better luck selling an iPhone with a higher capacity storage – Apple tends to discontinue the high capacity models of the previous generation when it introduces new iPhone models. So if you were hoping to sell a 512GB iPhone 12 Pro or Max you will probably be able to get a decent price.
Don’t delay your sale though: on average iPhone steadily lose value month after month. So while selling your iPhone just after the launch of the new model might have little effect on the sales price, waiting half a year will means a big loss of value.
With all this in mind we suggest that if you want to get a new iPhone you should consider selling your current device prior to the launch. This way you will get the maximum amount of money possible for it.
The good news is that iPhones hold their price better than Androids, so if you plan to sell you should be able to make decent money.
If you want to sell your old iPhone you could try the musicMagpie service here, or read: How to sell your iPhone for the best price. We also discuss when the best time to buy an iPhone is here.
Read all about what we know about the iPhone 13.
This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by Karen Haslam.