Business is booming in the world of mobile phone trade-ins. And the iPhone 5S is the reason for the short-term spike.
According to new data provided by Gazelle, the popular mobile device trade-in service, iPhone trade-ins for the month of September reached records heights.
What’s particularly noteworthy is that Gazelle is seeing such strong activity despite the fact that a number of Apple’s major retail partners – not to mention Apple itself – now offer trade-in programs.
Gazelle admitted to Apple Insider that iPhone trade-ins for cash payouts in September climbed 53% (vs. September 2012’s iPhone 5 launch).
What’s more, trade-ins spiked eighteenfold over the October 2011 launch of Apple’s iPhone 4S.
But the company says that more than just old iPhones were traded-in last month.
“Our higher trade-in values show an increase of new devices like the… Samsung Galaxy S III and S4,” says Gazelle’s Chief Gadget Officer Anthony Scarsella, “indicating consumers see the iPhone 5s as a worthy upgrade.”
