What's the best way to sell my iPad?

How-To,

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There are a few different ways to sell your iPad, but the two main categories are selling it to a reseller or selling it yourself. A reseller will be much easier but you'll get less money. Selling it yourself will take more work but has the potential to net you more cash. Figure out what's more valuable to you — time or money — and then you'll know what to do.

Gazelle

Gazelle is simple and easy to use. Tell them what you have and they'll tell you what they'll give you for it. If you accept the offer, you have 30 days to send in your old phone. Gazelle will check your old phone when it arrives. If there's anything different, they'll let you know and give you an updated offer. If you decline, they'll ship it right back to you free of charge. If everything looks good, or if you accept an updated offer, they'll pay you by check, Amazon, or PayPal.

Because of the 30-day window (and they've sometimes increased it to 50 days when new iPads are on the horizon), Gazelle is a good way to lock in a price before the market is glutted. Just make sure the condition doesn't change between when you get the offer and when you send it in, or the price will change as well.

Swappa

Swappa is a way to get more money for your old iPad than typical services provide, but in a way that's easier and more civilized than selling directly. You do have to have reasonable expectations and some patience. 

eBay

eBay can net you more money for your old iPad but requires you to do a lot of the work and take some of the risk. If you're comfortable handling your own sales, and have the time to invest, you can get a better return than trade-in services. Just make sure to:

1. Only ship to the buyer's confirmed Paypal address if using Paypal.
2. Price competitively, especially if you're using Buy It Now as an option.
3. Take great pictures but show any defects or damage so potential buyers knows what they're getting.
4. Use a fast shipping service and make sure you include that in your item description.
5. Use keywords in your title and in your item description to attract more potential buyers.
6. You may also want to consider insuring your item in case anything goes wrong during shipping.
7. Watch out for low-feedback buyers and also keep in mind that Paypal charges processing fees as well.

Craigslist

Craigslist is the old classified ads in new digital form, and all the wonder and dread that entails. The advantage of Craigslist is that you can sell locally, face-to-face. That greatly speeds up transactions and reduces overhead like shipping. Just make sure to:

1. Never put your personal or home address in an ad. NEVER.
2. Price your iPad competitively. Find existing ads on Craigslist in your area for iPads that are the same model, capacity, and condition as yours and price accordingly.
3. If you're comfortable, include a number for potential buyers to call or text. It can increase the likelihood of a quick sale. (If you have a virtual number, use it.)
4. Meet in a public place, preferably in the daytime. A coffee shop like Starbucks is ideal. Bring a friend with you, just in case.
5. Watch out for email scams. If someone offers a lot more money to encourage you to ship them your iPad, they're just trying to rip you off.