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Evan becker

macrumors member
Original poster
May 26, 2017
41
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Hey guys I have the 2015 12.9 and want to upgrade due to future proofing it since I will need an ipad for 5+ years to get me through college and professional school. Ive been looking through mulitple avenues to sell my ipad pro and minimize the cost of upgrading but wanted to see what outlets you guys use. I figured since I already have the pencil and keyboard I would just sell the ipad alone (its flawless and looks new) so I would just have to upgrade the ipad and already have the accessories. Thanks
 
Hey guys I have the 2015 12.9 and want to upgrade due to future proofing it since I will need an ipad for 5+ years to get me through college and professional school. Ive been looking through mulitple avenues to sell my ipad pro and minimize the cost of upgrading but wanted to see what outlets you guys use. I figured since I already have the pencil and keyboard I would just sell the ipad alone (its flawless and looks new) so I would just have to upgrade the ipad and already have the accessories. Thanks

If I am understanding you correctly, which I may be wrong. If you're referring to selling your device and which avenue to use, I would sell your previous iPad on Swappa. It's likely the best source to sell it quickly and generate the funds you need to upgrade to the latest device.
 
Personally, I find the best deals by selling locally (craigslist, letgo). But this is often dangerous for the inexperienced. Ebay is the route I would take. You can see what the current ones are going for, and put yours at a lower price if you want it to go faster. You can go to re-sellers like gazelle, but they honestly dont give you as much money for it because they will simply buy it low to sell it higher and make a profit. Youll make the most money selling to a direct end user who wants a 12" ipad pro, and not a re-seller who is going to pay you less than its worth.

Though if I may offer my unsolicited opinion on the matter, I probably wouldnt make the move to upgrade from the 1st gen to 2nd gen for the sole sake of 'future proofing', mainly because there is no telling what the future holds and how long the devices will actually last. I completely understand the want for the newer features; but with the resale values of the 12" pros that Ive seen, and the prices of the new ones, I just cant see that price difference as a good value for the differences. But that is just me.
 
I would not spend more than what I can afford to write off in two or three years. Doesn't mean a new iPad won't be working in five years, but the technology may have changed so much that it won't work as well as you'd like.
 
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Your iPad has reduced in value more in the last year than it will in any future year, so don’t sell to future proof, keep it and replace it 1/2 way through your education.
This. The concept of "futureproofing" is an urban myth. The OP picked the best time to buy that 1st gen 12.9 Pro. It is the first at the 4GB RAM level and will have a long lifespan.
 
Thanks, you guys are right I will keep the 2015 12.9 until the next ipad pro comes out.
That's a good move IMO. I've got a 1st gen 12.9 Pro as well and we'll easily get another 3-4 years of productive use. If at any time between now and then Apple produces an iPad that wows THAT would be the time to upgrade.
 
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That's a good move IMO. I've got a 1st gen 12.9 Pro as well and we'll easily get another 3-4 years of productive use. If at any time between now and then Apple produces an iPad that wows THAT would be the time to upgrade.
Agreed. As much as I would love to have the latest and greatest, I cannot possibly justify upgrading my first generation 12.9-inch Pro to the current one.
 
Personally, I find the best deals by selling locally (craigslist, letgo). But this is often dangerous for the inexperienced. Ebay is the route I would take. You can see what the current ones are going for, and put yours at a lower price if you want it to go faster. You can go to re-sellers like gazelle, but they honestly dont give you as much money for it because they will simply buy it low to sell it higher and make a profit. Youll make the most money selling to a direct end user who wants a 12" ipad pro, and not a re-seller who is going to pay you less than its worth.

Though if I may offer my unsolicited opinion on the matter, I probably wouldnt make the move to upgrade from the 1st gen to 2nd gen for the sole sake of 'future proofing', mainly because there is no telling what the future holds and how long the devices will actually last. I completely understand the want for the newer features; but with the resale values of the 12" pros that Ive seen, and the prices of the new ones, I just cant see that price difference as a good value for the differences. But that is just me.

I disagree that eBay would be the most appropriate route. Not necessarily because it won't sell and it does have a much wider Audience than other selling sites, Mainly because the amount of fraud that is on eBay and the risk you take of getting scammed versus selling in person. There are so many risks that someone takes on eBay selling items and so many ways of the buyer trying to fraud the seller. And most times, eBay will not favor the seller And they are out a lot of money, especially with Apple products.


However, I do agree that the first Gen 12.9 iPad is still a very capable device that offers years of support and isn't drastically different over the 2017 12.9 iPad.
 
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if a few hundred dollars is the issue, i wouldnt spend any money. instead i would learn how to invest and build your net worth.
 
iPads depreciate very quickly and the resale market has never been anywhere near as good as the iPhone market. It's very expensive to upgrade every year. I agree with the others that the difference here is not very large, and after the initial excitement of getting another new device I think in the long run you would be hard-pressed to tell much difference between the two on a day to day basis.
 
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iPads depreciate very quickly and the resale market has never been anywhere near as good as the iPhone market. It's very expensive to upgrade every year. I agree with the others that the difference here is not very large, and after the initial excitement of getting another new device I think in the long run you would be hard-pressed to tell much difference between the two on a day to day basis.

One of the reasons iPhones have a higher resale, is because of the overall popularity. All of Apple products are made very well, it's not just a matter of which product is better over the other, it's just the iPhone has a very strong following and is widely notorious for being the most popular Apple product available.
 
I sold my iPPro 9.7 right after the 10.5 came out. It took a week to find a buyer but I eventually did sell it locally on Facebook Market Place. I had it in the Arstechnica forum (no interest), Craigslist (no interest), EBay (several attempts to scam me) and Facebook (many lowball offers but eventually a good one). Other sites like Swappa had current prices well lower than I wanted to go. I eventually took $100 off of my initial price.

A note for selling locally, while it can be dangerous, my local police dept has an "internet shopping safe exchange zone" out front. Even if yours doesn't, nothing stopping you from meeting there since it's public.

The market might not be bad for a 12" but the smaller pros have to compete with all of the previous iPad models which the market is completely flooded with.

I'd keep it until you just can't use it anymore and then upgrade, the longer you can hold out the better the replacement will be. I'd just purchased mine for digital art and notes, so the reduced latency and the slightly bigger screen "made me do it."
 
I sold mine on swappa. Fast and easy process.

I sold it then bought a 10.5 to try out. Missed the 12.9 size and am now waiting till stores get stock of the 2nd gen.
 
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I sold mine on swappa. Fast and easy process.

I sold it then bought a 10.5 to try out. Missed the 12.9 size and am now waiting till stores get stock of the 2nd gen.

Same here. I have the first gen 12.9 and came across a good open box deal at Best Buy for a 10.5 and grabbed it to replace my 12.9. Swappa is getting $450 - $500 for 12.9 models so I'm not giving mine away for so little, especially with the ASK and Apple Smart Cover and silicone back cover. After using the 10.5 a week or so, I am finding the cramped experience to be getting old and when I switch back to the 12.9 it's soooooo much nicer. Sure it's a few milliseconds slower (seriously?) but the screen real estate and multi tasking beat out a little more portability for me. Looking like the 10.5 is heading back to BB for a return to the open box cage. Great device if you are moving up from a mini or 9.7, but going backward in size and capability is right in your face when you move that direction.
 
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