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Michael Goff

Suspended
Original poster
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,422
The question is simple: when you buy a phone, how much does the resale value factor into what you choose to buy?
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,074
19,069
US
It matters...it is in the equation for me. But it is further down the list of reasons to get a phone.
 
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jeyf

macrumors 68020
Jan 20, 2009
2,173
1,044
resale dosnt matter.
Of late all the iPhones look the same mostly. I usually keep them till the os will not update which is a few years.

i have an iPhone 5.0

its not like my iPhone 5 has gotten significantly slower through the years. In fact it performs close to how it was the day i bought it.
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
Not much these days, I pass my phones on to the mussus :)

Same and then some. I have 3 kids who are now old enough to have, or even need them (with such active lives where mom and dad can’t always be with them) so my current phone will be one of kid’s when I upgrade. By the time they’re done with it, it won’t be worth much. ;)
 
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Hastings101

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2010
2,355
1,482
K
Zilch, I never sell old phones anymore. Occasionally I'll trade them in, but usually I end up keeping them as backup phones for giving them to family members who need one.
 
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Anonymous Freak

macrumors 603
Dec 12, 2002
5,604
1,389
Cascadia
Not at all. Past phones I've kept to be handed down to family members and/or held on to as backups (came in handy just a month ago - my wife killed her phone, so she's using our old iPhone 5C as a 'backup' phone until the next batch of phones come out,) or I've traded them in.
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
It is an important factor when I 'initially' purchase a phone. But it doesn't govern the purchase, but does importantly and distinctly impact the timeframe of that purchase...

I don't want to buy a phone at €900 only to have it be worth €450 only 3 months later. Therefore I do consider the prior resale history and market desirability of phones on launch and the price the phone launches at. If there is a big discrepancy, for example the LG G6 was and is €799 EU model RR and still is in places like high street retailer ARGOS, and only yet 12 weeks later Dual Sim version with 64gb Quad Dac can be purchased for €380 or less .... then I wouldn't want to purchase the G6 at 799 at launch, and would either look to get it around €450 (which I did) or wait for the asian model (trade off with warranty). Thereby I have safeguarded myself against the inevitable fall in resale value.

So 'potential' resale value does factor into my purchase, and if you change phones as regularly as some of us do (like Jamezr and myself) then its just economical common sense to factor that into our purchase.

This is not about deciding whether to buy the phone or not, but about how much we are willing to pay for that device at launch or whether to wait until we can get it cheaper and thereby protect from the resale value slump all devices have to greater or lesser extents.
 

epicrayban

macrumors 604
Nov 7, 2014
6,517
5,353
It really doesn't matter to me. I'll get whatever's best for when I'm using the phone, not for when I'm done with it.

Higher resale value doesn't hurt, but like others have mentioned, these days, I pass my phone down to family or even to friends on the cheap to help them out.
 

iMi

Suspended
Sep 13, 2014
1,624
3,201
I personally never think about the resale value. It's a good thing to consider though.
 

lazard

macrumors 68000
Jul 23, 2012
1,608
818
none whatsoever. I make enough where it doesn't affect me whether the phone resales at $500 or $100.
 

JaySoul

macrumors 68030
Jan 30, 2008
2,629
2,865
Personally I'd love a "phone rental" service as I do love to switch phones (not as much as some of the others, mind :D) - would love to pay £50 to rent a phone for 2 months, then switch to the latest one.

As a result, purchase value (I look for bargains) is crucial, and ultimately resale price plays a big part too - and timing. I wouldn't spend £1000 a year switching phones, that's too reckless for my situation. But don't mind losing out on say 25% of the phone's purchase price.
 
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MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
Personally I'd love a "phone rental" service as I do love to switch phones (not as much as some of the others, mind :D) - would love to pay £50 to rent a phone for 2 months, then switch to the latest one.

As a result, purchase value (I look for bargains) is crucial, and ultimately resale price plays a big part too - and timing. I wouldn't spend £1000 a year switching phones, that's too reckless for my situation. But don't mind losing out on say 25% of the phone's purchase price.
God yes I've said it here myself - a phone rental service would save me a fortune over the course of a year. The ability to jump to new device when I wanted ... No need to sell or trade off old devices.
 
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lcs101

macrumors 6502
Jan 28, 2010
278
189
Another one who doesn't think about resale value at all. Just consider what I think will be the best phone for me.
 

SoN1NjA

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2016
2,073
2,184
Means nothing, I just keep all of them so I wouldn't get money anyway
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
I care less and less about resale value. Although I do find myself chortling gleefully at stupid savings, like saving $30 off a phone or something. That always strikes me as odd because I don't find that same glee with other items I spend money on. But the last few cycles of hardware I just look on swappa and see the average sold price and list it a bit under that for a quick, painless sale and move on.
 

v0lume4

macrumors 68030
Jul 28, 2012
2,554
5,338
It doesn't matter to me, since I tend to keep my devices long after I'm finished with them. And in the case of my previous phone (iPhone 5), I kept it for so long that it wasn't worth much anyway by the time I got a new device.
 

frankgrimes

macrumors 6502a
Jun 13, 2016
519
387
Doesn't matter to me since I'm giving the phone to people close to me or send it in for a new battery if I feel it's still good enough
 
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