I've used Apple's Trade-in program several times over the years, every time with notebooks. The last time was 3 years ago when I traded in an Intel MacBook Air for a M1 Pro MBP, went off perfectly, without a hitch.

I know that the program isn't the best in terms of value, undercutting what could be gotten from other places by hundreds, but it's so simple. Or at least on the surface it's supposed to be. Now, I've heard over the recent years that the Mac trade in program has turned into a hellhole, but I have had good luck with them before so I went that route for the convenience.

How wrong I was to do that. Here's what went down:

Ordered m4 pro MBP on Dec 31 at the Apple Store, and since they didn't have the model I wanted in stock, we had it delivered, but before I left I wanted to cover my bases and had them look at my old MacBook due to the rumors I'd heard, he said it looked great. Jan 6 I got that "today's the day" text and got the trade in sent back Jan 7. Smooth so far. Enjoying the benefits of the newer chip, happy with my purchase. Jan 26th I receive an email, "Your trade in value has changed," immediately my thoughts went back to all of those horror stories I had heard in recent years. Sure enough, $850 in trade in value down to $0 due to "LCD display burn in damage/streaks/discoloration across the screen." Only one problem, there was no discoloration or streaks. The only problem with the Mac in any way is normal grime imprints of the keyboard deck.

So at this point, the logical thing to do was call Apple, which I did. The (lovely) Apple representative looked at the pictures from the trade in agency and agreed that nothing seemed to be wrong. She said she would put in a note and send it through again and everything should be fine. Okay. Cool. A little roadblock, but nothing too bad.

Feb 6th I receive another email, this one stating that they just decided to send the Mac back and charge me the extra grand. Received the trade in Mac back Feb 10. So here I am with my old Mac, I boot it and go to a white screen website to check and sure enough, there's nothing wrong.

So I'm left to conclude that the reason was the normal grime outline of the keyboard deck on the display that is seemingly impossible to prevent. I'm going to include pictures here of the display and the grime outline.

Some astute viewers may notice that on the bottom left and right of the display there is a dimmed portion of the screen. However, that was entirely normal for the 2021 MBPs. I have 4 2021 MBPs in my immediate circle and they all have the same dimmed portions on both sides of the display. I even had mine replaced under warranty and the replaced one had the exact same dimmed areas. Surely the trade in partner for the world's richest company knows that. The guy at the Apple Store sure did.

I had heard horror stories of the Mac trade in partner, but I didn't know it had gotten this bad. I have had Apple's trade in program for the iPhone accept phones that looked like they had been shaken in a bag of nails, and I get turned away for something as small as this.

You can blame the trade in partner as much as you want, but at the end of the day the program has Apple's name on it and, being the biggest company on the planet, they have to take responsibility for it. This is the opposite of what I've come to know from the company and I'm incredibly disappointed that a month and a half later I'm sitting here with a perfectly good MacBook and an $1000 charge on my card for no good reason.

Hey all

I’m planning on trading in my 15 pro max for a 17 pro max in the next few weeks or so as and when it’s possible to do so.

Just wondering for trade ins and possibly anyone at Apple who may know… device in good condition. No scratches or marks on the screen or camera and the sides all perfect. The rear glass has some “white” marks near the bottom where dust and debris has gotten in between the case and the phone over the years. No scratches to feel as such just small white markings along the bottom. Is this generally okay? I’m trying to figure out as online it just says major marks or cracks which these are only tiny and only visible in certain lighting.

Should this be okay or would you guys double check in store before trying to order online?

Thanks for any help

"In addition to the changed values, Apple has stopped accepting 12-inch MacBook trade-ins."

I was trusting that Apple was doing device trade-in, not a third-party. I wish that I had come to Reddit and the internet before I had traded.

I sent a pristine 11 Pro Max that had never left its case. I even took video of it before I sent it. The third-party is claiming that the camera is broken, when it was fully functional before I sent my phone. Now, they’re sending me back a broken phone that was once totally perfect.

Does anyone happen to know if there’s any way to seek legal recourse? This isn’t right.

Either way. ONLY trade in your device in-person. I would never do or recommend this method ever again.

Edit: Thank you to everyone who has solid advice and info. I’m truly glad for the people who had good experiences, because that is what I expected for myself, but I’m also confused at all of the flippant responses and downvotes. I did originally believe that Apple was doing the trade-in in-house, which I will accept as my own oversight. I’m not afraid to drive to trade-in, but my purchase was a gift that I was using my trade-in for and my closest store was sold out of the device. Not only that, many people live hundreds and hundreds of miles away from Apple Stores. It’s definitely up to personal preference and what is available to you; I will ONLY do in-store trades from now on, but may my experience be a cautionary tale to the next person who needs to trade-in online: take photos, videos of functionality, and get your serial number prepared just in case! I am not the first person who has experienced this issue, and I’m sure that I will not be the last. Ounce of prevention, as it were.

I sent my 10.5" iPad Pro to Apple's third party trade-in centre in excellent condition. The initial trade-in value was £105. Not amazing but better than nothing for an old iPad.

I've just received an email with a revised value of £0, because apparently there is "LCD display burn in damage/streaks/discoloration across the screen". Which is nonsense as the screen was in perfect condition when I sent it to them.

What is going on? I'm intrigued to see what condition it's in when I get it back because if I find it's in worse condition than it was when I sent it in I will be livid. There seems to be no way to dispute any of this though. It's quite a bad look for Apple, but they clearly don't give a s**t.

When I go through the Apple Store and select Trade In for my device (a 14 Pro Max), then choose AT&T monthly financing (and link my account), my bag shows:

• iPhone price minus Apple’s trade-in value ($400)

• A final total reflecting the Apple trade-in, not the AT&T carrier promo.

My confusion:

• Shouldn’t the total reflect AT&T’s advertised deal ($0.00/mo for 36 months after trade-in)?

• And shouldn’t the “Trade-In Amount” be AT&T’s ($1,100) rather than Apple’s ($400)?

Extra context:

• I still have 2 payments left on my current phone.

• Once I “link” my AT&T account, is the Apple Store just seeing that my phone is still tied to an installment plan—so it only applies Apple’s trade-in instead of the carrier promotion?

Has anyone else run into this? Am I misunderstanding how Apple Store + carrier trade-in promos work?

So I have the iPad Pro 11 inch 256Gb. I got it at the beginning of this year and I have barely used it. It does not even have a blemish or a scratch on it. Now I see the new iPad Pro is out and I am interested in upgrading but the trade in isn’t very high. I chatted with Apple and they said if I go In Person to an Apple Store, they will potentially offer more for it.

How true is this? And how much more do you think I could get if they determine it is perfect.

Update 2:

Maybe this policy is different among stores. Some people said that Apple refused to apply their trade-in value to the original purchase. When I picked my iPad mini 6 at the Apple store (in the US), I asked Apple's Specialist whether if I could trade in later, and they said yes. So when I went there yesterday (13 days later), they processed it right away without any problem.

Therefore, you should ask Apple's Specialists first to confirm whether if they allow you to trade in your old device later.

Update 1:

If you choose the mail-in option for online trade-in, the Apple store will refuse to process your trade-in at stores.

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TLDR:

Trade-in your old devices at the Apple Store within 14 days of a new purchase. Never trade-in online. Ask Apple’s specialist to confirm this trade-in policy just in case they change it later.

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Original post:

When you purchase a new device at Apple Store or on the Apple website, you don't have to trade in your old device to get the credit right away. You can do that within 14 days when you are satisfied with your new device. That's what Apple employee told me.

When you bring your old device to the Apple Store to trade in later, just show the Apple Specialist the invoice along with the serial number of the new device that you bought, so they could apply the credit to the device in that order. Moreover, they will ask you to give them your credit card/debit card so they can send the credit to that card. It takes 3 days for the credit to be applied to your card.

I just finished traded in my old iPhone after 14 days since the day I have bought my new iPad mini, and they accepted that without any problem. So I think this info is useful for people who want to try a new device before they decide whether if they should sell/trade in their old device.

If you decide to trade in your device to Apple, please do it in person at the Apple Store. The process is quick and easy, and you get the maximum value of the trade-in right away. Never apply for the trade-in on the Apple website because Apple will assign a third-party company to serve you. They will send you a box so you can send your old device to them. It is a sketchy company. You have to wait in 2 weeks then they will tell you that your device has a problem, so they offer you a very bad quote with a lower value. When you ask them to send your device back to you, you will receive a “broken” device with problems that you have never seen.

Edited: Fix typos.

I have 2 iPad pros (had a work benefit that gave us money each year for random things and the only thing out of the list I felt was useful was an iPad so got a new one both years I had the benefit). I have an 11” iPad Pro and a 12.9” M2 iPad Pro. I’m thinking of getting rid of them for the new M4. I’m trying to decide which size to get and have been swapping between the two I have now to see if I have a preference and really see the benefit of both sizes. I do have the Magic Keyboard for the 11” and an Apple Pencil as well. My question is, should I trade these iPads into Apple for the M4 or try to sell them Privately? I am in the UK but they are US models as I moved here a few months ago, if that matters.

TL,DR should I trade in my 2 iPad pros to Apple or sell them privately?

Thank you!!

I'm planning to buy iPhone 15 Pro and I'm thinking of trading it in after a year or so. How generous are the trade-ins that Apple stores like Beyond the Box and Power Mac Center offer?"

Let's say if I buy an iPhone 15 Pro today and trade it in for an iPhone 17 Pro next year, would I get at least 30K trade-in value?

Apple appears to have made a significant change at some point to how some standalone (not with a purchase or upgrade!) iPhone trade-ins work. I haven't seen this covered elsewhere. It used to be that Apple would either automatically send a trade-in kit or you could easily request it by clicking a button. Now, Apple says that if you want the kit, you have to call customer support to specifically request it. Apple won't even provide it via iMessage support, you literally have to get on the phone and wait on hold if you want the kit. That's some egregious dark pattern nonsense, like trying to cancel a newspaper subscription. They're just intentionally making it more difficult to use this convenient option.

Edit: per the discussion below, it looks like this policy change applies to some (but not all) standalone trade-ins for Apple credit that you can use later, and not to other kinds of trade-ins (e.g., credit against a purchase that you're making at the same time or an upgrade). It also might only apply to certain types of devices. Updated the text above to reflect that. Still bad!

Edit 2: I don't quite understand why this is getting downvoted to oblivion. It's a real and user-hostile policy decision by Apple! Folks below confirm that they've had the same experience.

Selecting a trade in service now redirects you to Likewize, Apple’s new service provider for trade ins.

After hearing the woeful stories about trade-ins gone bad, I decided to go another route. I went to an AT&T store and they tried to sell me all kinds of services that I didn't want, so I left. I went on apple.com to see their trade-in values, and sadly my iPhone 12 Pro was only worth $360 to them, whereas AT&T was going to give me $1,000.00 towards a new phone. But, I found this on Apple's website and that changed everything: https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/carrier-offers. Basically, go through Apple's website and pick your phone's configuration. On the part of the page that deals with paying for it, you will see an option to pay for it in full, or finance it. On that finance button, there is some blue text that says something about Carrier Financing. Click that and your AT&T $1000.00 trade-in shows up. Complete the purchase and set up an appointment at your Apple store.

At the store, they took my old phone, asked me if I was ready to erase it, and then they ran some diagnostics and other verification stuff (I saw him take pics of the front and back of the phone etc.), and that was that. They brought me my new phone, walked me through the setup and data migration, allowed me to ask any questions, etc. My old phone was placed into a brown envelope with a label, and an email was sent to me to say that they received my old phone. When I clicked that email later that day, it showed me that my trade-in was approved because the old phone was already verified in the Apple store.

That's it!

TL:DR: Go to https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/carrier-offers and buy your phone there. Do the whole experience with Apple and have a hassle-free trade-in experience.

Hi All,

Quick question — are there any trade-in deals coming up this Thanksgiving for existing T-Mobile customers? I’m on one of the Magenta plans, and I’ve got an iPhone 13 I could trade in.

Just trying to figure out if it makes more sense to stay with T-Mobile or switch to Verizon.

Thanks!

I sent in 2 brand new iPhone SE 2nd gen to Apple for trade in, one of them was accepted but the other, they are claiming I actually sent in a crusty old iPhone 8, they even showed me pictures of this device, they are offering 50% of the original offer for the SE. Apple has taken me on a 2 week ride with customer support. They promise an investigation and callbacks and do neither. Eventually they refer me to a company called Phobio who handles their trade ins, I got a hold of a supervisor who assured me they no longer handle Apple's U.S. trade ins and they no longer have a business relationship, despite the photos Apple sent me having an inspection label that says the vendor is Phobio. Apple doesn't know what to do and I've spoken to maybe a dozen people. In short it appears they are shipping back to me someone else's iPhone 8, it even has 2 photos on it, prior owner apparently did not wipe the phone correctly. This has been a terrible experience and I wish I hadn't fought it, because I wasted so much time and got nothing out of it. Apple has lost me and my family as customers.

I only ever see trade in horror stories so figured I’d share mine for perspective.

tldr: sent in an iPhone with screen function issues and normal wear and tear but no major damage and got full value after almost accepting peanuts in store.

My iPhone XS screen started acting up a couple months ago and got progressively worse in limited responsiveness. Basically the middle vertical 20% of the screen was wonky/only semi-responsive - mainly the issue was swiping and typing “t” and other middle keyboard letters were hit and miss - I could get around the swiping by being careful but typing was super annoying. Physically it was in fine used condition though, a single short hairline crack on the back corner/edge, some scratches/scuffs on corners but nothing major.

Based on Apple’s online trade in questions it was worth the full 170 which didn’t make sense to me but I answered everything accurately - I answered “no” to the first question of is it in good condition because it doesn’t function normally of course, but the subsequent question on touchscreen only asks about physical or screen damage/issues, nothing on function.

The consensus here seemed to be go in person - with the trade in service making up issues to devalue phone and sending back damaged or even incorrect phones and claiming zero responsibility so I went to the Apple store. They offered me 20-30 I don’t remember exactly and not even because of the screen issue (I could do everything they needed without it being obvious) but the physical condition. I figured fair enough I’m not gonna get more. They weren’t able to process it though (something quirky with my Verizon plan).

I figured I was screwed, I’d have to send it in and probably get nothing. I went through with the purchase online, answered the questions accurately which gave the $170 value and thought I’d have to cough that up when I actually sent it in. Just got the email this morning though: “Good news everything checks outs”!

I think I’d still go in person first since that can guarantee no surprises but if you end up with a lowball offer compared to what you see online consider backing out and doing that.