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Get top dollar for iPhone trade-ins

Lock in today's iPhone buyback prices before the mania begins, check out the new Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, and make more friends with the Wrapp app.

Bridget Carey Principal Video Producer
Bridget Carey is an award-winning reporter who helps you level-up your life -- while having a good time geeking out. Her exclusive CNET videos get you behind the scenes as she covers new trends, experiences and quirky gadgets. Her weekly video show, "One More Thing," explores what's new in the world of Apple and what's to come. She started as a reporter at The Miami Herald with syndicated newspaper columns for product reviews and social media advice. Now she's a mom who also stays on top of toy industry trends and robots. (Kids love robots.)
Expertise Consumer technology, Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, social media, mobile, robots, future tech, immersive technology, toys, culture Credentials
  • Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
Bridget Carey
3 min read

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Watch this: Get top dollar for iPhone trade-ins

Analysts are predicting that as many as 10 million iPhones could be sold if Apple launches it in September. That's because many reports are pointing to a Sept. 21 release date for the next model. So if you're planning on selling your old phone for cash, you should plan ahead to make the most money. Trade-in sites like eBay Instant Sale, NextWorth and Gazelle are already seeing an increase of visitors looking to sell an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4.

You can get more money for an iPhone now, but you also won't want to go a month without a phone. So here's the trick: Buyback sites will honor price quotes for several days, so check the fine print. Gazelle currently honors its quoted price for 30 days -- you just have to get it in the mail by day 30. If you're feeling good about the rumors that the new iPhone will be here September 21, just time your quote to hold on to your phone at the last possible moment.

It could mean the difference of more than $150 in your pocket. The iPhone 4S 16GB had a quoted offering of $277 on Gazelle Wednesday. But come launch day, that offering could drop to $90 or $100, according to Anthony Scarsella, Gazelle's chief gadget officer.

"We're buying so many phones and it floods the markets," Scarsella said. "That tends to drop pricing."

Some customers are trading in early, with plans to put a SIM card in an older phone or simply go without for several days. Scarsella said Gazelle saw a 50 percent increase in iPhone trade-ins on Monday compared to a week prior. But the busiest trade-in day historically is when a new iPhone is announced, which this year could be September 12.

In other gadget news, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet goes on sale Thursday, and prices start at $500 for 16 GB of storage. The big feature is the S pen stylus and the stylus-compatible apps built into the tablet. It's the best Samsung tablet yet, and might be a smart choice for a student who plans on using a stylus often for notes.

Get ready for more advertisements on Facebook. Sponsored stories are showing up in News Feeds, both in the desktop and mobile site. More people are viewing Facebook from phones, so this is a way to make money off mobile users.

The Curiosity rover could start driving around Mars in the next week. It's a slow process to test all the moving parts of the rover, but NASA's got time. This is a two year mission.

And who doesn't like free money? Today we're looking at the app Wrapp, which lets you send free gift cards to Facebook friends. Wrapp has added more store options, including Levi's, Office Depot and Zappos. Most cards only come in small amounts of $5 or $10 (you could add money yourself to make it a better gift). For these companies, getting you in the store with a virtual $5 discount is easy marketing. If it seems strange, you can always test it out on close friends and family to see how it works.

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