eBay's iPad trade-ins up tenfold from same time last year
eBay says 10 times the number of people traded in their iPads during February than did during the same month last year.
With the anticipation of a new iPad being just around the corner, more people have been trading in their first- and second-generation Apple tablets, eBay says.
This afternoon, the company said it's generated more than 125,000 tablet trade-in offers this month, with 97.6 percent of those consisting of Apple iPad models. That number is up tenfold from the number of offers during the same month last year, eBay said.
Those offers are for the online commerce site's Instant Sale program, which differs from its auction services by giving gadget owners a way to trade in items for cash. Users describe the quality of their item, and eBay picks up the shipping cost, as well as the job of wiping whatever data is on it.
eBay says 7.3 million trade-in offers have been made since the program's launch. Along with Apple devices, the program also accepts other electronics, though the company says iPhones, iPods, and iPads have represented the majority of trade-ins.
That more people are trading in their iPads now than this time last year shouldn't be too much of a surprise. In February 2011, the first-generation iPad had been out less than a year and had suffered considerable supply shortages that pushed availability back several weeks for those looking to get their hands on one. By comparison, Apple sold 32 million iPads last year, with the majority of those being the second-generation model--a device that had supply problems of its own.
First-generation, Wi-Fi-only iPad models are among the most popular models being traded, eBay said.
eBay has historically provided a unique view into the international sales demand of the iPad, with the company publishing a chart last year depicting where people were reselling the second-generation tablet in the two weeks after its launch. While the majority of those devices remained in the United States, eBay's data showed which countries were buying it up ahead of local launches. That data also included a breakdown of which models were the most popular (something Apple does not disclose).
Below is a full ranking of which iPad models are pulling in the most trade-in offers, as well as the top five non-Apple tablets offered for eBay trade-in:
Top Apple tablet models:
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2. iPad 1 Wi-Fi only
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4.
5.
Top non-Apple tablet models:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Dell Streak 7 16GB Wi-Fi