ie8 fix

RadioShack

A look at iPhone cash and exchange deals

You may have heard there's a new iPhone hitting stores this week. If you're planning on buying one and still have your old iPhone, why not sell it?

There's a good chance you can recoup much of what you originally paid and put it toward the new iPhone 4. Individuals, resellers, and retailers are willing to pay for old iPhones, you just need to know where to look. 

The gadget resale market, especially for the iPhone, is hotter than ever right now. Consumer electronics reseller Gazelle.com said last week that 10,000 iPhones were sold to the site in the week following the iPhone 4's introduction on June 7--and that was 10 times the number of old iPhones sold to the site following the iPhone 3GS announcement a year ago.

Your best options for making money off your iPhone include the obvious places like eBay and Craigslist, but if you don't feel like doing the work yourself, gadget resellers will do most of it for you: they'll buy your phone from you and handle the reselling themselves. And this year, iPhone retailer RadioShack is offering an incentive to sell back your old phone.

Though most places will take any model iPhone with normal wear and tear, the later the model of iPhone you're selling, and the better the condition it is in will increase the resale value. And, of course, before you part with your phone, remember to wipe it of all your personal data.

Here are some of your best options:

Gazelle.com Gazelle will buy your old iPhone and pay you depending on the condition. It'll wipe the data for you as part of the service (though you should probably do it yourself just for peace of mind). You just answer a few questions about your phone's condition and which accessories you have, and it'll spit out a price and send you a box for shipping your phone. Last week a 32GB iPhone 3GS in good condition with normal wear and tear was worth $198.

NextWorth.com Like Gazelle, it'll buy your old iPhone provided it's in decent working shape. If it's close to new, with everything in working order, a 32GB iPhone 3GS will fetch as much as $300. For an iPhone 3G in good condition, NextWorth is offering more than $100.

RadioShack The consumer electronics retailer is offering perhaps the most efficient way of reselling your old iPhone and getting a new iPhone 4. For the first time, RadioShack has been included as one of the first retail outlets to get the iPhone on launch day. And it's sweetened the deal for potential customers by adding an extra incentive.

RadioShack will let you turn in your old iPhone for store credit toward the new one. The retailer says it will pay "up to $200" for an iPhone 3GS. Just bring it into the store and an employee will plug the device's specs and condition into their system and pay based on that recommendation. That value can be put toward a new iPhone 4 the same day or kept on a RadioShack gift card for future use.… Read more

RadioShack offers trade-in credit for old iPhones

This week in particular, RadioShack has shown that it is no longer just a place to pick up cables for your new HDTV. Not only did the electronics chain announce that it will sell the iPhone 4 when the handset is released next Thursday, June 24, but also it said over Twitter this week that customers can trade in a used iPhone 3G or 3GS for store credit.

RadioShack will pay up to $200 in store credit for an iPhone 3GS and up to $100 for an iPhone 3G. Note that your trade-in value will depend on your handset's … Read more

RadioShack to offer T-Mobile phones for free too

We've heard that T-Mobile will be offering every single phone in every T-Mobile store for free this Saturday, June 19th. Well, RadioShack has decided to join in the fun as well -- all T-Mobile phones in its stores will be free, also for this Saturday only.

But RadioShack offers a few perks that make shopping at their stores a better deal. First, while T-Mobile requires you to sign on to a family plan to take advantage of the free phone offer, RadioShack doesn't have such requirements -- any and all plans are welcome. Also, while T-Mobile might want … Read more

The 404 602: Where I tried to preorder the iPhone 4 and all I got was this stupid Mac Mini (podcast)

Preordering for the Apple iPhone 4 started this morning, and users are already reporting serious issues with AT&T's servers. The speed bump appears to happen when account is verified through AT&T, although we've also heard of bottlenecks popping up intermittently throughout the process.

If you're experiencing issues, a viable workaround is to stop clicking refresh and head out to a Best Buy or RadioShack store, especially since Gizmodo is already reporting security issues with AT&T's ordering system. Finally, Wilson predicts that the iPhone 4 will be freely available at the … Read more

RadioShack opening early for Evo 4G launch, extra savings for preorders

As many of you know, the HTC Evo 4G goes on sale June 4 at Sprint stores and other retailers nationwide, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart. There's a lot of excitement and anticipation for the nation's first 4G phone and rightfully so, but it's hard to tell whether there will be huge lines, but RadioShack isn't taking any chances.

The electronics retailer said Wednesday that it will open its doors as early as 6 a.m. at some of its retail locations to help preorder customers activate and set up their phones. In addition, if you … Read more

HTC Evo 4G preorders begin at Best Buy, Radio Shack

Hot on the heels of the Sprint announcement from Wednesday night, Best Buy and Radio Shack have already begun the preorder process for the HTC Evo 4G.

Starting today, customers can go into a Best Buy store and preorder the Evo 4G for pickup when the Android superphone launches on June 4. You will have to go into an actual store to place the order, but the good news is that you'll get the $199.99 price instantly (provided that you sign up for a two-year contract, of course) and therefore won't have to send in a mail-in … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1210: Hug a n00b (podcast)

Ubisoft is doing away with paper manuals, which means gaming n00bs will be forever stuck in virtual corners trying to figure out the right button combination for re-load. Also, Apple wants its secret iPhone back and Molly just wants you to know that next time you find a top-secret prototype in a bar, you should call her instead of Gizmodo. Oh, and if you want porn, buy an Android phone, says Steve Jobs. Good day for Android.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1210

A Letter: Apple Wants Its … Read more

Radio Shack looking for a buyer?

We could be close to witnessing the end of yet another consumer electronics chain.

According to what sources have told the New York Post, Radio Shack is "exploring strategic alternatives," or shopping itself around. It's very early in the process, and the retailer is still mulling its options.

Investment bankers have been looking to gauge the interest of private-equity firms in buying out the Texas-based chain, but merging with Best Buy is also an idea being tossed around, at least by the bankers involved, according to the Post.

A Radio Shack representative said Friday the company does … Read more

20 brands that could use a shorter name

Thursday's re-branding event by Radio Shack to call itself "The Shack" comes just a month and a half after Pizza Hut began referring to its brand as "The Hut."

I smell a trend.

When a company starts branching off in directions other than what it began with, it makes sense. Apple did it back in 2007 when it dropped "Computer" from its name in favor of the colder, wider-reaching "Inc." But for Radio Shack it's a war cry. An attempt to distance itself from an image of aging technology, and … Read more

We welcome our new giant laptop overlords, courtesy of The Shack

Venerable retail chain Radio Shack has somehow outlived Circuit City, The Wiz, and many others, with a mix of cordless phones, RC cars, and a hard-to-beat assortment of plugs, wires, and adapters for electronic tinkerers and vintage gear fans like myself.

The company is planning to unveil a new image, as "The Shack," in a mere 16 hours (6am EST on August 6) at launch events in NYC and San Francisco, but we're more fascinated by a few leaked images (via engadget and Metblogs) of giant laptop props that have popped up online.

According to The Shack, … Read more