Money Makers: Maximizing Price When Selling Old Gadgets

I just got a heads up from uSell.com, an online marketplace for used gadgets, regarding the imminent launch of Apple's new iPhone model -- an event that traditionally causes major disruption in old iPhone pricing.

To measure the actual effect on the used iPhone market, uSell.com examined hundreds of used iPhone sales on its platform following the 2012 iPhone 5 launch and aggregated this price depreciation data.  Notable findings include:

*  1 week after a new iPhone launch, old iPhones lose about 5% in value.
*  2 weeks after launch, old iPhones depreciate about 12%.
*  By weeks 3 and 4, old phones are worth about 20% less.

But by locking in a sale price BEFORE an upcoming iPhone launch (many platforms like uSell.com offer 30-day price guarantees), consumers can substantially increase the value of their old phones:

*  iPhone 5:  Potentially worth $72 more (compared to 3 weeks after launch)
*  iPhone 4S:  Worth $46 more
*  iPhone 4:  Worth $29 more

NOTE:  A savvy consumer could lock in a sale price before the iPhone launch, but then wait to ship their old phone until right after they get their new model.

So if you're planning on selling an older gadget when you upgrade, be sure to do so right before the launch of a newer version, or you won't make as much when you sell.