Have you looked at the price of used original model iPhones on eBay lately? Why is it people are willing to pony up near-full-retail price (sometimes the phones are going for MORE than was originally paid for them!) for a used piece of equipment that can be currently be had with “twice the speed for half the price?”
Of course one answer is that the old phones can be fairly readily hacked: unlocked to be used on any network, not just AT&T. And a lot of folks with Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile or other contracts simply aren’t interested in switching networks, either because they perceive they will lose coverage or will have to pay exorbitant penalties for breaking their contract.
But you really only save money over a new phone if you are not going to use the data service other than over a Wi-Fi network, since many (though certainly not all) of the various data service fees fall into the same pricing categories. Of course for students on a Wi-Fi connected campus or others who have nearly uninterrupted Wi-Fi access, that could spell significant savings.
And the monthly plan for the old iPhone is cheaper than the one for the 3G even if you are using AT&T. It’s probably fair to say the new plan will kick your bill up at least $20/month.
True, some of those phones originally sold for $600, but you’ll have to talk to Apple about that.
Oddly, we are also seeing 3G’s sell for even more.
Our guess is that people just think the iPhone is hot – in any flavor – and people are willing to pay the price to look hot too. It may defy logic, but it is certainly an established fact.
![Glowing Apple logo mod for 2G iPhone [Video]](http://www.iphonefreak.com/wp-content/themes/freshnews/thumb.php?src=http://www.iphonefreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/iphone-apple-light-21.jpg&h=28&w=28&zc=1&q=80)
August 19th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I was thinking about picking up a used iPhone for my wife, but the price just doesn’t warrant it. It would be nice for her to have one, but she isn’t upgrade eligible and i dont want to spend the crazy prices they are asking for old phones.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I paid $300 for mine. It was locked AND the owner still had a year on his apple care with receipts to prove it.
I unlocked it for use on t mobile. Why? Not because of early termination. Because AT&T service is abysmal and t mobile is excellent.
Worth every penny.
Incidentally, they are cheaper on crsigslist.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Well I live in Okinawa Japan. Here there are two ways to get the iPhone 3G. I you pass a very stringent credit check by Apple not Softbank who is the provider here you can pay payments of $36 US per month for two years ($864 total). The cell company, Softbank, then gives you a $19us credit per month for every month you keep your service to subsidise or offset some of the cost. If you do not pass the credit check as 80% do not according to the employees I spoke to you have to do what I will have to do. I will be walking in to the Softbank store on Thursday with $860 to buy the phone outright and then they will give me a credit of $19 per month per month for the duration of my 2 year contract for a total discount of $456 bringing the total cost of the phone to me by the end to $404 + service 59$ per month for unlimited internet and $9 per month for calls unlimited incoming calls from any one and free outgoing calls to all other Softbank customers all hours except 9pm-1am (weird hours I know).
The above numbers assume 16gb model.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Sweet!!! I have a jail broken and hacked 1st gen iPhone with all the sic apps including anysim and I don’t mean from the apple store! Maybe I will post a new auction and pick me up one of those 3g’s ohhh yea $$$$
August 21st, 2008 at 7:34 am
Not only that I just sold my 1 day old 16g white iphone recovered from my pool for 440$. Now with 60$ more i can replace what att and apple said was irreplaceble.