Research · November 7, 2026
Mail-in buyers beat Apple's trade-in value on 40 of 48 Apple devices
Apple publishes an "up to" trade-in value for each device. We lined those values up against the highest offer from the mail-in buyers compared on this site for the same device. On the typical device the best mail-in offer is 131% of Apple's figure; on iPhones the median difference is $93 more than Apple.
40 of 48devices where a mail-in buyer's top offer is above Apple's "up to" value
131%median: best mail-in offer as a share of Apple's value
+$266largest advantage: iPad Air, $525 at Apple vs $791 from SaveGadget
Cashmail-in buyers pay by check, PayPal or bank transfer; Apple pays in credit toward Apple products
- On iPhones the best mail-in offer is typically $93 above Apple’s value, and it is paid in cash rather than store credit.
- Apple pays more on 5: Apple Watch Ultra 3 (by $80), Apple Watch Ultra 2 (by $40), Apple Watch Ultra (by $18), Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) (by $8), Apple Watch Series 7 (by $11).
- Both columns are ceilings for a flawless device. The "good condition" column shows what the same buyers pay for a device with normal wear, which is where most land.
The three biggest advantages over Apple
#1 biggest advantage
iPad Air
+$266over Apple
$525 at Apple · $791 by mail
#2 biggest advantage
iPad Pro
+$260over Apple
$915 at Apple · $1,175 by mail
#3 biggest advantage
iPhone 16 Pro Max
+$187over Apple
$610 at Apple · $797 by mail
iPhone: best mail-in offer against Apple
Both figures are ceilings for a flawless, fully working device, any storage size. Green is Apple's value; amber is the extra the best mail-in buyer pays on top.
iPhone
| Model | Apple, up to | Mail-in, up to | Buyer | Difference | Mail-in, good condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $885 | $1,006 | | +$121 | $920 | |
| $785 | $907 | | +$122 | $850 | |
| $585 | $736 | | +$151 | $650 | |
| $585 | $683 | | +$98 | $600 | |
| $610 | $797 | | +$187 | $730 | |
| $510 | $665 | | +$155 | $631 | |
| $430 | $542 | | +$112 | $505 | |
| $430 | $516 | | +$86 | $465 | |
| $270 | $400 | | +$130 | $350 | |
| $455 | $572 | | +$117 | $546 | |
| $370 | $506 | | +$136 | $445 | |
| $315 | $422 | | +$107 | $380 | |
| $305 | $410 |  | +$105 | $350 | |
| $360 | $505 | | +$145 | $415 | |
| $285 | $453 | | +$168 | $379 | |
| $210 | $310 | | +$100 | $270 | |
| $195 | $326 |  | +$131 | $285 | |
 iPhone SE (3rd generation)best in the line: iPhone SE 3rd Gen (2022) | $75 | $100 | | +$25 | $87 |
| $320 | $379 | | +$59 | $380 | |
| $255 | $382 | | +$127 | $340 | |
| $175 | $263 | | +$88 | $195 | |
| $145 | $226 | | +$81 | $195 | |
| $210 | $280 | | +$70 | $255 | |
| $165 | $235 | | +$70 | $220 | |
| $120 | $165 | | +$45 | $145 | |
| $80 | $135 | | +$55 | $115 | |
| $40 | $71 | | +$31 | $55 | |
| $140 | $185 | | +$45 | $175 | |
| $125 | $150 | | +$25 | $130 | |
| $100 | $136 | | +$36 | $115 | |
| $85 | $140 | | +$55 | $130 | |
| $60 | $120 | | +$60 | $110 | |
| $75 | $85 | | +$10 | $75 | |
| $50 | $75 | | +$25 | $55 |
iPad
| Model | Apple, up to | Mail-in, up to | Buyer | Difference | Mail-in, good condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
iPad Probest in the line: iPad Pro 13 M5 Nano-texture Glass (2025) | $915 | $1,175 | | +$260 | $1,095 |
iPad Airbest in the line: iPad Air 13 M4 (2026) | $525 | $791 | | +$266 | $675 |
 iPadbest in the line: iPad 11 A16 11th Gen (2025) | $300 | $384 | | +$84 | $307 |
 iPad minibest in the line: iPad Mini 7th Gen (2024) | $340 | $406 | | +$66 | $365 |
Apple Watch
| Model | Apple, up to | Mail-in, up to | Buyer | Difference | Mail-in, good condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $430 | $350 | | −$80 | $320 | |
 Apple Watch Series 11best in the line: Series 11 GPS + Cellular | $200 | $325 | | +$125 | $285 |
 Apple Watch Series 10best in the line: Series 10 GPS + Cellular | $150 | $175 | | +$25 | $130 |
| $265 | $225 | | −$40 | $200 | |
 Apple Watch Series 9best in the line: Series 9 GPS + Cellular | $115 | $115 | | +$0 | $84 |
| $190 | $172 | | −$18 | $155 | |
 Apple Watch Series 8best in the line: Series 8 GPS + Cellular | $90 | $90 | | +$0 | $65 |
| $60 | $52 | | −$8 | $31 | |
| $65 | $54 | | −$11 | $38 | |
| $40 | $40 | | +$0 | $25 |
How these numbers are made
- Apple values: the "up to" figure per device on apple.com/shop/trade-in, recorded on November 7, 2026. Apple states these are estimates that depend on condition and configuration.
- Mail-in values: the highest offer any buyer compared on this site publishes for that device in the top condition tier, any storage or carrier, downloaded on November 7, 2026.
- Where Apple quotes one value for a whole line (iPad Pro, iPad Air), the comparison uses the best offer for any model in that line and names the model.
- Devices with no mail-in offer at the time of the build are left out rather than estimated.
Cite or link to this page:
Reuse the table with a link back. The CSV is updated with every rebuild of the site.
Trade Into Cash, "Apple Trade In vs Buyback Sites: Who Pays More on 48 Devices", https://tradeintocash.com/research/apple-trade-in-vs-buyback-sites/ (data as of November 7, 2026)Reuse the table with a link back. The CSV is updated with every rebuild of the site.