How to Upgrade to the iPad 2 on the Cheap

Apple is set to announce the next generation iPad on March 2, which means a lot of current iPad owners will be itching to upgrade. But do you really want to plunk down another $499 all over again?

I certainly plan on getting the new iPad and my wife has already expressed interest  in the new Apple tablet, even though we don’t know exactly what it’ll look like. The new iPad will almost certainly have a pair of cameras, which means we’ll be able to use Facetime and not have to switch to our iPhones to take snapshots or shoot quick videos. But there’s probably not going to be enough of a difference to justify plunking down more than $1,000 on a pair of new iPads. (You can read all about the new iPad 2 Rumors here)

So what’s the solution? We’re going to sell one or possibly both of our 32GB iPads to Gazelle.com. The service buys used gadgets, cleans them up and resells them. The service can be hit or miss in terms of the amount of money it offers for used gadgets. Fortunately, Gazelle is willing to pay $334 per 32GB iPad (WiFi) that’s in perfect condition and that has the AC adapter and USB cable. That’s only $165 less than what I originally paid for my iPad.

The 32GB WiFi iPad seems to be the sweet spot over at Gazelle right now. The iPad 64GB WiFi+3G costs over $800 new, but Gazelle won’t even pay half that right now.

I accepted Gazelle’s offer and had them send me boxes to ship the iPads off today. I did this knowing that Apple’s new iPad announcement is coming  next week, but not knowing the specifics. If I’m not pleased with what Apple has to announce, I don’t have to follow through and send Gazelle my iPad. I have 30 days from today to make up my mind.

If I do decide to follow through and sell my iPad to Gazelle it’ll mean I paid about $14 per month of iPad use. That’s not bad at all, especially considering I won’t have to deal with selling the tablet on eBay or Craigslist. My wife’s upgrade would be even less painful considering she received it as a business gift.

If you plan on selling your iPad to Gazelle or a similar service, I suggest acting quickly as trade-in values drop very quickly once new iterations of products are announced. Gazelle will send you a payment by check or PayPal. The company can also issue gift cards or donate the funds to charity.