Trading provider Gazelle left the online trading business in February, and now the company says it is changing its mind. Gazelle is back to accepting online exchanges of iPhones, Samsung phones, Google Pixel devices and iPads and other tablets on its website, the company confirms the The Verge. The program again accepted new offers on April 5, said a Gazelle representative.
“Earlier this year, we announced that we will no longer offer our exchange option on Gazelle. After careful analysis, including feedback from customers like you, we decided to keep Gazelle Trade-In up and running. Today, we are pleased to say, ‘We are back, baby!’ ”, Says the email Gazelle sent to potential customers and shared with The Verge. “Gazelle Trade-In is a pioneer in the e-commerce space and we are happy to continue building our legacy, offering a simple process and immediate payments for these unwanted devices.”
Gazelle has emerged as one of the leading trading providers of the smartphone era. But its business model did not do so well when the mobile phone business in the United States underwent major changes, moving away from two-year contracts and direct device purchases and toward phone leasing and operator exchange programs and device manufacturers like Apple’s.
Gazelle announced in December last year that it would end its online telephone exchange program on February 1, 2021, although the company said at the time that it would continue to operate its face-to-face exchange kiosks through the parent company ecoATM. Gazelle confirmed in the email sent to customers that it will not bring back its rewards program. “We will continue to assess market conditions and inform you if that changes,” says the email.