Gazelle, the used electronics market, is ending its mail order program. In an email obtained by The Verge, the company says it will stop offering the service on February 1, 2021, which means that potential customers have until January 31 to obtain an old device if they want to take advantage of the exit program. After that date, Gazelle will continue to sell refurbished devices on its website. And if you plan to trade an old phone or iPad, you can still do so through your parent company, ecoATM, which operates kiosks in the United States. Competing services like Orchard will also remain an option.
According The Verge, Gazelle does not provide a reason for the change, but the current state of the US mobile phone market must have influenced the decision. In recent years, phone leasing has become incredibly popular, with operators and manufacturers offering their own idea. If you are the type of person who likes to have the latest iPhone model, there is no need to sell your current model to a company like Gazelle, when you can exchange it directly to Apple through the iPhone Update Program. iPhone and the traditional exchange program. Since 2017, Apple has also offered mailing options for the former, so it’s not like Gazelle’s departure is leaving a hole in the market.