The $0.50 Per Week iPad Mini Rental

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iPad Mini - Not Actually a Rental Unit

iPad Mini – Not Actually a Rental Unit

The high resale value of Apple products has long been a compelling argument for the perceived premium — I remember reselling my Titanium Powerbook for ~80% of retail a year later so I could jump to the new Aluminum Powerbook. In contrast, the high-end Dell XPS laptop I bought at the same time fetched less than 40%.

The trend has continued into the mobile era — though instead of PCs we have Android devices, and instead of Macs we have iPads and iPhones.

I loved Judie’s post about the easy new method of selling tablets through eBay. After getting and using the iPad Air, I knew the iPad Mini had to go, so I used the method from the post, and in about 15 seconds had my listing.

Like Judie I was surprised when the listing suggested I could get as much as $290 for the iPad Mini – remember that it sold new for $329 when released and now sells new for $299.

But I was AMAZED as the bids quickly escalated and eventually got even more than the $290 suggested price. It is on the way to a happy new home now, but as I thought about the incredible price I got for the iPad Mini, something occurred to me.

I have owned the iPad Mini for 53 weeks, getting it on launch day last year. It has been used every single day; even though it is in great shape, it saw plenty of use.

But if you back out the usage rate:
– $30 difference between purchase and sale prices
– 53 weeks of usage

You get just over $0.50 a week. Let me repeat that – 50 cents per week to use an iPad Mini.

This is an absolutely stunning figure – and it contrasts very starkly with the amounts people are getting for the one-month old Kindle Fire HDX and similar other Android tablets. If I went to sell my Kindle Fire HDX ($269 for 32GB + $55 for Origami cover ~ $325), I would be lucky to get $250 – and it is less than a month old!

The resale of Apple stuff just continues to astound me … and it makes buying Apple products a no-brainer.

[Note from Judie — If you haven’t already checked out eBay’s new Simple Flow Tablet Selling Tool, what are you waiting for?]

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About the Author

Michael Anderson
I have loved technology for as long as I can remember - and have been a computer gamer since the PDP-10! Mobile Technology has played a major role in my life - I have used an electronic companion since the HP95LX more than 20 years ago, and have been a 'Laptop First' person since my Compaq LTE Lite 3/20 and Powerbook 170 back in 1991! As an avid gamer and gadget-junkie I was constantly asked for my opinions on new technology, which led to writing small blurbs ... and eventually becoming a reviewer many years ago. My family is my biggest priority in life, and they alternate between loving and tolerating my gaming and gadget hobbies ... but ultimately benefits from the addition of technology to our lives!

3 Comments on "The $0.50 Per Week iPad Mini Rental"

  1. Considering that you can get a brand new iPad mini for $299 straight from Apple right now, yes, someone certainly has no brains!

    Also, I hate to be a buzzkill, but you haven’t factored in eBay’s and PayPal’s cut, huh =P

    • Oh I know that stuff … but it is more about the big picture – and I think you already know that. 🙂

      • I know, I know… I only tease out of respect for GD.

        Seriously though, I’m scratching my head over whoever bought a used, out-of-warranty iPad mini (unless you bought AppleCare for it?) for the same price as a new one. I guess they either don’t pay attention to the news or REALLY don’t want to give any of their money to Apple.

Comments are closed.