HTC EVO 4G resale value still strong before CTIA Wireless
The thought of selling your HTC EVO 4G may send shivers down your spine right now, but with the rumored HTC EVO 3D and almost-trademarked EVO View expected to make their debut at CTIA Wireless next week, you could end up selling it to the highest bidder sooner than you think.
Since most people currently using an EVO won't be eligible for a new phone until next year, the off-contract prices of the new devices will likely be of more interest than the new line pricing (unless you plan to add a line or sign up for a new account). And since you have to pay the full price when you buy a device off-contract, it's reasonable to assume that you'll probably need around $500 to get it. It could be more than that, depending on the specs, but half a grand is a decent estimate.
Fortunately, you can offset a significant amount of that by selling your EVO 4G. It makes sense since you won't be using it anymore and in most cases, you should be able to recoup what you spent when you first bought it. You'll probably be able to get the most for it on eBay (many current listings are past the $300 mark), though with the cost of shipping, all the eBay and PayPal fees, and the hassle of dealing with a buyer, selling it to a site like Gazelle.com may be a better option.
I've sold nearly $6,000 worth of gadgets to Gazelle (before my daughter came along, I used to be an avid gadget buyer) and have had nothing but positive experiences with them. If I were going to sell my EVO, that's the first place I'd go. As you can see from the screenshot at the top, their best offer as of today for an EVO in perfect condition is $200. Given that Sprint is still selling brand new EVOs for $199.99, more than 9 months after its release, I'd say that's more than fair. An EVO with average wear and tear (faint scratches and scuffs) will get you $179, which is still good.
What I also like about Gazelle is that they'll send you a free postage-paid box for all your stuff and if you choose to get paid by an Amazon gift certificate (one of the payment options), they'll give you an extra 5%.
If you're looking for another option when it's time to sell your EVO, then the official HTC Online Store is somewhere to consider too. They have a trade-in program in association with Flipswap that will let you apply the trade-in value of your old phone toward the purchase of a new one.
The EVO is only valued at $115 over there right now, which is rather low, but being able to buy and sell at just one place is certainly convenient.
Radio Shack sometimes accepts trade-ins too, and so does Best Buy (offer below).
Best Buy also has their Buy Back Program, though I think you'd need to be a time traveler to take advantage of it now. You could also sell it on Twitter, Craigslist, and countless forums that don't object to that sort of thing.
Let's see what happens to the EVO's value after CTIA.
