Wednesday, March 14, 2012

One More Thing

When Gamestop announced that they were accepting iPad trade-ins a while back, it seemed like something worth keeping an eye on.

In an unrelated note--at the time--someone e-mailed during one of the used game discussions and asked why publishers didn't just buy back old copies of their games from consumers--and destroy them.

The games, obviously, not the consumers.

They wouldn't be paying cash for the trade-ins, obviously. They would issue a gift certificate to buy other things from the publisher.

That seemed like an interesting way to cut the legs out from under Gamestop, really, but since publishers both hate and love Gamestop, it seemed unlikely. I can't remember if I mentioned it on the blog, but it was a very clever idea.

So take a look at this (thanks Engadget):
Eyeing the iPad 3, but have yet to take the pre-order plunge? Per The Next Web, your patience is about to be rewarded as Apple's updated its Reuse and Recycling program, which means owners of iPad 2s in "good condition" can sling them back to their maker in exchange for an Apple Store gift card. How much the mothership will subsequently send back naturally varies on what iPad 2 you've got -- ranging anywhere from $205 for the base 16GB WiFi model, all the way to $320 for the most capacious 64GB WiFi + 3G variant.

Just out of curiousity, I checked Gamestop's trade-in prices for iPads. For the "16GB WiFie model", they offer $250, but for the "64GB WiFi + 3G", it's $340. So at the high end, Gamestop is only offering $20 more than Apple.

Apple gets to take the iPad out of circulation, and in exchange, the customer gets an Apple Store gift certificate.

I'll check those Gamestop trade-in prices in a few days.

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