Gazelle Review 2025: How Much I Earned Selling a $145 Phone

Saving money on gazelle review much earned does not have to be complicated. We rounded up the essentials so you can spend less and skip the guesswork.

Key Takeaways

• Gazelle Review 2025: How Much I Earned Selling a $145 Phone I secretly purchased a phone from Gazelle and sold it back to them that same day...
• Here's how the buyback site works and how much they paid me for my device.
• Written by Ben Huber Last Updated: December 26, 2024 Reviewed by Jeff Proctor Home Side Hustles Some of the links on DollarSprout point to p...

Gazelle Review 2025: How Much I Earned Selling a $145 Phone

I secretly purchased a phone from Gazelle and sold it back to them that same day. Here's how the buyback site works and how much they paid me for my device.

Written by Ben Huber Last Updated: December 26, 2024 Reviewed by Jeff Proctor

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Carrier promotions or manufacture-specific trade-in programs almost always the best bang for your buck when it comes to buying a new cell phone. Bring in an old phone, get a , frequently generous , credit toward a new one.

Unfortunately, these programs are typically limited in what models they’ll accept, especially if the device is damaged in some way. If a carrier or manufacturer won’t accept your phone in its current state, the next logical step is to look at buyback sites like Gazelle, Buyback Boss, and Swappa.

To that end, I secretly purchased a $145 iPhone from Gazelle and immediately sold it back to them to get a feel for the condition of their products and their trade-in process.

Here’s how much I earned selling back the phone, the pros and cons of the process, and how their payouts compare to similar cash-offer platforms we’ve reviewed.

Key Takeaways

Gazelle offers a convenient alternative to trading in your used phone, iPad, or Macbook with a mobile service provider or device manufacturer. Simply input your device details, get an instant cash quote, and ship the item (for free) to their receiving center. If it passes inspection, you'll receive payment within 1 to 14 days depending on the payout method you selected.

Pros

 Device arrived in 2 business days. 

 Discount codes are simple to find.  

  Higher offer than competitors.  

 Free shipping on device trade-in. 

 Received 100% of quoted value. 

 Received payment within 24 hours of inspection.

Cons

 Frequently receive Revised Offers. 

 Lower value than carrier trade-ins. 

 Fewer cosmetic conditions to choose from [than some competitors]. 

 Fewer payout options [than some competitors]. 

Verdict

• User Interface: 4.0 out of 5 stars
• Cost (Purchase): 4.0 out of 5 stars
• Payout (Sell): 4.5 out of 5 stars
• Fees: 4.5 out of 5 stars
• General User Experience: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Total: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Buying and selling a phone with Gazelle met or exceeded the expectations set by working with similar sites in this space.

On the purchase side, the phone that I bought -- an iPhone 8 64GB (unlocked) -- was advertised as in Excellent condition and duly arrived in pristine condition; not a single scratch or defect was noted. While most users cite similarly positive experiences buying devices from Gazelle across Reddit and other aggregated review sites, notable complaints revolve around refurbished products having poor battery health (80% or less), or more aesthetic issues than buyers were led to believe.

Source: Trustpilot

On the sell side, things went as well as I could have expected. I entered the phone's details, and actually described the condition as "Lightly used" as a conservative measure. I utilized the 10% offer bonus found in my original purchase box, and ultimately received the full Offer value I was originally advertised ($79) within 24 hours of the device being checked in.

While I would rate my personal experience using Gazelle at 4.5 out of 5 stars, I have reduced their overall review rating to 4.0 stars based on the frequency for which other Gazelle users cite receiving Revised Offers that aren't commensurate with the objective condition of the device that was sent in.

This seems to be a recurring theme among buyback sites and is not unique to Gazelle. While users frequently tend to knowingly [or unknowingly] overinflate the condition of their device, there do seem to be instances in which users have objectively documented the condition of their respective device prior to submission, only to receive a Revised Offer citing condition downgrades that seem unfairly applied.

Gazelle does offer a Reinspection feature, so be professional, courteous, and straight to the point if you feel your offer has been incorrectly revised.

Show MoreShow Less Jump to Section show Key Takeaways Pros Cons Verdict Is Gazelle Legit? How Gazelle Works Buying Selling Condition Guide Getting Paid Tips for Earning the Most Gazelle Alternatives Swappa Buyback Boss Gazelle Review Summary

What Is Gazelle?

Gazelle.com, launched in 2008, has become a prominent online platform for buying and selling pre-owned electronics.

Specializing in devices like iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, Gazelle offers a secure, user-friendly process for shoppers to purchase certified pre-owned devices or sell their unwanted electronics for cash.

The company puts all devices through a comprehensive 30-point inspection, aiming to equip buyers with high-quality refurbished products. Gazelle’s stated commitment to reducing electronic waste has made it a go-to destination for environmentally conscious tech users looking for cost-effective solutions.

Is Gazelle Legit?

Gazelle is considered a legitimate, safe, and reliable option for selling electronics. While its parent company Outerwall, Inc. is not BBB accredited, Gazelle generally maintains a positive reputation on platforms like Trustpilot, where it has received a rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars based on 6,320 customer reviews.

This indicates a high level of customer satisfaction and trust in their services. Gazelle’s commitment to customer satisfaction is further evidenced by their active engagement with customer feedback on these platforms (they have responded to 98% of negative reviews).

How Gazelle Works

Gazelle breaks down the selling and buying process into a few simple steps.

Buying

Buying from Gazelle is simple. First, you’ll click under the “Purchase” button on the home page which shows you a listing of devices they have for sale.

You can also search for a specific model and brand or choose to look at what options there are in your cost range. After you put in your search criteria, you’ll see the full listings of purchasing options, along with which carrier the phone is connected to.

Because Gazelle reviews and verifies all its phones to make sure they’re both as described by the seller and not stolen, you can feel comfortable choosing a model. If you want to return a device, you can do so within 30 days. Gazelle will give you a prepaid shipping label, but it’ll charge a $15 restocking fee.

🔍 Reviewer’s Note:

Purchasing a used certified pre-owned device was quick and simple.

I intentionally chose a phone in “Excellent” condition to determine whether or not the advertised condition subjectively met my expectations. In my one-time anecdotal experience, it did. The devic

Final Thoughts

Before you check out, double-check gazelle review much earned against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.

Originally published at dollarsprout.com.