There ’s nothing like the launching of a new iPad to fire up the marketplace for , well , oldiPads .

“ The trade - in market is sway , ” pronounce Dan Brauser , carbon monoxide - founder ofuSell.com , a search web site that helps users discover the best possible cost for older electronics they want to unload . And right now , he and other experts say , possessor of third - genesis iPads are trading in those tablets to prepare for — and pay for — Friday ’s launch of both the iPad miniskirt and the fourth - generation iPad .

“ For us it ’s the best time of yr , ” said Jeff Trachsel , CEO ofNextWorth , another trade - in website . “ We see huge spike in our business . ”

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If you ’re an Apple fan getting quick to buy one of the product hit stock on Friday , it ’s possible you do have an older tablet you ’re not quite sure what to do with . That ’s especially so in this guinea pig , when Apple ’s free not just one buttwonewiPads , just six months after the tablet ’s last revision .

Trading into a third - company reseller is one option , butthere are others :

•you’re able to return it to Apple or your wireless carrier : Apple features a Reuse and Recycling Program ; earlier this week , the programme was extend topay up to $ 260for a gently used , basic 16 GB Wi - Fi third - contemporaries iPad . ( That payoff — which comes in the bod of an Apple gift identity card , and not cold , severe cash — drops off for tablet with scuff , bread , and piddle harm . And if you ’re the kind of person who like to trade in your iPad every generation or so , it ’s best to cut the engraving if you want maximum resale time value . )

Verizon alsohas a trade - in programthat lets you get an online appraisal on your current iPad ; the company will devote you that value — about $ 190 for that basic third - gen iPad — in the course of a Verizon gift card . AT&T , meanwhile , has its owntrade - in programme ,   but the company will ask for your iPad ’s nonparallel number before giving you a quote on the gimmick .

•Give it by , give it away , give it away now : That iPad 3 , in particular , plausibly still has the newfangled - railcar smell on it , and if you ’re feeling generous , you might well make the 24-hour interval of that partner , baby , or serious protagonist who has been eye your tablet wistfully in recent month .

Before hand it off , though , you ’ll need to verify you strip the iPad of your own personal data . ( This is a must - do if you ’re sending it back to Apple or a third - party reseller , as well . ) Apple has some prettyclear direction on how to efface your iPad ’s retentivity and context . Just go to the preferences - > General - > Reset , and tap the Erase All Content and preferences button . You ’ll also want to ensure you ’ve backed up all the data on the twist first — either locally to iTunes or remotely to iCloud — so that you may restore it to your new iPad .

•And yes , there ’s still the craft - in market : There are deal of company willing to do the occupation online . Many resellers — among themNextWorth , Gazelle , YouRenew , and the venerableeBay.com — will lief pay to take your iPhone off your hands . Most of these companies were offering upward of $ 200 this week for the introductory Wi - Fi - only 16 GB third - propagation iPad .

But , as uSell ’s Brauser and NextWorth ’s Trachsel both warn , finding a reputable reseller online is n’t always the easiest job . Some companies , they say , will offer you a good price for your tablet online , but then claim it ’s in tough condition than expected when they pick up it , sending you a smaller - than - promised check as a result .

“ There ’s a lot of lure - and - change , ” Trachsel said .

NextWorth has tried to enhance its authenticity by partnering withTarget , the national retailer ; iPad owner can walk into Target store to trade their pill to NextWorth and get paid on the blot . uSell addresses the problem by evince substance abuser offer from several resellers , and express customer - satisfaction ratings for each .

It ’s also a good idea to do an online balk - up on the companies offering to bribe your iPhone to see which unity have good reputations and which have a string of unsatisfied client . part by checking with theBetter Business Bureau website .

If you are going to trade in your third - coevals iPad to buy one of the raw devices , though , you ’ll credibly want to act apace : Once the iPad mini and fourth - propagation iPad go on sales event Friday , the offering prices for the older modeling will likely decline reasonably quickly .

“ The sooner you may lock in a quotation mark , the better , ” Trachsel said . “ plainly , values slump over time . ”

And just what fall out to your quondam iPad when you resell it ? Some other favourable person sustain to purchase a cheap iPad .

“ There ’s a budding secondhand marketplace for all small consumer electronics decent now , ” Brauser enjoin . Like the iPad 3 , most devices are “ build to have a longer utilitarian living than what we ’re seeing consumers actually use them for … There ’s a lot of value that ’s left in that . ”