iPhone listings rocket as Apple fans prepare for iPhone 5 launch
Gadget fans sell old models on eBay in preparation for the launch of iPhone 5
Date 20th September 2012
Brits are preparing to upgrade their iPhones en-masse this week by selling old models in favour of Apple’s latest offering. eBay, the UK’s biggest shopping destination, reports that listings of iPhones have increased by 122% in the last month, with listings of iPhone 4 models soaring by a staggering 223% as dedicated Apple devotees prepare to get their hands on the latest edition as soon as it hits the shelves.
The average eBay selling price of an iPhone 4S on eBay.co.uk is currently £413 per handset*. Savvy tech fans are cashing in on worldwide demand for Apple’s products by selling their current devices ahead of the imminent arrival of this latest must-have.
Prior to news of the iPhone 5’s release there was a steady stream of nearly 400 listings a day for iPhone 4S models on eBay.co.uk. Since the news of the iPhone 5’s arrival was announced on September 12th, the number of daily listings has increased by over 75%; with almost 4,000 iPhone 4S handsets listed for sale on eBay.co.uk in the last seven days alone.
Research by eBay found that 12% of sellers on the site sell their phone in order to upgrade to a newer model*2.
eBay spokesperson Laura Wilkinson says “Fans of the latest must-have tech products are becoming increasingly shrewd about selling previous models on eBay; smartphones in particular have seen a huge spike in listings in recent weeks. With eBay sale prices for iPhones consistently high, those looking to upgrade can easily sell an old phone in order to fund a new one.”
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Notes to editors
*eBay internal data based on the average eBay sale price of a black iPhone 4S 64gb
*2 TNS Consumer research ‘unused item’ carried out March 2012
*3 eBay internal data
eBay in the UK
- Founded in 1999, eBay.co.uk is the UK’s largest online marketplace, providing a platform for over 17 million unique visitors per month[1] to buy and sell new, unique and used items.
- There are around 60 million live listings on the UK site, which has tripled from 20 million in 2009.[2]
- One in two online buyers in the UK visit our site every month.[3]
- eBay.co.uk receives around as many visitors per month as London’s Oxford Street.[4]
- Nearly twice as many people visit eBay.co.uk every month than visit the UK’s four leading shopping centres in the same period.[5]
- eBay is consistently one of the most visited UK retail sites, with around a 15% share of total UK online shopping visits.[6]
- 190,000 registered businesses are currently trading on the site – up from 120,000 in 2009.
[1] Nielsen Netview March 2012
[2] eBay internal data (Daily Live Listing Count)
[3] Six out ten adults shop online (OECD report, The Future of the Internet Economy, 2012)
[4] London Oxford Street has on average 18.49 million visitors a month (Westminster City Council).
[5] Bluewater, 2.3 million average visitors a month; Lakeside, 2 million average visitors a month; Westfield Stratford, 3.87 million average visitors a month; Westfield London, 2.25 million average visitors a month. (Data from their own websites).
[6] Experian Hitwise August 11, 2012