Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone
First-Gen iPhones rise steadily in price
This Business Week article describes the rising demand for first generation iPhones. "Shelf prices" (using eBay values of virtual shelves) for the 16GB iPhone are currently at about $600, and $500 for 8GB models. In other words, the $250 AT&T refurb specials from March are now worth roughly double what you paid for them.
From easy-unlocking to contract-free usage to eco-consumerism, consumers are looking for those original units and paying premium prices to get them. A majority of phones are heading outside the US for resale while growing demand at home keeps resale prices high.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
narcema said 6:59PM on 9-03-2008
there was no 16GB first-gen iPhone
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Warbrain said 7:12PM on 9-03-2008
Yes, there was. They added the model (not sure when) but it exists. Trust me.
David said 7:08PM on 9-03-2008
lol.. I own a 16GB 1st gen iphone, and I love it.
SneAKz said 7:08PM on 9-03-2008
Douche, yes their was.
caleb said 10:16AM on 9-04-2008
Being wrong doesn't make you a douche. Tone it down dude.
Kevin Song said 12:58PM on 9-04-2008
Grammatically, it should be "is" not "was". There still is a 16GB first-gen; they did not disappear. Does that make you a douche? Of course not. Now calm down, folks. :)
SaNcTuS said 7:19PM on 9-03-2008
damn! I sold my 1st-Gen for 200 bucks...I gotta go look for the kid I sold it to and offer a refund!
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mark said 7:27PM on 9-03-2008
And I'm sitting on 3, 1st gen iPhones. Pay up suckers!
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alansky said 7:34PM on 9-03-2008
There was also a 4 GB first-gen iPhone, which works as well as any other iPhone. Just doesn't hold as much stuff.
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Dan said 7:45PM on 9-03-2008
I put my 8g first gen on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $485. It sold in less than an hour. I offered it locked (with a year of Applecare left on it) or unlocked. I'd never unlocked a phone before, but the instructions I found online were clear and it took me less than fifteen minutes to do.
The guy who bought it told me that he sends them right to China, where they sell for double what he bought mine for. I didn't feel bad at all; that's business!
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Rob said 8:10PM on 9-03-2008
This is so true! I found out the hard way how much these original iPhones are goin' for when for a couple of weeks last month I tried bidding for 16GB models on eBay.
NOT ONE of the iPhones I bid on ultimately sold for less that $550. Not one. Some were WAY more. It was insane!
I finally gave up. It just wasn't worth 600 bucks for a first-gen iPhone to me.
I am now the proud owner of a 16GB iPod Touch, and lovin' every minute of it! ;-)
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Derelict said 8:30PM on 9-03-2008
So, mine has a cracked screen, which Apple charges 250 bucks to fix. R you all telling me its worth fixing, then selling?
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Byran Newell said 9:20PM on 9-03-2008
I wonder how much I can get for my cracked, for-some-inexplicable-reason not working iPhone 1G.
The prices are a little ridiculous though- it seems that people want them because they're unlocked, but I just bought a 16GB unlocked iPhone 3G off of eBay from Singapore for just a few hundred more than the 1G. If people would only think... well, damn- a lot of things'd be different, huh?
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Curtis said 9:53PM on 9-03-2008
Is it still possible to get one, and make it a prepaid contract? And do it that way, like a long time ago when they first came out. (1 gen)
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tim said 10:04PM on 9-03-2008
I just sold my 1st gen 4GB for $280 to a local. It had a cracked screen and was a little battered. The touchscreen worked fine. I am now the proud owner of a 16GB iPhone 3G!
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emil said 10:06PM on 9-03-2008
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/09/whither-the-1-0-iphone-resale/
:)
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Jim Danner said 4:00AM on 9-04-2008
While you're reading that post, check out my calculation in the comments section: http://www.tuaw.com/2008/06/09/whither-the-1-0-iphone-resale/4#c12585892
The $500 estimate was pretty good, I think...
Matt said 10:56PM on 9-03-2008
Amazing. Its incredible I was lucky enough to buy an 8 gig iPhone off eBay for $300 flat.
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adam said 11:45PM on 9-03-2008
Yup... my unlocked 4GB just sold at auction today for $375+ shipping... to Poland. (and from someone who actually had positive feedback, hurray!)
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Andrew said 12:26AM on 9-04-2008
TUAW: "A majority of phones are heading outside the US for resale..."
According to this report (from April) there are over 250,000 iPhones in use in Russia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSKb8qaFKn8
And according to this one, Apple considers Russia a part of Europe and so the unlocked price will probably be around $900...so demand for 1G iPhones will probably remain high and thus the prices for them will remain high.
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