Gazelle sees Samsung resales jump 50 percent post-verdict
updated 08:35 pm EDT, Tue August 28, 2012
Samsung phone prices drop 10 percent due to supply
Device resale site Gazelle is citing Apple's $1.05 billion patent suit victory over Samsung as a main driver behind an increase in Samsung phone resales. Executives at the gadget reseller tell MarketWatch that the three days since the verdict have seen a 50 percent increase in Samsung phones traded in. The site's officers believe the trend will continue, as owners of some Android-powered phones may be skeptical as to whether their phones will be able to retain key features in light of Apple's patent victory.
Gazelle notes that Android phones already have a lower resale value than do iPhones. The 16GB iPhone 4S currently sells for as much as $300 on some resale sites, while the Samsung Galaxy S II sells for $90. Gazelle says that the influx of Samsung phones over the last three days has driven their resale price down 10 percent as supply has increased.
Samsung has already acquiesced to modifying some of its phones' functionality in order to make sure they do not infringe on Apple's patents. This could include the removal of some user interface aspects for some models, while other models may require outright hardware redesigns. Apple, for its part, has already named eight Samsung phones it wants to see banned from US markets in light of the verdict.
Gazelle expects that the legal fallout will see Android product resales continuing to increase, as users may be fearful that their phones will lose features like pinch-to-zoom or certain app layouts.
