New or Refurb for Eventual Resale?

[Martok]

My iPhone 2G recently took a swim in some water and I am looking to upgrade. I was going to wait until the "new iPhone" came out in the summer, but the situation has forced me to reconsider.

I am AT&T official and it is time for me to get a contract extension, so my question is: if my intent is to resell the 3G as soon as the new iPhone arrives, is the resale value significantly impacted if I buy a "Refurbished" vs a New 3G? and is it worth the $100 to go for the 16GB?

Thanks!

[cpjr]

Really no difference between "new" and "refurb".......16gb - all depends on how much space you need. I HAVE to have a 16er, so its worth it to me.

And you need to remember, as soon as the new phone arrives, the value of the old ones will go down.

[Martok]

Right, there would definitely be no difference to me. I don't need 16GB but I was thinking the resale value may be over $100 more than an 8GB. The iPhones (at least w/o contract) seem to hold their value somewhat even when a new iPhone comes out. The appeal of getting an iPhone without the hassles and commitment of a contract is worth a lot to some people. I've seen 2G iphones still selling for $150+ when a refurb 3G (on contract) is the same price.

I'm just trying to get a feel for what size/condition will give me the most final profit when I resell it.

[cpjr]

Well, a 16gigger 3g in white will give you the most resale value of any.

[Martok]

White, huh? I hadn't thought about the color mattering, thanks for the tip!

I'm guessing refurbished vs new doesn't matter too much as long as I keep it in good condition. I've heard that the quality between (official) refurb and new is often times indistinguishable.

[cpjr]

You cant tell a refurb from new.

And yeah white is more popular and rare, since it only comes in 16gb. Unlike the black which is 8 or 16.

[mike1114]

I always sell mine when the new one comes out.

Remember there are many countries that still cannot get the iphone 3g so they will still want it for a good price.

Understand you might not get 100% of you money back, but it helps suppliment the cost of the new one.

PS...i have sold two to people in other countries and they both sold for what I bought them.

[tate]

I bought a 16gb black iPhone about a month ago. I got the 16gb becuse I figured when I resold it to get a new one it would go for more. Thats when I saw that the white one went for more. But I didn't like the white one. Thats why I got the black one.

[cpjr]

^And of course it all depends on who is buying it....they may also like black better