Why Used Xbox, iPhone, and Macbook Sales Are Surging

https://www.businessinsider.com/used-xbox-iphone-macbook-sales-surging-2026-7

Publish Date: 2026-07-09 04:17:00

Angie Cardona-Nelson has been recycling tech waste and selling refurbished laptops, smartphones, and tech accessories for nearly two decades. When she lists laptops on eBay, they typically sit for a few weeks before someone buys. But in recent weeks, they’re selling in just hours at her full asking price, she says.

Costs of new tech devices are surging. In June, Apple announced it would raise prices on some Macs and iPads by 20 and 25%, respectively, making MacBook Pros jump by $300. The sticker shock followed Apple CEO Tim Cook’s warning that a shortage of memory chips amid the feverish AI buildout push would make higher costs “unavoidable.” Dell and Microsoft have hit the same pitfall; Microsoft’s Surface PCs now cost as much as $500 more than they did two years ago, and Xboxes will go up by about $150 later this summer.

“Because new tech is becoming more expensive, now consumers are just looking for value,” Cardona-Nelson says. Whereas shoppers used to be wary of scratches or cosmetic issues, they now want something affordable that works. “We are experiencing a fundamental shift on mindset for refurbishing.”

But there’s a cure to the sticker shock: a growing interest in secondhand tech devices. A poll of 2,600 US adults commissioned by CNET and conducted by YouGov found that nearly half said they had considered buying a secondhand tech product in the past year. Millennials and Gen Z were more likely to say they were open to a used tech device than older respondents.

The more costs from the AI race get pushed onto consumers, the trendier secondhand tech becomes.

“This is an unintentional advertising campaign for us,” says Lauren Benton, refurbished tech platform Back Market’s US general manager. “When Apple announces” a price hike, she says, “we immediately see the impact.” The day following Apple’s announcement, MacBook sales on Back Market jumped by 62% compared to the previous week, Benton says, noting that the purchases…

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