Press Releases

 Gazelle, the leading consumer electronics website and a Boston-based company, today announced the start of a donation drive to give consumers another way to donate to the victims of the Boston Marathon attack.

Who: Gazelle, with all proceeds to benefit The One Fund Boston, the victims' relief fund established by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

What: Consumers can trade-in their used devices on Gazelle.com and donate the value of those devices to The One Fund. In addition to the value normally paid to consumers, Gazelle will donate 100% of profits from the resale of those devices to The One Fund. Eligible devices include any item that can normally be sold to Gazelle, including used iPhones, other high-end smartphones, iPads, iPods and Apple computers.

Where: Consumers can trade-in their used devices on www.gazelle.com/donate to donate.

When: Throughout the month of April 2013.

Why: As a Boston-based company, Gazelle wants to help those in our community impacted by the horrific events of this week. Gazelle's research suggests that roughly half of Americans have an unused smartphone sitting in their homes. This creates an opportunity for consumers to generate a meaningful impact without having to spend cash by donating electronics through Gazelle.

For more information, visit www.gazelle.com/donate

About Gazelle Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

 Gazelle, the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, today announced it has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy in support of Earth Month 2013. Gazelle will contribute $1 from every trade received throughout the month of April to The Nature Conservancy's "Plant a Billion Trees" campaign, with a minimum contribution of $25,000.

"The Nature Conservancy is committed to protecting the lands and waters on which all life depends. Brazil's Atlantic Forest is facing unprecedented challenges due to urban expansion, agriculture, ranching and illegal logging," said João Campari, director for the Atlantic Forest and Central Savannas program of The Nature Conservancy. "The funds raised with Gazelle will help advance our restoration work in critical headwaters of the Atlantic Forest, helping to secure clean water for a growing population."

One of the challenges associated with a growing population is the growing number of old and unwanted consumer electronics. In a survey conducted by Gazelle, more than 50 percent of respondents reported putting unwanted gadgets aside, usually in a drawer or closet, instead of selling or recycling them. According to the EPA, there are more than 10 billion pounds of consumer electronics in storage in U.S. homes*, equating to approximately 87 pounds per household.

"Reuse is core to Gazelle's business and has an even greater impact than recycling on perpetuating a sustainable lifestyle," said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle. "The number of unwanted mobile devices is expected to outnumber the global population by the end of this year. By educating consumers about the opportunity to extend the lifecycle of their unwanted devices, we can not only protect the environment, but also help people around the world gain access to cutting-edge technology. Add in the opportunity to earn cash and there really isn't a good reason for people to hold on to their old electronics."

Every trade-in during April will help support the restoration of Brazil's Atlantic Forest to protect fresh water and clean air, pollinate crops and provide food and shelter for millions of people, plants and animals. Through "Plant a Billion Trees," The Nature Conservancy is working to reforest 2.5 million acres and connect more than 12 million acres in new forest corridors. More information is available at www.nature.org/plantabillion.

The work with The Nature Conservancy is the latest activity from Gazelle for Good, a Gazelle program to promote global sustainable technology consumption and give back to the community.

For more information on Gazelle, visit www.gazelle.com.

*Source: 2009 EPA Statistics on the Management of Used and End-of-Life Electronics

About Gazelle Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

Gazelle is a trademark of Gazelle, Inc., registered in the U.S.

 Hey there America, we’ve been watching you. Gazelle, the nation's leading trade-in site for high-end consumer electronics, has been keeping tabs on the condition of your traded-in phones, to see which cities in America are the klutziest. We calculated the percentage of phones sent in that were cracked, dented or water-damaged to compile our list. Congratulations to our friends from the South, home to six of 10 cities to make our list. Led by Tallahassee, Fla., the South sent us the largest percent of broken or damaged phones. New York was the only state to represent two cities on the list, Bronx and Staten Island. And to our friends out West, you either baby your phones, or you just haven’t been living enough. Your region was the least likely to send us a phone in bad condition.

 

Let’s take a look at who made our Top 10 Klutziest Cities list, based on the percentage of broken or damaged iPhones Gazelle received:

 

Rank

City

Percentage of Phones Traded in That Are Broken

1

Tallahassee, Fla.

21.29%

2

New Orleans, La.

21.12%

3

Bakersfield, Calif.

20.63%

4

Bronx, N.Y.

19.88%

5

Virginia Beach, Va.

19.23%

6

Oklahoma City, Okla.

18.9%

7

Memphis, Tenn.

18.68%

8

Baton Rouge, La.

18.44%

9

Staten Island, N.Y.

18.16%

10

Boston, Mass.

18.13%

 

“They may be klutzy but they are also smart since these are the people who are trading in their broken iPhones for cash,” said Sarah Welch, Gazelle’s chief marketing officer. “Many people are not aware that there is significant value in their unwanted electronics, even broken smart phones. These savvy consumers know they can fetch over $100 for a broken iPhone to help pay for a replacement.”

 

Since keeping a phone intact is a universal problem, we’re also announcing our “Broken Phone Stories” contest. By uploading a photo or submitting a story about how they broke their phone, consumers will have a chance to win a brand new phone of their choosing.

 

The contest starts today, February 27, 2013, and runs until April 10, 2013. Each week of the contest, one new winner will be chosen and receive a brand new phone from Gazelle. Winners will be announced on April 15, 2013. For more details on Gazelle’s “Broken Phone Stories” contest, please visit: Gazelle’s Facebook Page. You can also view the complete list of rules and eligibility requirement here, in order to qualify.

 

About Gazelle

Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners. 

Gazelle is a trademark of Gazelle, Inc., registered in the U.S.  iPhone and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Gazelle is not affiliated with Apple.

 Families may not have to look very far to find extra cash for the holiday shopping season. A recent survey conducted by Gazelle, the nation’s leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, showed nearly 50 percent of respondents are sitting on extra cash from their unwanted consumer electronics and don’t even know it.

 

The survey, completed through Google with more than 1,500 respondents, illustrated that more than one-quarter (27 percent) of American households have a relatively new (less than three years old) laptop or desktop computer they are no longer using, and nearly 20 percent of respondents have an unwanted iPhone or Android device.

 

In the last year, Gazelle paid out an average of nearly $400 for a used Apple® desktop or laptop computer. Additional popular items Gazelle paid for over the course of the last year, along with the average value, include:

·      iPads - $235

·      iPhones - $134

·      Android phones - $81

·      BlackBerry phones - $64

 

“Everyone feels the crunch of the holiday season yet many consumers don’t realize they could easily have cash in their pockets by selling their unwanted consumer electronics,” said Sarah Welch, chief marketing officer, Gazelle. “What surprised us most from the survey is the sheer number of people that are sitting on relatively new consumer electronics they no longer use.”

 

Some additional data points from the survey illustrate that consumers are becoming more tech savvy than ever, wanting the latest and greatest as soon as it’s available. As a result, unwanted consumer electronics that are less than three years old are becoming increasingly more frequent in the early adopter age groups:

·      More than 12 percent of respondents ages 18-24 report having an unwanted iPhone less than three years old.

·      More than 15 percent of respondents ages 25-34 report having an unwanted iPhone less than three years old.

·      More than 15 percent of respondents ages 35-44 report having an unwanted Android phone less than three years old.

 

About Gazelle Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

 

Gazelle is a trademark of Gazelle, Inc., registered in the U.S. Apple is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Gazelle is not affiliated with Apple.

Gazelle, the nation’s leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, today announced it has deployed CheckMENDTM, a cutting-edge tool designed to more accurately detect potentially stolen goods, including smartphones, tablets and computers. Developed by ReciperoTM, the largest U.S. consumer electronics background report service, CheckMEND compiles data from all major wireless carriers and law enforcement entities across the country (including the FBI), providing the most complete database of devices available. Gazelle is the first consumer electronics trade-in site to deploy CheckMEND and collaborate with Recipero to tailor the product to address the growing incidences of consumer electronics theft.

With the proliferation of high-end consumer electronics theft, the introduction of the CheckMEND tool comes at a good time. In fact, New York City’s Police Commissioner recently reported that Apple products represent more than 40 percent of stolen property in the city and San Francisco police report that nearly half of all robberies in the city in the past year have been cell phone related. 

“We are dedicated to providing the best customer experience possible, and part of that promise is to protect each customer’s personal data,” said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle. “We always take security very seriously. With the CheckMEND deployment, we’re taking this to a new level, committing not only to the protection of a customer’s personal data when we receive the device, but also going the extra mile to ensure that any devices we accept are being sold by the rightful owner, thereby discouraging and preventing the theft of consumer electronics.” 

Recipero makes it possible to do a more thorough screening by checking a vast set of carrier and law enforcement sources for a much broader set of consumer electronics. With CheckMEND, Gazelle can now compare each inquiry against more than 150 billion records of information, including more than 50 billion items.

For more information on Gazelle’s CheckMEND tool, visit www.gazelle.com.

About Gazelle Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

Gazelle is a trademark of Gazelle, Inc., registered in the U.S. CheckMENDTM is a trademark of ReciperoTM.