Aug. 6, 2012 at 2:42 PM ET
Samsung, in a smart marketing move, has figured out how to tempt you even more into buying one of its new phones: It's offering to take your old phone, no matter the make, in trade, and pay up to $300 for it.
The key wording is "up to" — and a quick check shows a wide disparity in pricing. For example, a 16 GB iPhone 4 will net you $165; a Samsung Exhilarate, $175, but a Motorola Droid 2 will fetch only $20.
There are services like Gazelle and NextWorth, of course, that will buy your old phone without making you get a new one. But the offer by Samsung — already the world leader in smartphone sales, according to IDC Research — is unusual for a manufacturer.
IDC noted in a recent report that Samsung "toppedthe 50 million unit mark and reached a new quarterly smartphone shipment recordin a single quarter ... What remains to be seen is how the company’s smartphoneswill fare against Apple's next-generation iPhone expected later this year."
The trade-in offer, available only through Samsung's Facebook page, lets you choose from these new devices: Samsung's hot new Galaxy S III, Galaxy II or the hybrid smartphone/tablet Galaxy Note.
Samsung says on the Facebook page:
Upgrading is simple. You'll get a quote, purchase a new Samsung smartphone, and mail in your old phone within 30 days. Then you'll get a check mailed to you for your refund. If you've already purchased a new Samsung smartphone, have the proof of purchase handy.
Also note the fine-print wording: "Trade-in refunds are subject to change until the order is submitted."
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