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I have an unused, approximately 1.5-year-old, iPad 2 (32Gig with 3G). It has a slight crack in one corner of the screen - it's noticeable but not a complete hindrance to anyone using it.

I've just obtained an iPad 3 and am trying to figure out what I can do with the old iPad 2. I was thinking of selling it (Ebay, Craigslist etc.) - but I was wondering what services Apple might provide to repair the screen beforehand, or provide a trade-up to a newer one at a low cost? What are folks' experiences? Is it worth attempting to do this before I sell it?

In case it's relevant, I'm in the UK.

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4 Answers

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Apple has only had a recycling service for iPods in the past and pushes all gift cards through their official Recycling Program.

My experience is that these sort of plans don't get you top dollar, but don't require you to take any risk or spend any time to sell your old product. You should be able to determine the repair pricing for most Apple products by contacting Apple Care or visiting a retail store to get a quote.

In this case, iPad glass isn't repaired other than at the manufacturing site - so all broken iPads go back for repair / recycle / refurbishment and you get fully tested / warranted (and potentially fully new) one in exchange.

Once you know this you can compare the repair cost with buy new cost with what you can sell it locally. Either way, this research will help you make a good sale in case the buyer has reservations - they too can always go to Apple and get a new battery, fixed screen, etc... for the repair price should they find your device not acceptable once they use it a while.

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Thanks. I tried the Recycling Program link online for the UK and they only offered me £30 (approx $50 US), which seems pretty low, even for that mode. At that rate I'll probably look at either getting it repaired or sell it through another route. – Andrew Ferrier Oct 2 '12 at 14:18
The only other option available online seems to be to send in the iPad for repair, which is a shame - I hoped there was a single-fee trade-in for a refurbed model. – Andrew Ferrier Oct 2 '12 at 14:22
You've summed up what the genius bar does in this case. Physically damaged iPads are single-fee exchanged for refurbed models with 90 days warranty (or the balance of the existing warranty - whatever is longer). – bmike♦ Oct 2 '12 at 14:27
bmike, great. Do you know if there's any way to find out what that fee is in advance or do I have to walk into the Genius Bar? – Andrew Ferrier Oct 2 '12 at 14:39
It's in the contact us setting from the answer. In the US there is a toll free number and I presume UK has phone support - so you could call AppleCare or see if they have web service in your country. – bmike♦ Oct 2 '12 at 15:16
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If you decide to sell it off, I've heard good things about Gazelle.com. Not sure if they will accept items from the UK though.

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Here's how the process of replacing the screen would go if you did it yourself, or paid someone to do it. Buy the glass (between $45-$60 USD) then use a heat gun to loosen the current glass being super careful not to overheat and destroy anything inside. There's about an 80% chance you'll damage the wifi antenna so go ahead and order that too ($5). It's because the antenna is glued to the glass and body, it takes a really steady and experienced hand to do this without damaging the antenna... Next you remove the battery and motherboard and unplug the digitizer(glass) and plug in the new one and reassemble... It will take you a few hours to do if you haven't done it before..

Where i'm at, there are shops advertising repair services, but they'll charge you $200 USD(minimum) to repair it.

If you want to do this yourself order the parts on amazon.com or ebay, use ifixit.com for the guide, but as someone who has done this many times.. i don't recommend it for a small crack like you described.. I'd sell it to a family member or friend who won't mind a slight discount due to the defect.

Given the difficulty of repair, you'll be ripped off by any company attempting to buy it from you, stick with ebay or craigslist.

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For what it's worth, in the end I sold the iPad on Ebay. I got almost £250 for it, even with the cracked screen.

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