Idea: Certified used Nokia
By Stefan Constantinescu on Monday, March 26th, 2007 at 2:50 AM PST In Ideas and rants
Imagine if Nokia (NYSE: NOK) could give you money off a new smartphone if you sent your old device in.
So what should Nokia do with all these old phones Stefan?
Take out the guts, slap it in a new case and sell them as a certified used Nokia.
BMW does the same thing with their cars.
Dream about :]
Nokia does not even fix my keypad unglued 5500 in Pakistan let alone take my phone and give me money off the next ooh btw , you can always sell your phone in Pakistan around 20 % less after a couple of months of use and get a new one .
For certified used Nokia who will buy the junk
While it’s a nice idea, Stefan, it already exists, sort of.
I have very seldom simply bought outright a new device. Typically I am upgrading from one to another, so I simply trade/sell my old one in order to get funds for the new one. I think the majority of people who are getting high-end S60 devices do the same.
You liken it to the BMW experience. I liken it to setups like GameStop. You can play a video game, then go trade it in to get a newer one. But have you ever done this? The amount they give you for your old game (supposedly incurring costs that eat into the profits) is seldom as much as you would think it’s worth. Same with cars, and I’d imagine it’s the same with cellphones.
Plus, how would they measure? I keep my phones in mint condition. Very rarely do they even have a scratch or a nick. However, the lifetimer is usually incredibly high, cause I use the hell out of my phone. What would they base my device’s trade-in value on?
I’d much rather see a better distribution chain in the ‘States than a certified-used program. But good thoughts.
I think that happens anyway through other channels. Look into those “mobile phone for charity” outfits. I believe they get the old phones as donations, clean them up and sell them in “emerging markets”. I don’t think there would be much market for them locally, as we get them free with a contract.