MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Just about every day, someone like Jordan Kuusisto walks into First Tech in Minneapolis with an old iPad and walks out with a brand-new one.

Kuusisto got $175 for his trade-in to put toward a new $329 iPad mini. With a case, his final bill was $199.

Trade-Ins

Consider it like a used-car business for iPads. It’s been an increasingly popular trend, especially since the arrival of the iPad mini and iPad 4 two weeks ago.

People can sell their old goods at First Tech or on sites like craigslist. They can also head to any number of websites that sell and trade.

“It does have to be in working condition, no scratches, but the price depends on what the model is,” said First Tech marketing director Fred Evans.

At usell.com, a 32G iPad 2 would fetch $170. At Nextworth.com, they were offering $190 for the same product. And at Gazelle.com, they saw a 700 percent increase in iPad trade-ins as soon as the new iPads were announced.

“What this does is lower the prices on older model products and allows them to get into the emerging markets, similar to the iPhone,” said Gazelle.com’s Anthony Scarsella.

It’s a way to allow people to get the newest tech item without paying the full ticket price – a no-brainer to people like Kuusisto, who’ll likely keep on buying.