Gazelle Now Offers Certified Pre-Owned Phones, Tablets

There are plenty of reasons to want (or need) a new smartphone or tablet. Sometimes you just want it, and other times it's based on need. Maybe you dropped your device, or junior dunked it in the sink. No matter what the reason, there's a new way to get a replacement device. Gazelle, a leader in the mobile device re-sale space, is introducing a Certified Pre-Owned program. Just like buying a car under the same pre-owned guise, these go through a detailed check-up before being offered to you.

The phones and tablets are run through a 30-point inspection to make sure the device is in tip-top shape. Once the device passes inspection, it's graded. So far, we're seeing a lot of "like-new" and "good" devices, which suggests anything that didn't do well during inspection wouldn't be offered up for this program.

The program has no contracts, either. You're simply buying a phone that has gone through rigorous testing to prove its worthwhile. If you get the device and it wasn't what you thought, no problem; there's a 30-day, risk-free return period for each Certified Pre-Owned device purchased via Gazelle.

Gazelle says there is a desire for a no-strings-attached option for snapping up gently used devices, and this pre-owned option is their answer to that. Rather than suffer the wait period for insurance to kick in, or wait to get a new phone until your carrier says you're eligible, you could now go pre-owned.

We've told you before about Gazelle's iOS trade-in prowess, and this program currently reflects as much. The iPhone and iPad are currently the only two devices listed in the program, which will change over time. The program reflects iPhones back to the iPhone 4, and up to the iPhone 5S. Each carrier is also well represented.

If you're staring at a device with a cracked screen (or whatever ails it), and your carrier is telling you there's a wait or big penalty for re-upping through them, Gazelle's Certified Pre-Owned program might be something you'll want to check out.