electronics retailer is tight with Microsoft. It's not surprising that Best Buy offered to exchange used Surface tablets for gift cards: The U.S. Gazelle's quotes were for the tablet and power supply only it will pay more if the seller throws in one of the Microsoft-made keyboard covers. Meanwhile, Gazelle now pays $287 for a 64GB Surface Pro and $353 for a 128GB Surface Pro and $131 for a 32GB Surface RT and $151 for a 64GB Surface RT. NextWorth, for example, currently offers $337.67 for a 64GB Surface Pro and $305.55 for a 128GB model and $138.50 for a 32GB Surface RT and $196.32 for a 64GB Surface RT.

They then resell them on eBay or in bulk to distributors in developing countries where demand is high but incomes are low. Other 're-commerce' vendors will also buy used Surface tablets, and unlike Best Buy, will return cash rather than what's essentially a credit toward future purchases.Ĭompanies like Gazelle and NextWorth specialize in buying used smartphones and tablets. When a customer clicks through to the trade-in estimation tool, the quoted values of the original Surface RT, the struggling tablet powered by a stripped down version of Windows 8, are lower than the $200 minimum the retail mentioned.Ī 32GB Surface RT in 'good' condition - the topmost available - will bring in just $150, according to the estimation tool, while a 64GB Surface RT was listed at $175.īest Buy did not immediately reply to questions early Friday, including ones about the contradicting minimum values.Ī used Surface Pro, the tablet that runs Windows 8 Pro and so can launch legacy Windows applications rather than just the 'Metro' tile- and touch-based apps, can bring in as much as $315 (for the 64GB model) and $350 (for the 128GB device). There's some confusing details on the Best Buy website, however.

Although Microsoft has iPhone and iPad buyback programs in place, it has not instituted one for its own Surface.īest Buy stepped in to do just that: According to its website, it will pay a minimum of $200 and a maximum of $350 'when you trade in your Surface tablet.' Payment is not in cash, but instead in the form of a Best Buy gift card that can be used for in-store and online purchases. Microsoft customers who purchased the original Surface tablets have begged the company to buy back their devices so that they can fund purchases of the new models week after next.

Surface pro at best buy