College Kids Not Only Break the Bank but Also Break Their Phones

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Feb 14, 2014) - Have you ever suffered the horrible sinking feeling in your stomach when your phone flies out of your hand and splashes into the toilet or smashes to pieces on the ground? You're not alone. Today, Gazelle, the leading consumer electronics trade-in site, announced its annual Klutziest Places in America list. The list is compiled based on the percentage of broken devices Gazelle received from various regions throughout the country. This year's Klutziest City is College Station, Texas. 

"When you look at the data, it's not terribly surprising that the majority of places in the top 10 Klutziest Cities list are college towns," said Anthony Scarsella, chief gadget officer at Gazelle. "Also, since most broken phones we receive are water damaged, it's interesting to note that half of our top 10 cities are on the coast."

Here's a look at this year's Klutziest Cities compared to last year's.

Notable findings on Gazelle's Klutziest Cities include:

• Six of the top 10 Klutziest Cities are college towns, with Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ), University of North Carolina-Wilmington (Wilmington, NC), University of Florida (Gainesville, FL), Tulane University (New Orleans, LA) and Texas Tech (Lubbock, TX) all appearing on the list.
• New Orleans is the only city to carry over from last year's top 10. While the city technically dropped its position from second to ninth between 2012 and 2013, the overall percentage of broken devices from New Orleans increased.
• iPhones, especially older iPhones, like the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4, were the broken phones most frequently traded-in.
• The Samsung Galaxy S4 was the most traded-in non-iPhone cell phone, with more than a quarter (26 percent) of Galaxy S4 trade-ins described as broken.
• Between 2012 and 2013, Gazelle saw a 180 percent year-over-year increase in the number of broken devices traded-in.
• Also worth noting, July is the klutziest time of year, with broken phones comprising more than one-third of all phones traded-in during that month.

"Gazelle is dedicated to extending the lifecycle of devices while giving consumers cash for those unwanted items, even if they're broken. This is particularly helpful for college students, who are often cash-strapped and could use the extra $100 or more," added Scarsella.

Gazelle also announced the launch of its annual broken contest, inviting people to share their broken stories, for the chance to win $500. To enter the contest, and to read the rules and guidelines, visit http://ngx.me/aHwfk0.

Have a broken device at home? Check to see what your broken device can get you at www.gazelle.com.

About Gazelle
Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has paid out more than $150 million and accepted more than 1.5 million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.