Update: The resolution? A confirmation email that my trade-in has been accepted. No other acknowledgement that anything out of the ordinary happened, but best possible outcome for me.

What happens when your iPhone trade-in doesn’t actually make it to Apple? It appears that I’m about to find out, but there seems to be a process for this situation.

This year I took advantage of Apple and T-Mobile’s $1000 trade-in promotion for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new phone promptly arrived on launch day, and the trade-in box arrived separately a few days later.

I used mail trade-in since I was pre-ordering the iPhone 15 Pro Max online. I’m not sure if in-store trade-in is an option for online orders, but the store is a bit of a trek if I can avoid the drive.

Anyway, it was actually nice having both phones for a few days versus trading devices immediately. There was no rush to make sure everything was set up right, and I could spend time comparing the new phone with the old one.

When the box arrived a few days later, I was more than ready to part ways with the old phone. Find My turned off, iPhone reset, safely packaged up, and box dropped off with FedEx.

Apple’s trade-in box included a prepaid shipping label, and I tracked the package long enough to see that it was picked up by the courier. After that, I didn’t think twice about it.

Then a week went by without any confirmation that the old iPhone made it to Apple’s trade-in partner. I checked the tracking number again, and it showed that it was delayed at the FedEx distribution center in my state. Agh.

I gave it a few more days before deciding it wasn’t going to resolve. FedEx helpfully confirmed that the package with my old iPhone in it was officially considered lost in their system. Gee, thanks for the heads up!

FedEx instructed me to inform Apple to file a claim since Apple created the shipping label. So I messaged Tim Cook with the link FedEx told me to give Apple and he said he’d handle it. Kidding, but Apple Support was helpful in taking my information and starting an investigation.

So what now? My initial thought was that I’ll be on the hook for the full price of the new phone, and it’s as if my iPhone 14 Pro was stolen. This isn’t the first time this has happened, of course, so I’m more optimistic about how it’ll go.

In fact, another T-Mobile customer who pre-ordered through Apple already had a similar experience. FedEx delivered their iPhone trade-in to Apple’s partner, but the box was empty. The investigation confirmed that the initial shipment weight was correct, and they aren’t losing the promo credit.

My situation varies a little since the box was completely lost while FedEx had it. Hopefully the outcome is the same. Moral of the story? FedEx should probably pay employees more. Also, doing trade-in through the mail is risky. Other products, like the Apple Watch, have to go through the mail, though.

Anyway, fingers crossed my situation is easily resolved. It’s a little stressful, but at least I know FedEx acknowledges the iPhone was lost on their watch.

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