Apple slashes price of 6S and 6S Plus by offering buybacks on its previous phones

Less than a month since the launch of the latest iPhone, Apple India has made an unprecedented decision to place a discount on the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in a buyback offer. The offer gives consumers a discount up to ₹ 34,000 to improve sales, according to a report by The Times Of India.

The iPhone 6S and 6 Plus were launched recently for a price ranging between ₹ 62,000 and ₹ 92,000. Sales of the new phone were lower than expected, showing a 15-20 percent decrease over the previous year. Not to mention last year's models--the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus--are cheaper by ₹ 8,500-9000.

Ingram Micro, one of Apple's iPhone distributors, has just started the buyback scheme in a couple of Apple stores in South India which will successively be taken to a national level.

The buyback offer of ₹34,000 on the new iPhones is against iPhone 6. Apple India will also buyback selected hi-end Samsung handsets. Retailers can upload details of the old handsets for the offer on a separate website made by Apple.

Since last week, the iPhones are being sold at a 7-11 percent discount on online shopping sites like Snapdeal, Amazon and Flipkart.

This is also the first instance when Apple and its distributors are going to buy back old models under a scheme to ensure that all transactions are genuine and reduce the burden of the retailer who can push sales further, said three senior trade partners of Apple India.

The discounts are aimed at helping the company accelerate adoption of their new phones, which is especially pertinent during the Diwali buying season.