Hello everyone! This time I bring you a special unboxing - Google's official "trade-in" box (Google Trade-in Kit). This thing may be common in the United States, but you can hardly see the real picture on the domestic Internet. In order to satisfy my curiosity and share it with everyone, I deliberately shipped it back from the United States and paid extra postage for it. At the same time, I will also share the twists and turns of this box, about my purchase of Google Pixel 9A and an iPhone 13, as well as the experience of overseas shopping, shipping, customs clearance and tax payment.
1. Unboxing the Google Trade-in Kit
The design of this packaging box is quite environmentally friendly and clever.
- Appearance and composition: A flat cardboard box containing instructions ("Start Here") and a foldable cushioning liner.
- Usage process (based on the instructions and structure):
- Back up the data on your old phone and turn off functions such as “Find Phone”.
- Place your old phone (or watch) in the included paper bag.
- Place the paper bag containing the device into the cushioning liner retaining groove of the packaging box.
- The packaging box has three special sealing strips for sealing.
- Attach the pre-made mailing label (with address and tracking info), and you're ready to ship.
The reason I went through the trouble of shipping this box back was that I couldn't find any actual photos of it after searching the entire web. I wanted to find out what it was like and see if there was a chance to save on the cost of purchasing a device in the future by taking advantage of Google's trade-in policy in China.
Pixel 9A and the abortion of the trade-in program
Initially, my plan to buy a Google Pixel 9A (priced at $499) was to trade in a Pixel 8 Pro (128GB), which I expected to get a discount of about $400. Considering that the price of a Pixel 8 Pro (128GB) on eBay is about $300, this operation can save a net $100. However, after contacting several eBay merchants, they were unwilling to assist in the trade-in process, and coupled with other busy matters, this plan was eventually shelved.
3. Purchase of iPhone 13 (Total Wireless Edition)
In addition to the Pixel 9A, I also bought an iPhone 13.
- Purchase channels and prices: Purchased through Total Wireless, it costs $$165, which includes three months of a $$55/month call plan.
- Unlock Policy: The phone is locked when purchased, but it will automatically unlock after 60 days of online use.
- Purchase motivation:
- Cost-effectiveness considerations: When purchased around April 20, although Metro carriers had lower prices ($49 phone + $75 package = $124, and even $0 phone + $75 package), Metro's unlocking period was as long as one year. Considering that the iPhone 13 has been released for several years and its value has depreciated more after one year, Total Wireless's 60-day unlocking is more attractive.
- Personal needs: My previous phone was an iPhone XS Max (4G), and I hope to upgrade to an iPhone that supports 5G networks. The iPhone 13 is one of Apple’s first models to support 5G.
IV. The “blood and tears” of overseas shopping transshipment and customs clearance
- Forwarding company selection: The shipping company I used before took 40 days to ship Pixel 9, which was a bad experience. This time I randomly chose a company calledTransfer help” (Zhuansongbang) transport company (I chose it just after seeing the advertisement, very casually).
- Pitfalls: Because I placed the order in the early morning, I was not sober and bought the Pixel 9A and iPhone 13 Put in the same packageThis is the electronic product purchased overseas.Big tabooAccording to regulations, if a package contains multiple electronic products with a value of more than RMB 2,000, there may be a risk that one of the products will be destroyed (only one product is allowed for personal use).
- Crisis Management: After the package arrived in China on May 6, FedEx informed me that I needed to destroy one of my phones. At that time, the shipping fee (two phones + packaging) had cost nearly $100, and I was devastated. Finally, with the help of a customs clearance company on Taobao, I spent an additional ￥680 RMB to successfully save the two phones.
- Tariff situation:
- The import tariff on mobile phones is still 13%.
- Principle of origin: The origin of Pixel 9A (manufactured in China/Vietnam/India) and iPhone (mainly manufactured in China) is not the United States, so they are not affected by the US tariffs on China.
- The total customs duty I paid for these two mobile phones was RMB 528, which is basically in line with the tax rate of 13% (based on the price declared by the customs clearance company, which may be slightly different from the actual purchase price, but is generally consistent).
All in all, the total cost of purchasing these two phones and shipping the Trade-in Kit back was far more than expected, which made me feel "heartbroken". But being able to see the real Google Trade-in Kit was also a small sense of accomplishment.
5. Follow-up and Outlook
I will make a separate video later to share detailed purchase tutorials for Pixel 9A and iPhone 13 (total wireless). I also hope to discuss with you whether there is a way to take advantage of Google's trade-in policy in China and buy a new phone at a more favorable price.
