Why You Should Sell Your iPad 2 Now [CHART]

Apple hasn’t yet confirmed the existence of the iPad 3, but first and second-generation iPad ownersare already rushing to sell their devices based on reports that the iPad 3 will debut in March.

Why the rush? Consumers who sold their original iPads before the iPad 2 was announced were able to fetch higher prices from eBay, and resellers such as Gazelle and NextWorth, than those who waited to list theirs until after the iPad 2 arrived in stores.

[More from Mashable: Google Caught Tracking Safari Users: What You Need to Know]

For example: in March 2011, immediately after the announcement unveiling the iPad 2, my colleagueChristina Warren and I were able to sell our 32GB iPads on Gazelle for around $550 each. But just hours later, the asking price had dropped to the $300 range.

Here's a chart, courtesy of NextWorth, that shows the drop in secondhand iPad prices around the time of the iPad 2 launch on eBay:

[More from Mashable: iOS 5.1 Will Add Japanese Siri Support, New Lock Screen [REPORT]]

Thus, if you're certain you want to upgrade to the iPad 3, you might want to sell your used iPad now.

And if you're not that impressed with the iPad 3? You could still pick up another secondhand version for a lot less money on eBay in a few weeks.