eBay has stated that customers are trading in their first and second generation iPads ten times more than they were last February, likely in anticipation of Apple’s release of its iPad 3. eBay said it received 125K tablet trade-in offers this month, 97.6% being iPads. These offers fall under eBay’s Instant Sale Program, which is different from its traditional auction service. Basically, sellers describe their item, eBay pays for the shipping, takes care of wiping the data on the device, and pays cash.

eBay says that since the inception of its Instant Sale Program, 7.3 million trade-in offers have been made. Though Apple devices make up the majority of the trade-ins, other electronics are accepted, like Blackberries and Playstations. eBay has ranked its top-traded gadgets:

Top Apple tablet models:
1. iPad 1 Wi-Fi + 3G AT&T
2. iPad 1 Wi-Fi only
3. iPad 2 Wi-Fi only
4. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G Verizon
5. iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G AT&T

Top non-Apple tablet models:
1. ViewSonic ViewPad 10 16GB
2. Motorola XOOM 32GB Wi-Fi
3. Asus Eee Pad Transformer 16GB
4. Acer Iconia Tab A500 16GB
5. Dell Streak 7 16GB Wi-Fi

It’s not surprising that more eBayers are trading in their iPads. With the release of the earlier generations, there had been shortages, adding weeks to availability. Apple sold about 32 million iPads last year, and the iPad 3 will surely maintain the popularity of the device.