eBay’s (News - Alert) Instant Sale section has seen a huge jump in tablet offers — at least 125,000 units — in the days leading up to the iPad 3 launch on March 7. According to the auction company, the number of tablets is 10 times larger than the number of offers that eBay received in the run-up to the launch of the iPad 2.

The boom in tablet trade-ins will greatly benefit those who are interested in dipping their toes into the tablet market but are hesitant to pay the iPad 3’s hefty price tag (News - Alert). Those who opt for a used iPad 2, for instance, will still have a very solid device for less. More experienced tablet connoisseurs, however, seem very eager for the iPad 3, despite Apple’s (News - Alert) tight-lipped ways that have revealed very little about potential features for the device.

Many had speculated that the rollout of cheap Android (News - Alert) tablets like the Kindle Fire would shave sales off of the more expensive iPad 3. However, if this rush to turn over old tablets is any indication, Apple should be feeling pretty optimistic about their upcoming launch.

Additional rumors have surfaced stating that a new version of Apple TV will launch alongside the iPad 3 at next Wednesday’s event in San Francisco. The new version of Apple TV may feature the ability to stream 1080p video from Netflix, iTunes and other services. Also, the device may feature an A5 processor like the one found in the iPad 2. Other rumors include a Bluetooth 4.0 remote control and Siri support.

IPad 3 will reportedly feature a resolution twice that of its predecessors, with a touchscreen of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels with a 326 dpi. Its new processor may not be a quad-core but should feature enhanced graphics processing for a higher-quality video streaming experience. Apple, as usual, has not commented on any of the rumors or speculation surrounding the iPad 3 release.

For those interested in trading in their iPad 2, eBay is currently offering about $296 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model.