Selling your old technology: Made Easy

We feel inherently attached to our gadgets, they hold onto memories of happier times. Taking pictures, holding messages or from playing games that we remember fondly. But gadget and mobile phone recycling can unlock hidden amounts of cash from your cupboards drawers and garages.

First you need to weigh up whether the best price really is the best price, depending on how new the gadget is, how much it depreciates in value could affect there where and the how you sell the item. You will need to decide whether you want to sell the item to another member of the public or whether you want to sell the item to a company, each has its advantages and examples as we will go through now.

Old cameras do hold their value and can attract the collectors

Using a peer to peer sales channel, you might choose any of Gumtree, Craigslist, Shpock or eBay, or any combination (although you have to be careful with eBay due to the submission of a product as a binding contract. But there are many other “local” sales channels that allow you to determine the price of the product you wish to sell. Obviously this is often open to offers, but the ball is generally in your court to hold out for the price you set out.

The other channel is to sell to one of the many high street chains that take in second hand gadgetry, whether that be the local phone and gadget repair shop or one of the big name chain stores such as Game or CEX, and apart from having a price guarantee to match their competitors, the price they offer will be fixed, but the advantage of this is that you will receive your money instantly, and if you take up their offer for in store credit they will usually give you 10% – 15% extra on the trade in value of your gadget, handy if that is where you intended to spend your money in the first place.

The other method would be to send your gadget to an online recycler, of which there are many such as Mazuma, Music Magpie, Envirofone that will inherently offer you different prices and also vary based on the condition of the product and whether it is tied to certain networks, in the case of mobile phones.

There are ways to maximise the value of your gadget, some takes some forethought and prior planning, such as getting protective cases, insurance if it gets cracked to replace the screen, and others would be to ensure you get it unblocked from your network, (which you are legally entitled to do if you have seen out your contract).

There is no shortage of people looking to buy your old gadgetry, whether it is to recycle the components with the likes of Apple, ship them off to emerging economies, or sell them directly to the customer there and then. This leaves you in a good position as the increased competition inflates the price for much longer, allowing to recoup at least some of your investment.

So check your drawers, your cupboards and look under your stairs and in old shoeboxes, for your gadgets, anything under 15-20 years old will still have value to someone and you may just be surprised how many items you find.