Between last week’s new Kindle announcement, the new Nokia Lumia announcement, and this week’s new iPhone 5 announcement, you may be itching for some new tech. And if you’re upgrading old gadgets, you might want to sell your old tech to raise a little cash for a new purchase.
If you decide to sell your device, definitely do some comparison shopping! There’s a lot of competition in the used gadget buyback market, and some pros and cons to each competitor. But the idea is the same across the board: sell your old gadgets, get cash or credit. The basics about each site below, plus what they offered my for my 8GB iPhone 4. For each site I said that it was in fair to good condition, with no water damage or screen cracks, but that I wouldn’t be including the charger.
Gazelle.com
Classic. Gazelle is one of the originals in the gadget buyback game, and they still have one of the easiest consumer experiences. They buy all kinds of smartphones and cell phones, but as far as computers and tablets go they’re only interested in Mac products. Shipping your phone to Gazelle doesn’t cost anything, so you get to keep 100% of your payments (check, Amazon gift card or PayPal). My offer: $116.
eBay Instant Sale
eBay has no stated limits on what gadgets they accept, so if you’re looking to upgrade a non-Apple product, make sure you check here. Payment is only available by PayPal, which can be a hassle for some people, though it’s fast. Shipping is free. My offer: $139.22 cash via PayPal.
BuyBackWorld
The website design is lacking, but don’t worry: the site is totally legitimate. These guys will give you a quote on just about anything, even headphones, video games, camcorders and home audio equipment. Shipping’s free here, too. My offer: $135.00.
Apple
Apple is the newest to the electronics recycling game, and maybe the worst. They don’t offer cash, only Apple Store credit, and their offer on my iPhone was the lowest of all the sites. Shipping is at least free, and they do take non-Apple products. My offer: $105.00 in Apple Store credit.
Amazon
Amazon is another site that doesn’t offer cash, only an Amazon.com credit, but they were the winner for just dollar amount. Just about any kind of gadget or device is there, but that doesn’t mean they’ll offer much. Shipping is free here, too. They claim that if the device is in better condition than anticipated that they’ll bump up your payment. I need my phone, so I didn’t try it, but overall Amazon is reputable enough that I believe them, and the extra they offered would have made the non-cash option worth it. My offer: $195.00 in Amazon.com credit.
So what’s the bottom line? Shop around. It only takes 2-5 minutes to check each site, and it’s worth it. If you’re a big Amazon customer, their store credit option may be your best bet. And if you’re looking to upgrade your phone, check with your wireless provider, as some have started offering device credit too.
If you just want to get rid of some old electronics sitting around the house, these services can be useful too. They may not give you any cash, but at the very least you can get free shipping to safely recycle electronics.