If you’re upgrading your family (or yourself) in the gadget department this holiday season, here are several services that can help you sell or recycle your old gadgets, beyond wrapping them up for your kids that is. Which hey, isn’t such a terrible idea at all.
Gazelle
Gazelle has been a longtime recommendation of ours, primarily because it’s so easy to use and you can get a pretty good chunk of change back. I’m not ready to get rid of my iPhone 6 just yet, but when I looked it up on Gazelle, I can get anywhere from $170-$190 for it, depending on what condition they deem it to be in.
There are other services out there like uSell (which we’ve covered before) and newer ones like Stopoint (which actually offered a bit more for the iPhone 6 than Gazelle), but it’s nice to have the trust factor since I’ve sold with them before. You get the cash via PayPal or check pretty quickly, or choose the Amazon credit option. And if you’re in the market to buy a used gadget, they recently launched a certified pre-owned program where you can purchase used/refurbished gadgets, too.
Related: Getting a new iPad? How to make your tablet safe for kids
Amazon Trade-In
For an Amazon devotee like me, this is a great option because you get rewarded with Amazon credit. And phones are just one category of what they take in. Everything from wearables to books to DVDs, cameras, even routers. If you’re already signed into your account, the home page offers suggestions of past purchases you can sell back – $8 for Dork Diaries? Sure! You don’t need to have purchased from Amazon to be able to sell back, but it’s nice they give you what certain previous purchases are worth. Free pre-paid labels and Amazon credit for unused items makes this very handy.
Best Buy
If you’re a Best Buy shopper instead and would rather have the credit to buy something in-store, their trade-in program is worth a look. Best Buy offered a little more than Gazelle for my iPhone 6, plus threw in a $50 gift card, but of course, you’re limited to in-store credit and not cold hard cash.
What I also like is that they have an extensive recycling program for all that old tech that’s not worth anything anymore. Best Buy’s long list of acceptable items includes typical phones and laptops, but also things like TVs, Bluetooth headsets, rechargeable batteries, old movies, music and more. Most of the items can be dropped off at any store, so just check with your local Best Buy for details.
Related: The ecoATM and how to find a location near you
Individual Carriers
Depending on which carrier you use, definitely check out their options for either trading in or recycling. Both AT&T and Verizon have trade-in programs that will give you money towards your next purchase (hello, iPhone 7!). They also offer programs like Verizon’s Hopeline, which donates phones to domestic violence victims, or AT&T’s Cell Phones for Soldiers, which helps get cell phones to deployed service members.
